I see what you mean. Stories that go on forever tend to become repetitive, and it feels more like a cash grab than anything. Plus, what if the original writer can’t write anymore? Then, they have to be replaced by an entirely different writer who may or may not have different values and writing skill, meaning the entire story will be flipped on its head! I’m all for sequels if you can come up with cool ideas, but all good things must end.
I'll probably catch flak for this from fans, but this is why I quit watching The Walking Dead. I understand the story takes place in a horrible, desperate, dangerous world, but could we stop having the same problems arises again and again, with the characters making the same stupid mistakes and bad decisions over and over? Could we have some sort of resolution where things get better, progress is made, without suddenly and repeatedly having the rug pulled out from under us and being right back where we started? Sorry, just my opinion.
I think introducing another character (usually an additional deuteragonist or villain) in a short epilogue is generally a nicer and cleaner hook for a sequel than a literal "will he fall to his death?!?" cliffhanger. The latter pretty much forces you to start "in action" and will be disappointing if not properly pulled off. The former gives you far more options.
ATLA season 1 did a good job with this: Admiral Zhao is defeated, the Fire Nation is driven back, Aang can learn water-bending... and then DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN we learn he has a more talented sister who wants to outshine him and probably kill him and Aang together!
In the Air Awakens series though, one of the books literally ends with the couple falling off a cliff. Well, she jumped to save him. In the following book, it begins AFTER the fall, not during. I think that’s a pretty good improvisation. What do you guys think about having a prologue and an epilogue?
@@Storyteller2078 I generally do not see a need for a prologue unless you have a particular scene that is used to focus the thematic/overarching conflict that will NOT work for Chapter 1. Basically, unless you KNOW it needs to be a prologue, then don't make one. Epilogues for me are something I really only ever want to see in the final book of a series as a send-off.
If you are going to introduce "new characters" at the end, make them mentioned early on as side characters that you thought weren't important. It makes readers go, "Wait. These guys?" I also managed to have the main villain defeated two different times in two separate way. Spoiler for how.
Yes, the "All a dream" ending is SUCH a cop-out ending, and renders most of the action pointless, since the characters don't really evolve or change by the end.
Only The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland can really get away with it because rather than a cop out ending, these books were written with this intention. These characters from reality were swept away to these insane and wacky worlds, of course it's a dream and the entire goal is to "go home" ie. wake up. With Alice in Wonderland being left a little more ambiguous for the sequels.
@@DarthBiomech I thought Scrooge met the ghosts for real. That climax was really horrifying and intense. Even if it was a dream, it was still brutal enough to scare Scrooge straight. Scrooge would still drastically change his ways and become a good person.
That's exactly the same reason %99 of multiverse stories suck. The possibility of endless versions of the characters take away any real development or stakes and make the stories nearly always undermine themselves.
It depends. An "It was all a dream" ending can work sometimes if there is a point to it. Usually, the point is for the main character to grow or change though their dream. It's hard to pull off, that's why there are so few stories that end that way that actually work. Most of the time however, that trope/ending is terrible and lazy.
Before I watch, I'll guess: 1) In a Romance, have each half of the main couple choose someone better in stead. 2) In an Action story, have the hero win and then condemn the villain to horrific tortures more fiendish than anything he could possibly imagine. 3) Save any and all resolutions for the proposed sequel.
I've read romance books that did the first one a couple times. It was disappointing at first but the overall plot for both books was still pretty good.
I really like #1! I strongly disagree that all romance novels have to have a happy ending (or a happy ending specific to the leads, at least). A romance has to have romance as (one of) the main/primary theme(s)/plot(s), the end. And twisting the overdone "and they got together and were happy" trope (which is overdone to the point of cliche-dome) is actually refreshing. Like, yes, I want some romance and perhaps smexy times in a romance book, and I don't necessarily want it to do a 180 into a complete *Hamlet*-level tragedy or something (cause then it becomes a tragedy that contains romance rather than a romance that has some sad bits in it), but a "happily ever after" or even a "happily for now" ending is **not** necessary. Like, dude ... there are ways to go that are in between cliche'd "happily together" endings and "tragic sob-fest where everybody dies" endings. Cause there's a difference between a rom **com** (which, yes, the "comedy" part implies some level of a good time throughout, including a happy ending) and just a regular rom, which could be of the "com" or "dram" (or other!) variety.
@@LexVanguard2004 Super Mario 2. I actually barely played anything and never did much playing as a teenager, to be honest. Often I just watched my friends play. I always liked the imagery and world of SM2.
I had a ds game series called Drawn to Life and the second game ended that way. Unfortunately that series DID have a story and a surprisingly good story too... up until the cop out "you wake up in a hospital bed, it was all a coma dream" ending. Ruined the games for me to the point of unplayability.
I started doing an experiment where I add dreamlike elements instead because I hate those dream scenes so much. Dream scenes are annoying but dreams are such a big part of our lives that I felt I needed something similar in my book. No one’s read my manuscript yet though so it might not work lol.
Worst ending of a book series that I ever read: the author destroyed her entire book series with the last four pages of the last book. The entire plot was still absolutely in the middle of the story and she just let everyone except the MC die and then dares to gush in the acknowledgements about the epic journey of her MC and the others.... It didn't make any sense at all.
As a reader I vastly prefer plot twists to cliffhangers at the end of a book in a series. Hook me with new information! Don’t make me wait months to find out if my favorite supporting character is going to die from that stab wound!!!
not sure if this is a setting on ur mic or something, but all ur audio is on one side (using headphones). ur opening, the writing thing, and the music are in both ears tho. caught me off guard lmao just thought I would let you know. thank you for the video!
Very late to the party, but this video popped up in my feed during my drive home. If writing a series of books, don't have books end in the same way as another book. The entire book, Mario tries to save the princess and at the end, "the princess is in another castle." Next book, Mario spends the entire book looking for the princess and then at the end, "The princess is in another castle."
I held my breath when you talked about the "twist ending", but it's okay because my story features a lot of horror ^^ The last tip is wholesome, thank you Jenna.
