The big finish ~

[GoldenMaia]

Does anyone else have issues wrapping up their stories?

I know, it seems like 'the money shot' should be the end, but dang-it, sometimes it just needs more than that. A bow on the end to wrap up a theme or something.

I have two stories that I'm working on and just don't have any end in sight. I need to /end/ things but nothing feels quite right. I know I have a lot of story to tell but I feel like it's running too long! Girls gets boy but then xy AND z happen. Do I have to wrap everything up? It's erotica dangit!

(I also have this big hangup that if I don't have a good 'end' that my score is going to suck and I don't want to post the story....ugh....Performance anxiety! )


So, I'm looking for some help...pep talk....push to the finish.... a nice'ish resolution...something.

 

[le_kitty]

Does anyone else have issues wrapping up their stories?

I know, it seems like 'the money shot' should be the end, but dang-it, sometimes it just needs more than that. A bow on the end to wrap up a theme or something.

I have two stories that I'm working on and just don't have any end in sight. I need to /end/ things but nothing feels quite right. I know I have a lot of story to tell but I feel like it's running too long! Girls gets boy but then xy AND z happen. Do I have to wrap everything up? It's erotica dangit!

(I also have this big hangup that if I don't have a good 'end' that my score is going to suck and I don't want to post the story....ugh....Performance anxiety! )


So, I'm looking for some help...pep talk....push to the finish.... a nice'ish resolution...something.

Yeah, I get you. And I have 0 good ideas for you lol.

I don't think your score will suck if you've been consistent with posting and you give your readers an ending they've been expecting. Even if it's unexpected, as long as it doesn't crash too wildly with their expectation, your score will be fine I think.

But I get that, every time I post a chapter, some part of me is certain it's going to be received poorly and nobody will like it, I'm pretty much holding my breath, and then I'm flattered every time people do like it. There's a balance between writing for yourself and writing for an audience and people skewer one way or the other. If I know what I want, and what my audience wants, then I find it easy to move ahead. Of course you don't have to wrap it up, but does your audience expect you to? And then, what do you want to do.

I'm in a similar situation with my current work in progress on Lit, but I find that when I stall, an ending is unlikely to strike me out of the blue, but by getting into the flow of writing, the ending tends to unfold itself, and if it's wrong, I cut/backspace and go again.

I know a lot of people here have their endings already decided before they set out to write though.

 

[RejectReality]

Sometimes. A lot of time, in this name, I cheat with a brief scene. A cool-down after the sex. A text later that night or the next day. It also usually contains a one-liner. A punny title and a pseudo-punchline is usually how I go with those stories to wrap them up.

It sounds to me more like you have a second story, and you're not really sure where that second part is going yet. You know that everything up to now leads to the characters hooking up. Unless X, Y, and Z are dangling plot threads that need to be resolved, you might want to wrap it up with cuddling/playfulness after the sex, whichever is appropriate to the tone, waking up the next morning for the first day of their new life together, or something similar. That's always worked well for me.

You should have what is a satisfying resolution for readers in what you post now. ( Again, so long as those things unsaid aren't dangling plot threads ) and leave an opening to write a follow-up if you figure out how X,Y,Z end at some point in the future.

Almost everything I write in this name leaves an opening to continue. I do that on purpose. My scores don't suffer because the conflicts that have arisen in the story have all been resolved, or it's implied that everything is in place for those conflicts to resolve themselves shortly afterward.

You don't have to end on the orgasm, but you also don't have to go into the whole next day, unless there's a reason to. Things are great at that moment, so toss in a little sweetness/naughtiness as a closer, and wrap it up.

 

[sr71plt]

No, I can't remember having trouble wrapping a story up (to my satisfaction that I've come to an end with it). I think that's because I don't write anything that I don't have an ending in mind before I start--even if the ending changes.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

One story took me 5 years to finish. The ending is quite simple and complies with Chandlers maxim, IF YOU DONT KNOW WHERE TO GO, SHOOT SOMEBODY. And that's what happens. It got a green E.

