Damn, it's so fucking frustrating...

3 beautifully written pages of nothing but words! A story has 3 parts; the beginning, the middle, AND THE END. Without the end it's not a story, just a bunch of words. I understand, Hitchcock was a master at leaving us hanging, but we are not Hitchcock.

I just read a masterfully written piece in LW. 3 pages of emotional turmoil that kept me on the edge of my seat. As I got to the middle of the 3rd page, I wondered how he was going to end great story with so little time left.

Well...he didn't end it...not even come close to ending it.

Instead he wrote an epilogue explaining that he was too chicken to end it because he didn't see how he could and satisfy everyone.

WHAT BULLSHIT! I was all set to give him a BIG 5 stars. Instead I gave him 2 for a bunch of well written words.

Good point.

Sometimes when I'm writing. The beginning just flows. Other times it's like trying to run up hill...I have to force myself, but after I get those first two paragraphs...it usually just starts flowing...The story just writes itself...the middles are my best parts! Bam, Bam, BAm..I just nail it.. then....

just like you described...well not exactly that...the story just ends.. my endings suck...sometimes I take a gamble and add a twist. Most short stories have those kinds of twists...I don't know...

My endings suck. It wasn't my story you were talking about but that's what I usually get my most complaints on.

I do a little writing myself, so...

I know the ends are the most crucial part of a story and you're never going to please everyone, but to just wimp out and stop writing half way through the story is ridiculous.

The middle is usually the "slow-going" part for me, if it's a hard birth. I'm having that at the moment. What I'm working on is slated to be a paperback, which means I have to hit a minimum in wordage. It always seems to be slower going if I know it has to be "at least" a certain amount of words.

Agree that it's a bummer to invest reading time in something that cops out on an ending--or just whimpers at the end.

laptopwriter said:

I know the ends are the most crucial part of a story and you're never going to please everyone, but to just wimp out and stop writing half way through the story is ridiculous.

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I thought this was supposed to be the modern way to write fiction -- stop a story before it ends. Why, that was discussed in AH just a few weeks ago.

Naw, if you can't figure out how to end a story, just make it a chapter with a hanging tease. Then finish it when inspiration strikes... in a couple years.

Sometimes writing a condensed version of a story can provide a fresh perspective that allows you to see it as a finished whole that you can then scale upwards. It then becomes easier to see if you do have a beginning, middle and ending or just a bunch of cool ideas hapharzardly slapped together.

Writing it in the form of a poem or song lyrics can also aid you in switching up pace and tone as the story progresses.

Also, it will challenge you into using fewer choice words to relate more story by engaging the reader's process of association and letting him flesh in unwritten details.

That's kind of.....crappy for lack of a better term. To sit and admit in a story you were afraid to piss someone off?

May sound harsh, but no matter how well written the OP says the story was, that person should hang it up because no ending is ever going to make anyone happy and end of the day you should be writing it as it comes to you not worrying about who will and will not be happy.

Hypoxia said:

I thought this was supposed to be the modern way to write fiction -- stop a story before it ends. Why, that was discussed in AH just a few weeks ago.

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Well, when you consider that the ultimate ending of all stories is "they all died" . . .

There are several writings on this site who think they are Hitchcock...

I know I keep bringing up his name but he was the master of the hanging chad ending. He always did; however, end his stories. In some cases you have to think about the end, but due to his masterful direction, the reader could only come to one conclusion.

That's something some of these writers do not understand. You don't simply leave everything hanging at the end and think you're Hitchcock.

In this particular case the story should never have been submitted to LW. I know we've had tons of conversations as to what actually belongs in that genre, but I think we can all agree there should be a WIFE present in the story. In this story there was no wife. The female lead was a fiancee'.

I could have overlooked that for a great story but to simply stop writing without anything resolved whats-so-ever, is horseshit. What's more, he didn't have comments turned on so I couldn't tell him it was horse shit.

laptopwriter said:

I know I keep bringing up his name but he was the master of the hanging chad ending. He always did; however, end his stories. In some cases you have to think about the end, but due to his masterful direction, the reader could only come to one conclusion.

That's something some of these writers do not understand. You don't simply leave everything hanging at the end and think you're Hitchcock.

In this particular case the story should never have been submitted to LW. I know we've had tons of conversations as to what actually belongs in that genre, but I think we can all agree there should be a WIFE present in the story. In this story there was no wife. The female lead was a fiancee'.

I could have overlooked that for a great story but to simply stop writing without anything resolved whats-so-ever, is horseshit. What's more, he didn't have comments turned on so I couldn't tell him it was horse shit.

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Maybe he could start a career in those adventure books that when you come to a scene you can pick from different options and go from there.

I read the story

laptopwriter is referring to and had my own "WTF?" moment for the way it ended, but I have to disagree with his assessment that it didn't belong in LW. It did not have any elements that would allow it to fit any other category and technically the fiancee cheated on her intended and that puts it in LW.
I also feel it needs an ending of some sort.

lovecraft68 said:

Maybe he could start a career in those adventure books that when you come to a scene you can pick from different options and go from there.

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Funny you should mention that. My just-accepted Jenny-Be-Fair 02 has just such a structure. EDIT: Readers don't like it. Never again!

The story is Bennie and the Bike Tour by maninconn. Not sure why the OP neglected to mention that since it is the basis of his argument. An argument I disagree with.

