Welcome to this lesson of David Kummer’s writing course. That’s me, by the way. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, success stories, or just something fun to say, email me at davidkummer7@gmail.com. I’d love to talk about anything and everything, especially if that everything has to do with books, basketball, or Chinese food. I am a teenager, after all. So that’s that! Head on down and read what might be the best writing course of your life, but also might be the worst You won’t know until you try!

Parts of a Book:

A book is a tower, and you build it bottom to top, part by part.

 

Resolution

Give it some thought and remember… this is the best part of the book

 

Welcome to the resolution of Part 2! It is all about the story… Resolution. See, I’m so smart.

 

The Resolution is the ending of the book, just like this is the ending of Part 2. You probably know that. Instead of saying “Resolution,” I’m just gonna say the end of the book because that’s easier and I’m in a very simple-minded mood.

 

There are a few key things to remember when you write the end of the book.

 

First, you have to make it memorable, for a couple reasons. If you’re writing a series, then there is a very good quote you should remember. It says that the first chapter is how you sell that book, the last chapter is how you sell the next one. I think that’s pretty true. Even if you’re not writing a series, making the ending forgetful will just ruin a perfect book (because after this course, yours is perfect of course. Shhh.)

 

Secondly, you should give your main character a fitting farewell. They’ve been the apple of your reader’s eye for the entire book -or even series- and so the reader certainly wants to see them one last time. One more tear-jerking scene, and there you go. A great ending.

 

There are other things to keep in mind as you write, but these two are the most important and are the basic needs. We will go into each more in-depth.

 

Memorable

 

What are the things you remember most about a book? The first chapter possibly. The climax, for sure. And most times, also the Resolution.

 

The ending of a book is what leaves the reader with a feeling. They’ll feel emotions when they close those covers (or run out of pages to swipe). Your job as the author is to make it a good one.

 

If you’ve seen many movies or read many books, you probably can tell there is a pattern in stories. The ending is usually emotional or foreshadows something else, especially in series. However, there is a catch.

 

There are very, very few exceptions. In almost every ending, there has to be a wrap-up of the story. The end is what makes the story a complete one. You know how they say a sentence has to be a complete thought? Well, a book has to be a complete story. Even if it’s in a series, each book needs to be a complete idea. For example, if someone picked up Book 3 of the Harry Potter series and read it, they would understand the basic themes of the book. Sure, some parts would be confusing and some names, but overall they would understand.

Fitting Farewell

 

While we’re on the topic of the Harry Potter books, let me say that they are a great example of this concept. Giving your characters a “Fitting Farewell” at the end of every book is a very important, sometimes forgotten task.

 

At the end of each book, Harry Potter and company ride the train away from Hogwarts. They depart for the summer from each other, just as they were leaving us until we picked up the next book. Not only that, but each final chapter was written with care and lots of thought because the author knew if she entertained us with the last part of that book, we would buy the next one.

 

Giving your character a good final scene is tricky. It all depends on you -the author- and your creation -the main character- because each of you will influence it. Some characters should be given a “ride into the sunset” scene. Others are better off with a quick scene where they just disappear. And still, others require different things. It all depends.

 

Conclusion

 

These are the two basic needs for an ending. Each one depends on you and what your story requires.

 

Give it some thought and remember… this is the best part of the book. As you give the reader that emotional and fulfilling ending, you get the same for yourself.

 

Come back next time to see Part 3 of this writing course! Over the next 3 weeks, I’ll give you very helpful, well-proven ideas for how to keep yourself motivated and excited about writing!

 

We’ll call this next part… How to do the Writing.

If you have missed parts 1,2, 3, and 4, you can read them and catch up.