I always start with a thesis and an ending (I often change). But I struggle with the in-between and making the plot points congruent with the end. What I do is leave the problem alone till a fix falls from the sky. It can take 5 years to happen, but usually happens same day. What we call our conscious mind is really only good for culling tomatoes and watermelons.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

The ending I aim for but rarely hit is what I call THE CONFOUNDING.

Something confounded has two or maybe more conclusions congruent with the information the reader has. The reader's mind follows one path but the ending lies along a different logical path.

Its like determining if light is made of waves or particles. Depending on the logical path you take it can be either. Readers generally subscribe to the conventional wisdom, and ignore the outliers.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I usually have the ending in mind before I start writing. I also have the beginning, it's the middle I have a lot of trouble with.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Usually some kind of a short coda, either to leave it open ended (knowing a sequel might turn up later) or shutting it down, full stop, the end.

My multi-chapter yarn - I had the very last line of the the story by Chapter 3, then took another twenty chapters to get there. Half way through, the damn thing did a plot turn I did not expect, adding several more characters including a second leading lady. That made the ending even further away, but it got there eventually. Each chapter ending in that one had the " falling off the cliff" scene like the old serials run at Saturday's movie matinee, or a one liner to join the dots.

 

[loquere]

Does anyone else have issues wrapping up their stories?

I know, it seems like 'the money shot' should be the end, but dang-it, sometimes it just needs more than that. A bow on the end to wrap up a theme or something.

I have two stories that I'm working on and just don't have any end in sight. I need to /end/ things but nothing feels quite right. I know I have a lot of story to tell but I feel like it's running too long! Girls gets boy but then xy AND z happen. Do I have to wrap everything up? It's erotica dangit!

(I also have this big hangup that if I don't have a good 'end' that my score is going to suck and I don't want to post the story....ugh....Performance anxiety! )


So, I'm looking for some help...pep talk....push to the finish.... a nice'ish resolution...something.

I'm great at introductions, that sweet middle that is the plot, I do that well indeed. I am awful at conclusions, with many a awkward ending.

In the beginning I love the idea, but by the end I just want to be finished with it, so that might be a factor since my mind has moved on to the next big thing.

 

[HushHushCrush]

That's an eternal problem, I think. One thing to ask is: what is the main character's problem, and how can you show the reader it's been solved? An ending can only resolve the tensions that were in the story in the first place, so there's no way to have a meaningful ending if the story hasn't been building towards it.
In a lot of erotica, the big sex scene *is* the ending, but if we don't bother to write the beginning or the middle, the reader doesn't know that.
Best of luck! If you want to PM me a draft, I'd be glad to help you brainstorm.

 

[Ewobbit]

The big problem is that stories have a beginning, climax, and end. Life, on the other hand, goes on in a roller coaster where the end is another beginning until death and then other characters pick up the story.

What you are running into, what I run into, and what I think most authors run into that experience this problem is that we do our primary job too well. We give birth to characters that become real, not just to the reader, but to us. They take on a life of their own and when we write what we thought would be the ending, they continue to live. We can't help but see what happens next.

I don't know that there is "A Way" out of this conundrum. But, what I usually do is back it up just a bit. I look for the place I've already passed that could be an end or could continue on. It's never easy to find because I can't unsee what I've seen.

If worst comes to even worse, I tack on an epilogue to show a return to "normal". An admission that life went on, but an insistence that it returned to humdrum and nothing else interesting went on.

If I absolutely can not find another way, I will have something interesting happen to one of the children and have the primary protagonists share "A Look". And then end that story. I can always pick up with the kids later if I absolutely can not NOT tell the continuation. But, more often than not, once I set the driving characters on the shelf, the story becomes less interesting to me and I can avoid doing it.