As you were giving your advice, I thought of these works: Sudden endings: I was supposed to read the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in ninth grade, but I only read it a few years ago. This novel begins very slowly, picks up speed, rushes forward, then comes to an abrupt halt. Fortunately, the edition I had contained an epilogue, with the survivors of the climax dealing with the aftermath. This felt much more satisfying than the climax alone would have been. New characters at the end: Thankfully, you mentioned epilogues. The Harry Potter series ends with an epilogue, "19 Years Later", showing the children of the characters. To me, this shows What They Were Fighting For, showing the "normal", relatively safe life that they craved. Little Women's last chapter is like an epilogue, showing the family years later with their new children; I'll call this What They Were Vying For. The Disney film of Peter Pan didn't include the epilogue, but the stage musical version (with Mary Martin) and later versions of the novel did. This epilogue was poignant and showed the inevitable cycle of growing up and having the whole adventure start again with new children--as it does in real life. It also shows a psychological truth about men who refuse to grow up and women who must grow up. You could say all these epilogues featured children of the main character, and at least two of them show the children embarking on the same adventure that their parents once did.
I thought about this a few years back and came up with a "Top 5 worst endings in fiction" list. First, two honorable mentions: The last minute introduction of an important character (I made it an HM because I haven't seen it come up very often), and a last minute change in perspective (this is an HM because it can be done well, but when it's not done well, it sucks). 5. The needless death of a beloved character 4. Everyone dies 3. The main protagonist is robbed of a glory moment 2. The hero's good work all comes undone 1. It was all a dream/simulation
That's because these things require a response from the main cast (except your number 4, at which point I remind you of the category of "tragedies," which is basically the concept of "everybody is going to die. Here's how") in order to truly resolve the situation. It doesn't mean "don't do these," it means "your characters need to spring off of that event to actually do something and force the conflict into resolution."
National Lampoon magazine many years ago had a blub that the best way to end a story, even a book length story, was to have all the characters meet in the middle of the road and have them run over by a truck. Obviously, I never forgot because I thought it was so funny. Then years and years later, I'm watching a TV show and that's what happened. It was a bomb rather than a truck, but the effect was the same. Totally wrapped up the show. I'm sure the writer of that show read the same copy of National Lampoon that I did. I keep reading and watching TV hoping to see it again.
I'd argue the worst ending for a book is to pull a theme out of your ass last minute. Me and my writing partner did that with our first novel, which literally ended the entire book's main antagonist with, and I SHIT YOU NOT.... THE POWER OF LOVE!!! FROM A PROPHECY THAT WAS ALSO NEVER MENTIONED. They literally killed the big bad with the power of love and then happy ever after. Side plots were closed up (barely, so much loose strings, it's like a knitting project up in there). Keep in mind, this book is a dark but comedic action romance with vampires, werewolves, mages, demons, and monster hunters. Did our MCs so dirty, could have finished entire plot in 5 minutes had they just blasted Dracula with the power of love in the first place LOL. What can I say, we were middle schoolers. But I still stand by that book (the beginning was weird, the end was wonky, but the middle chapters were juicy)
I've played a horror game that had the #9 problem, and I've contemplated it awhile. The opinions on the ending seem split on whether it ruined everything, was a fine ending, or was the only part that sucked. I fall under the category of 'I think it's an interesting twist that doesn't work in context of what I bought (or in how much time passed in universe)'. Spoilers below for: Little Hope Little Hope's hard to explain briefly, but I'll try. The prologue shows a 70s family of 6 caught in a tragic housefire. Then we get to the main game and our 5 player characters and 1 NPC are all spitting images of the 70s family we just saw die. After awhile of buildup, the characters start intermittently getting grabbed out of time and taken to the era of the witch trials with more doppelgangers that look like the main cast and the 70s family, then brought back to the present. At the game's halfway point, one of the witch trial era lookalikes gets executed, and now in the present, a monster appears and goes after them, likely a demon version of the one we just saw executed. One by one as more witch trial doppelgangers die, our MCs are in increasing danger as more monsters go after them, seemingly targeting someone specific to share the terrible fate each version of them had, as if in a pattern. Then we get to the ending, which recontextualizes everything. It's confirmed through optional clues (because gameplay) that one of the 70s family members survived. It turns out one of our MCs is that survivor having PTSD hallucinations of his family as new people because 50 years later he's still not over it. This makes the game go from 'supernatural horror where your choices and reflexes keep the characters alive' to 'psychological tragedy where none of the people in actual danger were real.' Please don't do a plot twist that completely changes the genre, it's gonna tick people off who signed up for what you advertised.
You should talk about how to write a good cliffhanger. I was a book reviewer for many years and I saw some horrifically bad cliffhangers. One, after 600 pages or so, just stopped. The author left half a sentence hanging. Ugh. Talking about undermining your plot, I have read books in which the resolution is - nothing. Nothing has changed. Nobody learned anything, the world didn't get better or worse and I was left wondering why I'd bothered to read the book.
The problem is I have been stuck here for 4 years now. I can't write a good climax for my story and make it work with the resolution I set (which everyone liked). I feel like betraying my character by changing the way they act just to serve the plot. The thing is I chose to write a detective mystery as my first book and with no prior experience it feels really tough to pull this one.
@@EmilyAnn634571 once I have a solid written draft I will message you. Unfortunately the whole story is in my head. I can't start writing because I know the climax fall short. At this point I think I need a professional scenario write to help me bring everything together.
@@Asterx5 I know you probably heard this before, but you should just start writing. If you wait for everything in your head to make sense nothing will ever be written 🤔
I'm late to the party on this video, but I wanted to make note about cliffhangers in a series. It is generally recommended that the first book in a series be able to stand alone, such that if the other books never get written/published, the reader won't be disappointed. This advice is typically for new authors. Brand name authors don't have to worry about it. It's why you always hear the phrase "with series potential". Publishers love that because they only have to commit to 1 book, but if that book does well, then they can buy the others. So, absolutely leave some things unresolved from one book to the next, but if you can, in book 1, make sure the things you leave unresolved are things the reader isn't expecting you to resolve. Also keep in mind that even with an open-ended book, you have to give the reader a satisfying ending. You have to resolve something, even if the resolution makes everything worse.
Right! Not everyone likes cliffhangers, and a lot of readers will find them frustrating, especially if they have to wait a year or more in between books. I've completely given up on series because of this.
