Struggling on how to end a story

[significantdot5647]

I'm trying to figure out how to end a story where it makes sense that the two characters don't end up with each other. The current ending I have seems too abrupt, and there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason for them not to get together.

Some basic story points:

Main character is a 23 year old woman. She's pregnant, the father isn't in the picture, and her parents disown her, so she's living with her sister. She meets the neighbor across the street and they start a summer romance. Male character is 19 and has dreams of being an actor, which the female character encourages, but he has to work to care for his younger siblings, as both parents are gone.

Current ending so far is woman has her baby, guy sends her a letter explaining his aunt is adopting the kids, and an acting opportunity has come up, so he chooses to move away to pursue acting.

It just feels like there should be a more definitive reason they can't be together, still within the context of him becoming an actor, but I'm coming up blank. Any ideas?

 

[TheWritingGroup]

To me, "I have the chance at career success," is plenty good as a complication. You could add on to it by having New Mom feel as if she can't be connected to someone who will, she's quite sure, struggle along on the fringes of show biz for a while and never have a real career. If you want, you could have her secretly think he's a crap actor but not want to say that to him.

--Annie

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

In theory, you can paint them as two people who acknowledge that long distance could work, but ultimately know they'd need to be physically near each other. Hence, a mutual clean cut.

 

[filthytrancendence]

So I feel like I only recently learned how to do endings. You have to pay off the character arc you've set up somehow, generally by fulfilling either a want or a need.

Abruptness is not generally the real problem, at least not for my stuff. It's a lack of satisfying resolution.

In your case, you kinda need to find different things to pay off for each character, since both are going in different directions. Like, maybe they wanted to be together and that doesn't happen, right? So give them each something they actually needed. His acting career blossoming seems fine. So find something for her.

And it needs to be something you've weaved through their character's journey. I mean, I guess it doesn't NEED to, but it does in order to feel really satisfying. So I can't really suggest something without knowing more. But she's your character--what does she need? And find a way to give it to her.

I feel like ending on a Dear John letter is not great. Unless the point is that he's a coward or something.

Maybe they have a conversation, they break up because he's pursuing his career. Then some time passes and you have an epilogue in which she gets/learns/grows into the thing she needs?

 

[UncleJunior]

You already have your ending, just take away the letter.

Make that epilogue a face-to-face scene and the story ends itself.