On the other hand, I usually get about fifty percent of readers clamoring for a continuation no matter what I do. I can wrap it up in a nice neat bow and kill off all but one or two characters necessary to record "the end" and still I get a request for more. I tend to take these with a grain of salt. While it may be that the story was pretty decent, it's been my experience that it's much more likely that the reader just doesn't want to let go of something comfortable. Sort of like that old college sweatshirt with the moth eaten hole to the left of the navel.

Any road, best of luck and I look forward to reading your "Everlasting Gobstopper"

 

[sr71plt]

Ah, JBJ's "just pretend" Green E again, which just validates that he considers them desirable.

 

[GoldenMaia]

Ah, JBJ's "just pretend" Green E again, which just validates that he considers them desirable.

What does the 'E' stand for?

 

[sr71plt]

What does the 'E' stand for?

I presume "Editor's Choice."

 

[PennLady]

I usually have the ending in mind before I start writing. I also have the beginning, it's the middle I have a lot of trouble with.

LOL That's me.

I can't say I've really had a problem ending a story. I don't mind ending it, and usually have an idea of where I want to end up, so I know what I'm working toward. Sometimes it changes, but it helps me to have that from the start.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

What does the 'E' stand for?

I really have a green E.

 

[sr71plt]

Do check that out GoldenMaia. Do go look at his file. As for his claim that it's under a pen name, it then can only be claimed under that pen name. But he's been shown how it's completely in his interest to claim it under a pen name, and he still won't do it. That's because he doesn't have one. He would gain so many points by having that pen name account declare affinity with JBJ on this forum. There's only one reason why he doesn't do that.

It is interesting that he wants one so badly that he'll pretend to have what some of the rest of us have multiple times. It shows the inferiority complex.

 

[NotWise]

So, I'm looking for some help...pep talk....push to the finish.... a nice'ish resolution...something.

Well, rather than letting yet another thread degrade...

How about a generic finish. The main character wakes up and it was all a dream.

or...

The police break in and arrest everyone for bad dialogue (think Monty Python).

or...

The scene changes to the lair of the evil overlord, who watches the main characters in a magical view screen. He laughs grimly and rubs his hands. "My plan is working just as I hoped!"

 

[sr71plt]

It's your story. Why don't you just put some thought into what the finish of the story should be yourself? If you can't come up with something at least to work toward until/until something better shows up, you don't really have a story, do you?

 

[sr71plt]

Do check that out GoldenMaia. Do go look at his file. As for his claim that it's under a pen name, it then can only be claimed under that pen name. But he's been shown how it's completely in his interest to claim it under a pen name, and he still won't do it. That's because he doesn't have one. He would gain so many points by having that pen name account declare affinity with JBJ on this forum. There's only one reason why he doesn't do that.

It is interesting that he wants one so badly that he'll pretend to have what some of the rest of us have multiple times. It shows the inferiority complex.

And there you go. As always, there's no "there" there.

 

[lovecraft68]

Do check that out GoldenMaia. Do go look at his file. As for his claim that it's under a pen name, it then can only be claimed under that pen name. But he's been shown how it's completely in his interest to claim it under a pen name, and he still won't do it. That's because he doesn't have one. He would gain so many points by having that pen name account declare affinity with JBJ on this forum. There's only one reason why he doesn't do that.

It is interesting that he wants one so badly that he'll pretend to have what some of the rest of us have multiple times. It shows the inferiority complex.

I've read JBJ's green E story and so has at least one other author here I know of. It's under an alt name and that was the only story under it. The story was his because it was his style through and through.

I think in the past I've proven to never claim anything that's not there and can't back up. In this case I can't because its his choice to ever link it and he has more fun winding you up than to prove it.

So if you want to consider me a liar to make yourself try to feel superior, that's up to you, but I'm tired of your acting like one person liking your story means something here other than one person liked your story, and its the one with the 'gold star' capability.