I think the absolute worst thing in an ending is when the way things are solved doesn't make sense or deliver on all the set-up and build-up *cough* The Raven King *cough*
I read one murder mystery where a romance develops in the middle of the story, the couple breaks up, the murder is solved and then the book went on for another 20 pages talking about this couple getting back together. I found it annoying how it went on and on
One time I read a Visual Novel where after the plot ended it just kept going and going and going. Like, at one point the main character is literally shown a vision of the entire rest of his life and how he's going to grow old together with his boyfriend, and then when the vision ended and it got back to the present it STILL KEPT GOING. They literally intoduced the idea of a destructive cosmic horror long after the plot ended. And then when it actually ended there was a post credit scene too
I think the most frustrating endings I’ve seen actively reopened the only plotline that had been resolved in the climax. Like, there were six different plotlines going on, and the ONLY ONE that was completed was the main couple confessing their love, and then they immediately split up because one of them suddenly has to marry their enemy for plot reasons out of nowhere. FINITE. I’ve seen this happen multiple times in the first book in a trilogy, and all interest I had in continuing was completely squashed.
I write crime fiction, standalone stories set in the same world and continuity. I generally don't write cliffhangers, but I try to keep a certain open end: yes the badguys are defeated, but some are still at large, new conflicts will happen and there are still stories to be told, that sort of things.
One of if not my BIGGEST annoyances when it comes to reading or watching or even hearing a story is when the ending is up to interpretation, or there are multiple different endings that "could all be true". I do actually like that in the game until dawn, but that's a WHOLE other field. It works for that game because of two reasons: 1) as far as i remember the different endings are absolutely MASSIVELY different from each other. 2) since it is a game it adds more stress when you realize "oh shit, every action i make matters." BUT WHEN IT IS IN A STORY WHERE I CAN'T CONTROL ANYTHING IT FEELS SO LAZY! Like dude, make a fucking ending. it's ok if you want people to figure out PARTS of the ending based on clues hidden throughout the story, BUT ONLY IF YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THOSE PARTS DIFFINITIVELY FIGUERED OUT IN YOUR HEAD. WE AREN'T WRITING YOUR STORY FOR YOU!
Speak for yourself lol! I highly dislike open endings as well but I totally stop reading like every other sentence to write a whole future for the book in my head before remembering that I was supposed to read the actual book!
I noticed the vocal audio track is panned "Left" - I have hearing problems and have to adjust my stereo pan sometimes (switched to Mono LOL), just a heads up for viewers with bad hearing. Great job Jenna, your videos are awesome! How to switch to Mono Audio: Windows 10 - Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio, and then switch on the Mono audio toggle
I think #5 is where I'm currently struggling with my ending. I've got a few chapters after the climax so I'll probably need to have a look at them and see how I can condense things down a bit
Do you have any sub plots you could wrap up in there? As a reader, it depends on the story how much stuff the ending can have. After epic multi-book quest to save the world, spending couple of chapters to get your heroes home, wrapping up the home front and showing the "new order" feels just fine. But same amount would be too much for a short thriller.
@@ulla7378 Yeah there are a couple subplots to be wrapped up. At the moment the chapters mostly spend a lot of time showing how all the important characters are coping following the events of the story, as well as giving the main characters a chance to reflect upon everything that has happened. There's also a few questions brought up for the sequel to answer.
All good points, but #6 is a biggy. Esp the part about a lot of readers reading for entertainment and plot, taking the writing at face value rather than analyzing deeply for themes. Great way to avoid over thinking has been to remember that. Makes it much easier to keep it simple.
Regarding #9, I read a sci-fi book that was really good, until the end, when OUT OF NOWHERE, the sidekick murders the narrator by poisoning them. This happens on literally the final page. I was so fucking mad that it just ruined the rest of the book for me. I even complained about the ending (without spoiling it) on my Amazon review, and the author of the book actually responded to me, basically saying "Well, I hope you read the sequel, because it will all make sense." (Something to that effect.) He wasn't mad at me, or anything, but the fact that he responded to my review personally came off as really weird.
@@TGOTWhihi Just my opinion, but I think personally replying to reviews - particularly negative ones - screws up an author's overall audience engagement. Reviews are meant for readers to gauge whether or not they'll enjoy the book, not for authors to receive legitimate criticism. That's a job for their beta readers, editors, and agent. By replying to reviews, negative or not, authors 1) scare off people who may worry about getting a response from an author whose work they critique and 2) open the door to obsessive fans who will now expect a response on every comment.
What a mouth!…l Love it. New author of a supernatural thriller. I wish I came across your channel earlier. Love my novel, but can see ways to make the follow up in the series better. You be You.
This is really weird but I can only hear you out of one speaker. All your other videos sound fine as well as all the other youtube videos I have been watching. Anyone ever have this?
I will have a good plot and as I'm writing I realize I don't know how to end it. Sometimes I will consider how other writers I like have ended their books .
Hey, I think there is something wrong with the audio. It's only coming from one side of my headphones for me, but it's only restricted to the speech and not the music or sound effects. Is that happening for anyone else?
9:16 this is such a reductive way of viewing things. There are ways to not solve a mystery or end in tragedy while still being narratively satisfying. It's my fault you lack the talent to see that
There have been several books that have left me annoyed and wondering wtf I just read. Those were artsy attempts to become the next Oscar-winning movie based on a novel. "...clench your butt cheeks..." I was dying LOL! Permission to write this inspirational quote on my board? Speaking of which... Do you have a video that details the best way to request permission from another author to borrow their creation? This most likely will tread into copyright fun-time. My biggest hurdle is the email title.
there was this christmas horror movie i watched, krumpus, i think it was called. the ending gave the impression it was going to be a "it was all a dream" - however the closing before the credits proved it was in fact not a dream. it's hard to explain but it was so jarring to go from "lame, he was just dreaming" to "holy shit this just changed the entire trajectory of the story and now i'm in love" 100% would recommend "krumpus" such a good christmas horror movie
On 'too much resolution' in a series, I think that it can be quite refreshing - one of the reasons that The Discworld is one of my favourite series of books is that very few of them oblige me to read the next one. I just want to because I want to go back into that world. On the other hand, after six books of abject misery finally came to a pretty satisfying close at the end of the sixth Thomas Covenant book, there was no way in hell I was going to start the seventh. Ever.
I feel like the length of the resolution is a matter of preference. Personally I would rather the author give me a little more than necessary than not enough. I like to see things get tied up, and some stories need more than others in my opinion.
