The End

[uksnowy]

I am a painter for some 50+ years and think I have cracked the problem of when to say it's done.

Some people have a problem how to start, I don't , but when it comes to writing, it is difficult for me to spot the get out clause and stop writing and say it's a wrap.

Any others have this problem and have any clues?

 

[Handley_Page]

I am a painter for some 50+ years and think I have cracked the problem of when to say it's done.

Some people have a problem how to start, I don't , but when it comes to writing, it is difficult for me to spot the get out clause and stop writing and say it's a wrap.

Any others have this problem and have any clues?

When you start thinking about a new plot or four ?

 

[NOIRTRASH]

One of my stories took 5 years to end, and I had talented writers try to help me.

All the clues were there for the end, and no one saw the end.

It came and was right. It was simple and worked.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I have at least three times the amount of unfinished stories as finished ones.

Some I'm just not sure where to end them. Maybe they aren't ready to end. The storyline isn't finished yet? Who knows!

 

[NotWise]

I don't have a problem ending a story. I know the end before I start.

I do have a problem knowing when to stop the damned editing and rewriting. I can go on and on, tweaking and cleaning, cleaning and tweaking, and still find goofs in the story after it's submitted--sometimes originating in my last, hasty edit.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

I patiently wait for the end to come.

WAIT is prolly the creed of the Orient. And it works.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Mostly I write the end first so I know where my story is going. When I don't I go all over the map. It's an approach that works for me.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I don't have a problem ending a story. I know the end before I start.

I do have a problem knowing when to stop the damned editing and rewriting. I can go on and on, tweaking and cleaning, cleaning and tweaking, and still find goofs in the story after it's submitted--sometimes originating in my last, hasty edit.

I found a typo in my latest submitted and approved story!
I was telling a friend of mine about it and how it's going to drive me crazy, and really all I did was forget an S on the end of the word smile. Was supposed to be smiles.
And probably most people won't even notice, but I do!

This was the story that got rejected here a month or so ago for some grammar and I thought I had fixed everything, but while correcting some grammar I tweaked the story a bit and I guess changed something around and now there's a typo!

 

[MindsMirror]

We've asked ourselves the same question. We've found that while we may choose to stop writing about a story, our muses may have other ideas. Just as he/she may refuse to provide continuation for something we were certain was going somewhere.

-MM

 

[HandsInTheDark]

I rarely know the end when I start; I post chapters without always knowing what happens in the next one. I end the story when I see how to resolve the threads I created, sometimes accidentally created.

It works better than it should. But sometimes I end up with unexpected twists - my hardest edged reluctance story, Rent Comes Due, started out as fairly dark sexual experimentation between H and X, then slowly pivoted to a romance between H and C. The foreshadowing of the romance was interesting because I hadn't even realized I was doing it. Sometimes you know where you're going when you don't even realize it.

My endings often depends on some kind of romance, no matter how dark the opening might be. Endings are often "oh... I see it now. I love you." on the part of a male. It's a very natural ending. But sometimes it's just a plot resolution; mystery solved or goal attained.

Writing just about sex doesn't work; sex rarely resolves anything. Probably why strokers are short, have a couple sex scenes, and then crash to a stop. Orgasm achieved, all done. No true catharsis for you, go wipe up now.

 

[trigudis]

I am a painter for some 50+ years and think I have cracked the problem of when to say it's done.

Some people have a problem how to start, I don't , but when it comes to writing, it is difficult for me to spot the get out clause and stop writing and say it's a wrap.

Any others have this problem and have any clues?

The characters take on a life of their own. They tell me how and when a story should end.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

The characters take on a life of their own. They tell me how and when a story should end.

I find this happens a lot! In the beginning I may have an end idea already thought out, but half way through the story my characters have changed that completely.

 

[yukonnights]

Mostly I write the end first so I know where my story is going. When I don't I go all over the map. It's an approach that works for me.

I need to be more diligent in this approach, I think. I always do a draft outline, which is usually quickly overrun and only useful in the most basic turns of the story. But once I start writing, I become the characters and like all of us, they do not want to die. There is always the next phase of life they can move into. But, if I spent more time actually writing the ending, it would make the destination more sure. Yep, I'm going to do this as soon as I can finish writing myself out of the drama of my current "life" (which is starting to bore me, by the way).

 

[StrangeTamer]

The characters take on a life of their own. They tell me how and when a story should end.

This has happened with both of my stories, I thought it was done but the characters had a different idea. Starting a story, yeah I suck at that too.

 

[Haulover]

I don't have a problem ending a story. I know the end before I start.

I do have a problem knowing when to stop the damned editing and rewriting. I can go on and on, tweaking and cleaning, cleaning and tweaking, and still find goofs in the story after it's submitted--sometimes originating in my last, hasty edit.

^^ THIS ^^

 

[Hypoxia]

I sometimes mention my three overall approaches to writing. They do not overlap, usually.

1: Devise a setting, players, and a few plot points, then set the players loose to think and act. The characters create the story. The author need merely transcribe and edit.

2: Visualize the tale, in outline at least. Know what will happen (generally) before starting to write, like blogging a show you've seen. Fill in that structure with useful details.

3: Visualize an ending, maybe from a specific image or phrase. Now think on who, how, and what are needed to reach that ending. Devise a setup, and the story tells itself.

My #1 approach is what we generally see in Story Ideas. Someone proposes a situation and wonders what happens next. That's fine, sometimes. But it's helpful to have *some* idea of the story's path. Regard the truism: If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else. (Like airline luggage.)

 

[uksnowy]

Thanks for the excellent and varied responses above.
I never pre-plan and never have an end, (part of my dilemma).
I am continually editing because of the issues in this site and of course, when I re-read there are always tweaks and corrections.
Got three new stories to start.

 

[ElectricBlue]

1: Devise a setting, players, and a few plot points, then set the players loose to think and act. The characters create the story. The author need merely transcribe and edit.

Yes, that's my preferred approach. I'm not disciplined enough to figure out a plot other than a few broad concepts, and my best writing is when my stream of consciousness kicks in and my characters start writing themselves. My job is to keep up!

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I think my other issue with finishing stories is that a lot of my stories start as a dream. I'll dream an awesome dream and think, man I wish that had lasted longer. So I'll write a story based on a dream and since the dream didn't end I'm not sure how to end the story.

 

[Hypoxia]

Yes, that's my preferred approach. I'm not disciplined enough to figure out a plot other than a few broad concepts, and my best writing is when my stream of consciousness kicks in and my characters start writing themselves. My job is to keep up!

I just came upon a hot anecdote. Somebody asked Picasso how he plans a painting like Guernica. He replied, "I paint the picture to find out what it looks like." Many of us write the story to find out what happens next, hey?

I should have expanded on my next approach:

2: Visualize the tale, in outline at least. Know what will happen (generally) before starting to write, like blogging a show you've seen. Fill in that structure with useful details.

For me, that works best in a journal-type story where the main events are known. a tale based on diaries or histories etc. No need to devise a plot; merely tweak events to boost the storytelling. Travel journals are especially good: The MC goes somewhere, does stuff, gets fucked, then moves on to the next place for further adventures. Repeat as needed.