And its not about quality its about what she likes and favoritism by author or category....note you haven't gotten anything since she's been pissed at you, which proves whim is the only thing behind them.

 

[sr71plt]

I've read JBJ's green E story and so has at least one other author here I know of. It's under an alt name and that was the only story under it. The story was his because it was his style through and through.

I think in the past I've proven to never claim anything that's not there and can't back up. In this case I can't because its his choice to ever link it and he has more fun winding you up than to prove it.

So if you want to consider me a liar to make yourself try to feel superior, that's up to you, but I'm tired of your acting like one person liking your story means something here other than one person liked your story, and its the one with the 'gold star' capability.

And its not about quality its about what she likes and favoritism by author or category....note you haven't gotten anything since she's been pissed at you, which proves whim is the only thing behind them.

Ah, no. There's much (much, much) "egg-on-face" value to be had by identifying as JBJ in this pen name and then just not using the pen name again if he's worried about ratings (and his obvious worry about ratings also flies in the face of his chosen persona here). The readers can't take a Green E away. He doesn't point to it, because it's not his. It's as simple as that.

It's flattering that he wants one so badly that he'll lie about having one but that also cheapens it for those of us who have actually earned them.

And it doesn't bother me that he's bamboozled you about it. He's playing us all by claiming he has it and not proving it. Nobody asks him if he has one when he brings it up. He brings it up for an Easy Button fake brag, which just shows once again how needy and starved for attention he is.

I think that he doesn't do the logical thing if he actually has one under a pen name because he's still smarting that Stella and I finally embarrassed him into posting stories here at all. To that extent we own him. If he proves this claim out, I'll own him on forcing that. Until then, he doesn't have one, because proving it out would be simple and supremely desirable to do in terms of credibility--and he won't/can't prove what doesn't exist.

I don't mind him bringing it up to get me to call him on it, because each time we have this exchange his credibility goes down the tubes. Mine doesn't on Green Es, because I've got a ton of them in multiple categories. You don't give them much value, because you don't have any.

I don't care if he--or you--think he's pulling my chain on this. He's a needy loser each time he brings it up. He can only win by not being challenged on it. Next, he'll probably use a photo of a blonde as an avatar and claim he's a female.

 

[le_kitty]

It's flattering that he wants one so badly that he'll lie about having one but that also cheapens it for those of us who have actually earned them.

Why? Why is the merit of a green E contingent on whether other people have one or not. Does the fact that they are lying... mean your work is somehow less? Or is it because a green E stands out, and in our society, people who stand out are either weirdos or better, or another way to put it; different. You reveal that you care about a status you've earned, and dislike someone else saying they have the same when you do not think they do.

Half the time I don't understand what Noirtrash is saying and the times that I do, half that time I don't agree. Before you tell me I don't know the history here, I'll tell you I rely on my judgement over someone else's words at face value. Especially about another person. In high school it was called bullying.

 

[sr71plt]

Why? Why is the merit of a green E contingent on whether other people have one or not.

It doesn't, nor is that any part of this discussion. JBJ, as he's done in other ways, is claiming credibility he has shown no right to claim. If you wish to be led down a garden path, that's your problem. There are far too many gullible folks on the Internet to try to save from themselves.

 

[le_kitty]

It doesn't, nor is that any part of this discussion. JBJ, as he's done in other ways, is claiming credibility he has shown no right to claim. If you wish to be led down a garden path, that's your problem. There are far too many gullible folks on the Internet to try to save from themselves.

It doesn't, nor is that any part of this discussion.

If you consider this a discussion, it was never relevant to Maia's original post to begin with.

JBJ, as he's done in other ways, is claiming credibility he has shown no right to claim.

I don't care.

If you wish to be led down a garden path, that's your problem.

You've missed my point because you've chosen not to consider what else I've said or implied.

There are far too many gullible folks on the Internet to try to save from themselves.

There are also far too many bullies on the internet to try reason with them.