#7 - And then Smeagol tripped and fell into Mount Doom, and the Eagles saved Frodo and Sam. (It's why the Scouring has always been my favorite part of the book, action-wise and thematically. Ever since I first read it)
Of course the absolute worst way to end your book is to have the title character be casually antisemitic right the fuck out of nowhere whilst the world is suddenly ending. Why yes I am still bitter about Hark by Sam Lipsyte,, how did you you know?
I once read a scifi novel, where the antagonist and protagonist fought their way through the story in the most graphically violent ways possible (seriously stomach turning stuff 🤢), then in the last page they...hug....?!🤨 They had been friends so it made sense emotionally...but not.🤔
I can think of one! (Damn this is longer than I expected... Well if you wanna read this go ahead cause I meant for it to be shorter then I got invested and now I think it's an actual better ending than the dream one. Oops. And no, I didn't reread it for errors lol.) Then she looked around seeing her comrades all fallen as the war was nearing it's end. She looked the demon lord in the eyes and asked why he did this. "Because I love you!" He said as he resurrects all of her loved ones and gives her a wedding ring. She looked at it and smiled in joy and kissed him. Her boyfriend looked on in horror and disgust as he watched this, only for his love to look at him with confusion. "Why do you seem so upset? I know we were engaged and all but... Who cares? I've found my one true love. You should be happy for me! "No... He isn't your true love! He killed everyone you cared about! He was about to destroy the world!" As he said that her face hardens and she stabs him in the gut with her knife. The knife he gave her. "If you aren't happy then just go away!" And everyone clapped. The end.
I always watch these kinds of videos and think about my ending and realize that it never makes these lists, at least not the whole thing. I don't want to give it away, but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on endings that wrap up the story but leave some ambiguity, namely in the mystery/thriller genre.
okay but what are some of the best ways to start a book? I'm fairly new at this whole writing thing and your videos have been helping a lot just kinda stuck on how to start
This is so much needed! Lately, before buying a book I check the reviews to confirm that the book "ends". I read one for a week just to know that it didn't end and the author put a note to buy the next book if I wanted to find out "how this story ends". 😡
This is why I will almost never buy a book anymore that is part of a series. I get notices on Facebook for books that are part of a three, five, seven book or more series. One book is basically a never ending story leading into the next one. A good book gives you a satisfying conclusion. Not every problem has to be solved, or question answered, but you need an end. Then, if I enjoyed the book, I'll think about getting the next one, but don't try to get me to buy into a never ending novel. Best example I can think of is "One Second After". It has two sequels, both not as good, but the first book is a compelling, interesting story. When it ends there are still lots of problems and questions, but it has a resolution ending. You don't have to read the sequels to have had a good, thoughtful read.
The best book series imo are those whom every book in the series is a stand alone. For example: Ender's game (osc), across the nightingale floor (lh)... Not everyone wants to read the whole series and that is something that should be provided. Again imo. Over all, agreed 👍🏻
I think it's okay to introduce a group of people at the end of a book that's not the last book in the series, like a sudden group of allies or enemies or people living where you thought no one lived, like as a twist, but you probably shouldn't start introducing the people in the group until the next book. Like, introducing a conflict more than introducing characters. Or maybe that sort of ending works better in TV/movies, idk.
I’m having flashbacks to a series I read once that set up a ship between two interesting, dynamic, lovable protagonists, only for the last book to end with one of them married off to the blandest, most boring cardboard cutout of a character to ever exist and the other one paired with the first one’s little sister-who was underage, by the way. I was doing so well at blocking that disaster from my memory too…
So at the end of my book I have all the relationships formed and they have a few moments after the climax to figure out what just happened but at the very end they all got separated is that too unresolved. It is the first book in a series but I could not tell the rest of it without that cliffhanger…
With #8, I think Romance isn't quite as clear cut and the couple doesn't have to end up together with a happily ever after. As long as you know what you're doing, the couple doesn't have to be happy or together. Half the time though, this will involve mixing genres into probably a Romantic-Tragedy (ie: Romeo & Juliet), but even they were "together in the end" in a way.
Yeah, a romantic storyline in a non-romance genre book can get away with a non-happy ending, but not books within the romance genre. Like Jenna said, it's a basic promise the author makes to the reader.
I think another big thing that ruins a book is taking a character that your readers become invested in and killing them off unceremoniously and disrespectfully, or essentially letting the villain win. Charlie in both sequels to silver eyes, Borrasca essentially having no redeeming qualities left about the town or its people by the end and nothing bittersweet to take home afterwards…just bitter, etc. if your audience reads your book and the ending has them irritated or angry for weeks on end or makes them stop reading after “that part” of the ending, then you know you f***ed up
My sister has pointed out recently she can chafe when the HEA decides to time jump and tell you what their happiness looks like. Largely because the main go-to model of happiness for these dynamic complex characters is settling into banality.
For number 8, you're totally right. Genres have rules and you should follow them if you're setting out to write within that genre or market with the label. Grey morality, horror, and bad endings are a staple of Dark Fantasy, for example, and it would be TERRIBLE if someone were to release a Dark Fantasy fantasy book without understanding that and just slapped the label on a series, tricking people into buying it and losing their trust forever.
@@WandererEris of course, I haven't started writing yet cause I still need to make the characters lol. I was struggling because I thought I wasn't allowed to make the story darkish tbh. The characterization is going to be a lot easier now that I understand the tone of the story basically. :)
@@WandererEris yeah but this would be my first story and my sister didn't like the idea of gouging put eyeballs so I thought others wouldn't for whatever reason lmao.
Two exceptions to introducing a new character: If the character has been hinted toward during the entire story, their arrival could work. Oftentimes this is a Big Good - King Richard in some Robin Hood stories, sometimes even the arrival of the President of the United States or something. The second is to introduce a storyteller character, like Tom at the end of the Once and Future King or the like. A minor character, often related to an existing one (who is sometimes deceased) who serves as a storyteller to document what happened.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
My right ear is missing out.
I thought the video had no audio at all😅 I'm only listening through my right earbud
So is mine, I thought my earbud was busted for a minute
I just put my headphones on to go to the store and i came here to say this xD what's up with the sound?
Same.
Hearing Jenna in the left ear and music on the right. A bit weird lol
Worst way to end your book: not ending it.
And I don’t mean open endings, but literally, there’s no end.
Like the Game of Thrones series?
I see what you mean. Stories that go on forever tend to become repetitive, and it feels more like a cash grab than anything.