I thought the direction of the story near the end was clearly indicated. The guy would continue to force his ex-fiancee to chase him and eventually let her catch him...but not right now. What do you expect? The mom gave that advice to the daughter at one point, and the guy told the mom that that is what he was going to require. Good time to end the story.

Do you really want to read more about the chase when you know the outcome? Maninconn didn't leave anything hanging. I think it worked as a short story. It would work as a chapter in a longer piece, but in that context, subsequent chapters would have to build on that. The story does bring up a lot of questions, but if we answered them all we would never have short stories as a genre. They would all have to be epics...epics that would never end.

Frankly, all of the prologues/epilogues etc. where an author tries to explain themselves are boring and irrelevant, even when they aren't arrogant. Leave that for some professor to write when you are famous and dead. Write the fucking story the way you want to write it. Don't tell us why or how. We're experienced readers and we can deal with whatever happens.

BTW, I enjoy your stories, laptopwriter.

rj

lovecraft68 said:

That's kind of.....crappy for lack of a better term. To sit and admit in a story you were afraid to piss someone off?

May sound harsh, but no matter how well written the OP says the story was, that person should hang it up because no ending is ever going to make anyone happy and end of the day you should be writing it as it comes to you not worrying about who will and will not be happy.

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My sentiments exactly!

When you write something, while accolades and praise and everyone loving your shit is wonderful, ultimately they are YOUR characters and YOUR story that you've chosen to share with the world.

Therefore who gives a crap if you piss people off with the ending. Have I read books where I am pissed with how it ends? Yeah. But that doesn't make me hate the book or anything. Books (and stories) don't have to have a happy ending but they do have to have an ending. And it's your job as the author to give your writing that ending.

Just my two cents.

Charles Dickens wrote 2 endings for GREAT EXPECTATIONS and readers still whined. The ending of HUCK FINN is about the worst that comes to mind. Truly WTF! Fuck LIT readers.

Damn guys ! Same here was hooked to this one story . Amazing build up of 5 pages and then no updates yet. Spent two days searching over the net . Feel like banging the shit out of my lappy

laptopwriter said:

Instead he wrote an epilogue explaining that he was too chicken to end it because he didn't see how he could and satisfy everyone.

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A story runs as it does, it ends as it does. A story doesn't care whether other people like it, whether they're happy at the end or crying, whether they're upset or fully satisfied. A story doesn't even care whether the reader masturbates while reading or not.

When a story is incomplete and the author knows it'll never be completed, I think he shouldn't have posted it. I for one wouldn't post any of my stories before it's completed. I have several half-written stories here, a few that I really like, but they're not complete so won't be published until I read them again and maybe find out how it continues, and how it comes to a conclusion.

I hope you did leave him a comment as well, as otherwise the author will for sure not know about why you gave him a low score (if he realises that to begin with).

laptopwriter said:

In this particular case the story should never have been submitted to LW. I know we've had tons of conversations as to what actually belongs in that genre, but I think we can all agree there should be a WIFE present in the story. In this story there was no wife. The female lead was a fiancee'.

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Unmarried long-time partnerships work just fine for me. Whether they went to the city hall to sign a marriage certificate is less important than the core of the theme which is long-term, dedicated partners seeking sexual fun outside their relationship.

A couple living together for 10 years without having gone through a formal marriage ritual are at least as much if not more "married" to each other than a couple that knows each other for half a year, runs off to Vegas, and a year later realises there's more to this world.

Yes, if that was the case...

i_would said:

Unmarried long-time partnerships work just fine for me. Whether they went to the city hall to sign a marriage certificate is less important than the core of the theme which is long-term, dedicated partners seeking sexual fun outside their relationship.

A couple living together for 10 years without having gone through a formal marriage ritual are at least as much if not more "married" to each other than a couple that knows each other for half a year, runs off to Vegas, and a year later realises there's more to this world.

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Common-law or legally married would make no difference, you're right. But in this case it was a one year relationship. To be honest I don't remember if he was about to propose or had already, but the female lead was far from being his wife in any sense of the word.

It is true, the theme of the story fell into the general genre, and to be honest, if it had been a good story I probably wouldn't have mentioned it. It was one of those things where once you find major fault with something, the more insignificant problems pop up as well.

I see retaliation has already started. One of my stories has already been targeting by two, back -to-back, so far, who have stated it was in the wrong genre and consequently deserved no more than 1 star. Where I believe my criticism was justified for having a story with NO wife in a genre entitled, "Loving WIVES," the attack on my story is completely unjustified since my story has 2 loving wives. But then that's the way little minds think and it can't be helped.

i would, i love your description of a story as a living entity that decides for itself where it is going. I feel that way a lot about my stories. Nonetheless, I would not let any of themgo to pasture without their heads or tails.

But then, it seems very common on Lit. to post stories and THEN ask for feedback. many many writers here post SHIT they themselves have not even close read, let alone proof read or edited.

Yes for god's sake, writers should finish their stories before they post them, then read it twice, then edit it, then proof it and Then ask for comments and then take those comments to heart and make changes they think appropriate and then edit once more and then post it.

Did anyone tell them it was going to be easy? But oh what great delight when you hear about or see someone laugh, or weep, or get hard or wet or cum from one of you stories. That is the definition of heaven.

robertreams said:

But then, it seems very common on Lit. to post stories and THEN ask for feedback. many many writers here post SHIT they themselves have not even close read, let alone proof read or edited.

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Lit. isn't really set up for feedback on stories before they post at Lit. (See the slug on what the Feedback Forum represents).