Young Writers Society

Say the plot is some kind of apocalypse or war that the characters have to overcome. Do you like it to end at the very end of the climax (the war is over and we shall stand here heroically, looking into the sunrise of a bright new future) or do you like it when, after the climax, the story continues a bit to give you a look into where their lives take them now and how they deal with this new life?

Maybe this is a hard question to answer because it's too specific... or not specific enough. Or maybe because it's varies depending on the book. But I'm curious to hear what you're guys's preferences are. Or just in general, even if it's not some kind of war or heroes journey, what makes a satisfying ending for you?

Probably the most noncomittal answer ever, but it really depends. Both on the story itself and the way the author goes about writing the end. Personally, I do like slightly messy endings, in the sense that not everything goes back to normal and is perfect sunshine and daisies, but there are consequences and you know the character/s is/are going to have to live with them. That's not to say I don't like happy endings, because I do, but some stories can be neat, and others it feels like a bit of a rip off if the ending's too happy, like it just feels too easy. Suffer, characters, suffer

With endings, I like it when there's a sense of the characters having a future and life after the events of the story, but it doesn't necessarily have to be written as part of the novel, à la Harry Potter or The Hunger Games (first two examples that spring to mind). It's more like a feeling that life will go on. There's finality, sure, but we know that the characters' lives don't just end when the novel does.

To answer your initial question from a more structural perspective, I think that if it's the end of a story (such as end of a trilogy or standalone), you do need to have a bit of a wind down after the climax and conflict is somehow resolved. I know plenty of books that have finished a couple of chapters before they should have - everything just ends up feeling hasty. Although part of that does relate to how quickly stuff gets resolved after the main climactic scene, too. But you do need resolution, I think, not just "oh yay we beat the baddies". Which all ties into what I spoke about in terms of a sense of future.

So yeah. That's my thoughts on the matter.

I agree with Sarah on this. Some novels and series work well with happy endings, but it essentially comes down to how the ending was executed. As I am personally a fan of epic series, with multiple characters and PoVs, I like to see how each storyline affects the other. I mean, you have to show that each character meant something to the story, and that is done in the climax and ending.

Take for example Lord of the Rings. Although it is a great trilogy, the characters' individual stories don't really change much in the other characters' endings. The only real influences are between Gimli and Legolas, but the rest essentially return to their normal (or more or less normal) lives, without much further tie-in between them all.

I also feel that if it were in the middle of a series, a rushed ending can actually be used to draw the reader to the next novels, but the final conclusion requires a bit more to for some of the issues (note "some") to be dealt with after the climax.

Other than that, I totally agree with all that Sarah said.

If anything, after reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth, I say the plot must stay coherent and cohesive until the end. There's no need to introduce something new no matter how much it relates to the current plot you're using. If the second novel is enough to end the story, then ends it. The third novel should only be used if you think the ending in the novel before it is unsatisfactory, in the sense of it doesn't fully cover the conflicts and questions it has presented.

About your question, I prefer to have some kind of closure after the ending because of my intrigue to know what has changed after the war is own, what's new that happened to them as a result for it. I want to see the consequences of said war, and how it signifies as a reminder to the generation after it.

To make the ending right after the climax, some ambiguity is needed. Something to keep the reader thinking, you know? Something that doesn't really need explanation but interesting and can be discussed between readers. To make it simpler, it should not satisfy the reader's desire to see a perfectly covered ending. It should give some hints of what would happen next without giving more explanation to said hints.

Thanks so much for your responses, guys! They're really helpful!