Plus, what if the original writer can’t write anymore? Then, they have to be replaced by an entirely different writer who may or may not have different values and writing skill, meaning the entire story will be flipped on its head!
I’m all for sequels if you can come up with cool ideas, but all good things must end.
Guilty as charged lol
I'll probably catch flak for this from fans, but this is why I quit watching The Walking Dead. I understand the story takes place in a horrible, desperate, dangerous world, but could we stop having the same problems arises again and again, with the characters making the same stupid mistakes and bad decisions over and over? Could we have some sort of resolution where things get better, progress is made, without suddenly and repeatedly having the rug pulled out from under us and being right back where we started? Sorry, just my opinion.
😂 me and my 115k fanfiction that should have stayed a one-shot. 😅
What if the real worst ways to end a book were the friends we made along the way?
_🤣_
BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA
Pffft😆
i'd read that book
Lord of the Rings?
I think introducing another character (usually an additional deuteragonist or villain) in a short epilogue is generally a nicer and cleaner hook for a sequel than a literal "will he fall to his death?!?" cliffhanger. The latter pretty much forces you to start "in action" and will be disappointing if not properly pulled off. The former gives you far more options.
Just like german moustache man in post credit scene of all quiet on the western front
ATLA season 1 did a good job with this: Admiral Zhao is defeated, the Fire Nation is driven back, Aang can learn water-bending... and then DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN we learn he has a more talented sister who wants to outshine him and probably kill him and Aang together!
In the Air Awakens series though, one of the books literally ends with the couple falling off a cliff. Well, she jumped to save him. In the following book, it begins AFTER the fall, not during. I think that’s a pretty good improvisation.
What do you guys think about having a prologue and an epilogue?
@@Storyteller2078 I generally do not see a need for a prologue unless you have a particular scene that is used to focus the thematic/overarching conflict that will NOT work for Chapter 1. Basically, unless you KNOW it needs to be a prologue, then don't make one.
Epilogues for me are something I really only ever want to see in the final book of a series as a send-off.
If you are going to introduce "new characters" at the end, make them mentioned early on as side characters that you thought weren't important. It makes readers go, "Wait. These guys?" I also managed to have the main villain defeated two different times in two separate way. Spoiler for how.
Foreshadowing is our friend.
My left ear enjoyed this very much
Yes, the "All a dream" ending is SUCH a cop-out ending, and renders most of the action pointless, since the characters don't really evolve or change by the end.
Only The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland can really get away with it because rather than a cop out ending, these books were written with this intention. These characters from reality were swept away to these insane and wacky worlds, of course it's a dream and the entire goal is to "go home" ie. wake up. With Alice in Wonderland being left a little more ambiguous for the sequels.
A Christmas Carol: "I pretend I didn't heard that"
@@DarthBiomech I thought Scrooge met the ghosts for real. That climax was really horrifying and intense. Even if it was a dream, it was still brutal enough to scare Scrooge straight. Scrooge would still drastically change his ways and become a good person.
That's exactly the same reason %99 of multiverse stories suck. The possibility of endless versions of the characters take away any real development or stakes and make the stories nearly always undermine themselves.
It depends. An "It was all a dream" ending can work sometimes if there is a point to it. Usually, the point is for the main character to grow or change though their dream. It's hard to pull off, that's why there are so few stories that end that way that actually work. Most of the time however, that trope/ending is terrible and lazy.
Before I watch, I'll guess:
1) In a Romance, have each half of the main couple choose someone better in stead.
2) In an Action story, have the hero win and then condemn the villain to horrific tortures more fiendish than anything he could possibly imagine.
3) Save any and all resolutions for the proposed sequel.
actually that second one you listed sounds really intriguing
I've read romance books that did the first one a couple times. It was disappointing at first but the overall plot for both books was still pretty good.
I really like #1! I strongly disagree that all romance novels have to have a happy ending (or a happy ending specific to the leads, at least). A romance has to have romance as (one of) the main/primary theme(s)/plot(s), the end. And twisting the overdone "and they got together and were happy" trope (which is overdone to the point of cliche-dome) is actually refreshing. Like, yes, I want some romance and perhaps smexy times in a romance book, and I don't necessarily want it to do a 180 into a complete *Hamlet*-level tragedy or something (cause then it becomes a tragedy that contains romance rather than a romance that has some sad bits in it), but a "happily ever after" or even a "happily for now" ending is **not** necessary. Like, dude ... there are ways to go that are in between cliche'd "happily together" endings and "tragic sob-fest where everybody dies" endings. Cause there's a difference between a rom **com** (which, yes, the "comedy" part implies some level of a good time throughout, including a happy ending) and just a regular rom, which could be of the "com" or "dram" (or other!) variety.
Mark my words, I'm submitting my first text in a few days and I'm taking route 3 lmao! wish me luck
If the characters in Twilight took the first option, the entire franchise would have been finished in the first damn book/movie
Honestly the only "It's all a dream" ending I remember seeing was Super Mario Bros 2. Would've ruined the story if it actually had a story lol.
It spoiled an otherwise fine game. I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Super Mario 2 over the other entries.
@@ludovico6890 Haven't played too much of it but I've got no excuse what with Switch Online. What are your favourite Mario games, mate?
@@LexVanguard2004 Super Mario 2. I actually barely played anything and never did much playing as a teenager, to be honest. Often I just watched my friends play. I always liked the imagery and world of SM2.
I had a ds game series called Drawn to Life and the second game ended that way. Unfortunately that series DID have a story and a surprisingly good story too... up until the cop out "you wake up in a hospital bed, it was all a coma dream" ending. Ruined the games for me to the point of unplayability.
I started doing an experiment where I add dreamlike elements instead because I hate those dream scenes so much. Dream scenes are annoying but dreams are such a big part of our lives that I felt I needed something similar in my book. No one’s read my manuscript yet though so it might not work lol.
Worst ending of a book series that I ever read: the author destroyed her entire book series with the last four pages of the last book. The entire plot was still absolutely in the middle of the story and she just let everyone except the MC die and then dares to gush in the acknowledgements about the epic journey of her MC and the others.... It didn't make any sense at all.
Who and what series
@@lasajnae9626 jenna
@@rad6286 Srsly?
Im curious, what book was it
@@2006HondaCivicD Hes talking about the saviors series lmao
As a reader I vastly prefer plot twists to cliffhangers at the end of a book in a series. Hook me with new information! Don’t make me wait months to find out if my favorite supporting character is going to die from that stab wound!!!
not sure if this is a setting on ur mic or something, but all ur audio is on one side (using headphones). ur opening, the writing thing, and the music are in both ears tho. caught me off guard lmao just thought I would let you know. thank you for the video!
Very late to the party, but this video popped up in my feed during my drive home. If writing a series of books, don't have books end in the same way as another book. The entire book, Mario tries to save the princess and at the end, "the princess is in another castle." Next book, Mario spends the entire book looking for the princess and then at the end, "The princess is in another castle."
I held my breath when you talked about the "twist ending", but it's okay because my story features a lot of horror ^^
The last tip is wholesome, thank you Jenna.
As you were giving your advice, I thought of these works:
Sudden endings: I was supposed to read the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in ninth grade, but I only read it a few years ago. This novel begins very slowly, picks up speed, rushes forward, then comes to an abrupt halt. Fortunately, the edition I had contained an epilogue, with the survivors of the climax dealing with the aftermath. This felt much more satisfying than the climax alone would have been.
New characters at the end: Thankfully, you mentioned epilogues. The Harry Potter series ends with an epilogue, "19 Years Later", showing the children of the characters. To me, this shows What They Were Fighting For, showing the "normal", relatively safe life that they craved. Little Women's last chapter is like an epilogue, showing the family years later with their new children; I'll call this What They Were Vying For. The Disney film of Peter Pan didn't include the epilogue, but the stage musical version (with Mary Martin) and later versions of the novel did. This epilogue was poignant and showed the inevitable cycle of growing up and having the whole adventure start again with new children--as it does in real life. It also shows a psychological truth about men who refuse to grow up and women who must grow up. You could say all these epilogues featured children of the main character, and at least two of them show the children embarking on the same adventure that their parents once did.
Is anyone else only hearing Jenna's voice on one side of their headphones? Or that the volume is so low you've max your volume dial or whatnot?
Yes, 7 other people in the comments so far. (Not me, I'm not using headphones.)
The left side.
Yeah, but I don't use headphones. However, it sounds really odd from my phone's speakers.
@@Mecharnie_Dobbs Mine's on the right.
Same
I thought about this a few years back and came up with a "Top 5 worst endings in fiction" list. First, two honorable mentions: The last minute introduction of an important character (I made it an HM because I haven't seen it come up very often), and a last minute change in perspective (this is an HM because it can be done well, but when it's not done well, it sucks).
5. The needless death of a beloved character
4. Everyone dies
3. The main protagonist is robbed of a glory moment
2. The hero's good work all comes undone
1. It was all a dream/simulation
That's because these things require a response from the main cast (except your number 4, at which point I remind you of the category of "tragedies," which is basically the concept of "everybody is going to die. Here's how") in order to truly resolve the situation. It doesn't mean "don't do these," it means "your characters need to spring off of that event to actually do something and force the conflict into resolution."
Thanks Jenna, this is just what I needed as I'm approaching the resolution of my first draft!
Wish you well with your book.
WOW! How timely. Just finished my 4th edit and guess what?...the ending sucks! Thanks for the great video...Jenna, you're the best!
National Lampoon magazine many years ago had a blub that the best way to end a story, even a book length story, was to have all the characters meet in the middle of the road and have them run over by a truck. Obviously, I never forgot because I thought it was so funny. Then years and years later, I'm watching a TV show and that's what happened. It was a bomb rather than a truck, but the effect was the same. Totally wrapped up the show. I'm sure the writer of that show read the same copy of National Lampoon that I did. I keep reading and watching TV hoping to see it again.
You strike me as an ending that’s never been satisfied.
Unexpected, but welcome, Hamilton!
I'd argue the worst ending for a book is to pull a theme out of your ass last minute. Me and my writing partner did that with our first novel, which literally ended the entire book's main antagonist with, and I SHIT YOU NOT.... THE POWER OF LOVE!!! FROM A PROPHECY THAT WAS ALSO NEVER MENTIONED. They literally killed the big bad with the power of love and then happy ever after. Side plots were closed up (barely, so much loose strings, it's like a knitting project up in there).
Keep in mind, this book is a dark but comedic action romance with vampires, werewolves, mages, demons, and monster hunters.
Did our MCs so dirty, could have finished entire plot in 5 minutes had they just blasted Dracula with the power of love in the first place LOL. What can I say, we were middle schoolers. But I still stand by that book (the beginning was weird, the end was wonky, but the middle chapters were juicy)
I've played a horror game that had the #9 problem, and I've contemplated it awhile. The opinions on the ending seem split on whether it ruined everything, was a fine ending, or was the only part that sucked. I fall under the category of 'I think it's an interesting twist that doesn't work in context of what I bought (or in how much time passed in universe)'.
Spoilers below for: Little Hope
Little Hope's hard to explain briefly, but I'll try.
The prologue shows a 70s family of 6 caught in a tragic housefire.
Then we get to the main game and our 5 player characters and 1 NPC are all spitting images of the 70s family we just saw die.
After awhile of buildup, the characters start intermittently getting grabbed out of time and taken to the era of the witch trials with more doppelgangers that look like the main cast and the 70s family, then brought back to the present.
At the game's halfway point, one of the witch trial era lookalikes gets executed, and now in the present, a monster appears and goes after them, likely a demon version of the one we just saw executed. One by one as more witch trial doppelgangers die, our MCs are in increasing danger as more monsters go after them, seemingly targeting someone specific to share the terrible fate each version of them had, as if in a pattern.
Then we get to the ending, which recontextualizes everything.
It's confirmed through optional clues (because gameplay) that one of the 70s family members survived.
It turns out one of our MCs is that survivor having PTSD hallucinations of his family as new people because 50 years later he's still not over it.
This makes the game go from 'supernatural horror where your choices and reflexes keep the characters alive' to 'psychological tragedy where none of the people in actual danger were real.'
Please don't do a plot twist that completely changes the genre, it's gonna tick people off who signed up for what you advertised.
Or if you do, make it the halfway point or something and FORESHADOW this.
You should talk about how to write a good cliffhanger. I was a book reviewer for many years and I saw some horrifically bad cliffhangers. One, after 600 pages or so, just stopped. The author left half a sentence hanging. Ugh.
Talking about undermining your plot, I have read books in which the resolution is - nothing. Nothing has changed. Nobody learned anything, the world didn't get better or worse and I was left wondering why I'd bothered to read the book.
The problem is I have been stuck here for 4 years now. I can't write a good climax for my story and make it work with the resolution I set (which everyone liked). I feel like betraying my character by changing the way they act just to serve the plot. The thing is I chose to write a detective mystery as my first book and with no prior experience it feels really tough to pull this one.
Do you need a beta reader?
@@EmilyAnn634571 once I have a solid written draft I will message you. Unfortunately the whole story is in my head. I can't start writing because I know the climax fall short. At this point I think I need a professional scenario write to help me bring everything together.
@@Asterx5 I know you probably heard this before, but you should just start writing. If you wait for everything in your head to make sense nothing will ever be written 🤔
I'm late to the party on this video, but I wanted to make note about cliffhangers in a series. It is generally recommended that the first book in a series be able to stand alone, such that if the other books never get written/published, the reader won't be disappointed. This advice is typically for new authors. Brand name authors don't have to worry about it. It's why you always hear the phrase "with series potential". Publishers love that because they only have to commit to 1 book, but if that book does well, then they can buy the others.
So, absolutely leave some things unresolved from one book to the next, but if you can, in book 1, make sure the things you leave unresolved are things the reader isn't expecting you to resolve. Also keep in mind that even with an open-ended book, you have to give the reader a satisfying ending. You have to resolve something, even if the resolution makes everything worse.
Right! Not everyone likes cliffhangers, and a lot of readers will find them frustrating, especially if they have to wait a year or more in between books. I've completely given up on series because of this.
I think the absolute worst thing in an ending is when the way things are solved doesn't make sense or deliver on all the set-up and build-up *cough* The Raven King *cough*
I don't know if you planned to do this but all the audio for this episode is only coming through the left channel.
I needed that last tip. I'm not even to the end yet, but I needed it
I read one murder mystery where a romance develops in the middle of the story, the couple breaks up, the murder is solved and then the book went on for another 20 pages talking about this couple getting back together. I found it annoying how it went on and on
Yeah that sounds like really ad pacing.
One time I read a Visual Novel where after the plot ended it just kept going and going and going.
Like, at one point the main character is literally shown a vision of the entire rest of his life and how he's going to grow old together with his boyfriend, and then when the vision ended and it got back to the present it STILL KEPT GOING. They literally intoduced the idea of a destructive cosmic horror long after the plot ended.
And then when it actually ended there was a post credit scene too
Right ear audio is missing
I thought my laptop's speaker was broken
Jenna: A lot of readers don't read for themes and take the work at face value.
English teachers: Well, I never.
For some reason I'm only hearing the audio in my left earphone? I thought it might be an issue with the headphones but other videos sounds fine.
I think the most frustrating endings I’ve seen actively reopened the only plotline that had been resolved in the climax. Like, there were six different plotlines going on, and the ONLY ONE that was completed was the main couple confessing their love, and then they immediately split up because one of them suddenly has to marry their enemy for plot reasons out of nowhere. FINITE. I’ve seen this happen multiple times in the first book in a trilogy, and all interest I had in continuing was completely squashed.
“I hate to break it to you”
Ad: explosion/ window breaking
I hate, hate, HATE the “all just a dream” trope! The story is already fiction; what’s the point of making it even more not real than it already is?
I write crime fiction, standalone stories set in the same world and continuity. I generally don't write cliffhangers, but I try to keep a certain open end: yes the badguys are defeated, but some are still at large, new conflicts will happen and there are still stories to be told, that sort of things.
Have any published? The concept sounds interesting.
@@TheLoneDragoon No not published anything yet, except my PhD thesis. Thanks.
@Ludovico what's your thesis about?
@@msjkramey medieval literature.
@Ludovico that sounds really interesting. But I could never. I just haven't been a reader since high school
One of if not my BIGGEST annoyances when it comes to reading or watching or even hearing a story is when the ending is up to interpretation, or there are multiple different endings that "could all be true". I do actually like that in the game until dawn, but that's a WHOLE other field. It works for that game because of two reasons:
1) as far as i remember the different endings are absolutely MASSIVELY different from each other.
2) since it is a game it adds more stress when you realize "oh shit, every action i make matters."
BUT WHEN IT IS IN A STORY WHERE I CAN'T CONTROL ANYTHING IT FEELS SO LAZY! Like dude, make a fucking ending. it's ok if you want people to figure out PARTS of the ending based on clues hidden throughout the story, BUT ONLY IF YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THOSE PARTS DIFFINITIVELY FIGUERED OUT IN YOUR HEAD. WE AREN'T WRITING YOUR STORY FOR YOU!
Speak for yourself lol! I highly dislike open endings as well but I totally stop reading like every other sentence to write a whole future for the book in my head before remembering that I was supposed to read the actual book!
@@alicedodobirb2808 LOL ok fair. I guess I am more of a "just show me what happens" type of perosn
“Usually in a romance they get together during the climax.”
Yeah they do. Amiright? High five!
I noticed the vocal audio track is panned "Left" - I have hearing problems and have to adjust my stereo pan sometimes (switched to Mono LOL), just a heads up for viewers with bad hearing.
Great job Jenna, your videos are awesome!
How to switch to Mono Audio:
Windows 10 - Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio, and then switch on the Mono audio toggle
I think #5 is where I'm currently struggling with my ending. I've got a few chapters after the climax so I'll probably need to have a look at them and see how I can condense things down a bit
Do you have any sub plots you could wrap up in there? As a reader, it depends on the story how much stuff the ending can have. After epic multi-book quest to save the world, spending couple of chapters to get your heroes home, wrapping up the home front and showing the "new order" feels just fine. But same amount would be too much for a short thriller.
@@ulla7378 Yeah there are a couple subplots to be wrapped up. At the moment the chapters mostly spend a lot of time showing how all the important characters are coping following the events of the story, as well as giving the main characters a chance to reflect upon everything that has happened. There's also a few questions brought up for the sequel to answer.
All good points, but #6 is a biggy. Esp the part about a lot of readers reading for entertainment and plot, taking the writing at face value rather than analyzing deeply for themes.
Great way to avoid over thinking has been to remember that.
Makes it much easier to keep it simple.
Regarding #9, I read a sci-fi book that was really good, until the end, when OUT OF NOWHERE, the sidekick murders the narrator by poisoning them. This happens on literally the final page. I was so fucking mad that it just ruined the rest of the book for me. I even complained about the ending (without spoiling it) on my Amazon review, and the author of the book actually responded to me, basically saying "Well, I hope you read the sequel, because it will all make sense." (Something to that effect.) He wasn't mad at me, or anything, but the fact that he responded to my review personally came off as really weird.
Why is it weird that the author responded???
@@TGOTWhihi You don't think it's weird for an author to reach out to some rando online and say their criticism is wrong?
@@TGOTWhihi Just my opinion, but I think personally replying to reviews - particularly negative ones - screws up an author's overall audience engagement. Reviews are meant for readers to gauge whether or not they'll enjoy the book, not for authors to receive legitimate criticism. That's a job for their beta readers, editors, and agent. By replying to reviews, negative or not, authors 1) scare off people who may worry about getting a response from an author whose work they critique and 2) open the door to obsessive fans who will now expect a response on every comment.
What a mouth!…l Love it. New author of a supernatural thriller. I wish I came across your channel earlier. Love my novel, but can see ways to make the follow up in the series better. You be You.
Oh Jenna, witch! I'm ending my book. I feel like it's awful so far.
This is really weird but I can only hear you out of one speaker. All your other videos sound fine as well as all the other youtube videos I have been watching. Anyone ever have this?
I will have a good plot and as I'm writing I realize I don't know how to end it. Sometimes I will consider how other writers I like have ended their books .
Hey, I think there is something wrong with the audio. It's only coming from one side of my headphones for me, but it's only restricted to the speech and not the music or sound effects. Is that happening for anyone else?
I always look forward to your videos.
Saving this for later!! Good reference, thank you ☺️
9:16 this is such a reductive way of viewing things. There are ways to not solve a mystery or end in tragedy while still being narratively satisfying. It's my fault you lack the talent to see that
Chinatown
Did I totally forget having made this request? Yes. Yes I did.
The video is pretty left leaning, and I don't mean politically.
In what way? Not politically, of course.
the right ear bud has no sound
@@celetial3287 Ah, I use speakers, and therefore didn't notice.
Your audio is only working on one side of my headphones. I've tried several headphones and it's the same.
The sound is a bit... weird. Your voice is coming from the left side only. Was it done on purpose?
There have been several books that have left me annoyed and wondering wtf I just read. Those were artsy attempts to become the next Oscar-winning movie based on a novel.
"...clench your butt cheeks..." I was dying LOL! Permission to write this inspirational quote on my board? Speaking of which...
Do you have a video that details the best way to request permission from another author to borrow their creation? This most likely will tread into copyright fun-time. My biggest hurdle is the email title.
there was this christmas horror movie i watched, krumpus, i think it was called. the ending gave the impression it was going to be a "it was all a dream" - however the closing before the credits proved it was in fact not a dream. it's hard to explain but it was so jarring to go from "lame, he was just dreaming" to "holy shit this just changed the entire trajectory of the story and now i'm in love" 100% would recommend "krumpus" such a good christmas horror movie
Krampus
@@dylanperry6400 my fault 😔 thank you
Krampus was such a boring movie. I watched it and was very unimpressed by it. But that's just me.
@@s.k.1603 i guess technically it was a trash movie, but the story is what made me like it :)
On 'too much resolution' in a series, I think that it can be quite refreshing - one of the reasons that The Discworld is one of my favourite series of books is that very few of them oblige me to read the next one. I just want to because I want to go back into that world.
On the other hand, after six books of abject misery finally came to a pretty satisfying close at the end of the sixth Thomas Covenant book, there was no way in hell I was going to start the seventh. Ever.
Superb commentary, as always. Particularly useful for neophytes. Brava.
I feel like the length of the resolution is a matter of preference. Personally I would rather the author give me a little more than necessary than not enough. I like to see things get tied up, and some stories need more than others in my opinion.
#7 - And then Smeagol tripped and fell into Mount Doom, and the Eagles saved Frodo and Sam. (It's why the Scouring has always been my favorite part of the book, action-wise and thematically. Ever since I first read it)
Of course the absolute worst way to end your book is to have the title character be casually antisemitic right the fuck out of nowhere whilst the world is suddenly ending.
Why yes I am still bitter about Hark by Sam Lipsyte,, how did you you know?
FYI. Need to fix your mic volume levels. Thanks.
The notification worked this time, let's get this bread, or in this case, advice
A lot of recent TV shows have entered chat today.....I am looking at you Bureau of Magical Things
I think the honor the genre rule is more on the publishers, author's don't always have say in what their books get labeled.
I think I managed to dodge all of these. Always a good list to keep in mind though. For future works.
"And then she woke up and it was just a dream" is the worst way to end a story. Change my mind.
'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Wizard of Oz'.
I once read a scifi novel, where the antagonist and protagonist fought their way through the story in the most graphically violent ways possible (seriously stomach turning stuff 🤢), then in the last page they...hug....?!🤨 They had been friends so it made sense emotionally...but not.🤔
I can think of one!
(Damn this is longer than I expected... Well if you wanna read this go ahead cause I meant for it to be shorter then I got invested and now I think it's an actual better ending than the dream one. Oops. And no, I didn't reread it for errors lol.)
Then she looked around seeing her comrades all fallen as the war was nearing it's end. She looked the demon lord in the eyes and asked why he did this.
"Because I love you!" He said as he resurrects all of her loved ones and gives her a wedding ring. She looked at it and smiled in joy and kissed him. Her boyfriend looked on in horror and disgust as he watched this, only for his love to look at him with confusion.
"Why do you seem so upset? I know we were engaged and all but... Who cares? I've found my one true love. You should be happy for me!
"No... He isn't your true love! He killed everyone you cared about! He was about to destroy the world!"
As he said that her face hardens and she stabs him in the gut with her knife. The knife he gave her.
"If you aren't happy then just go away!"
And everyone clapped.
The end.
This is brilliant! ❤
YOUR A ROCK ALWAYS JENNA!!❤
*you’re
Check Audio. I think it's only on the left. Music is louder than your voice. (Still liked it!)
I always watch these kinds of videos and think about my ending and realize that it never makes these lists, at least not the whole thing. I don't want to give it away, but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on endings that wrap up the story but leave some ambiguity, namely in the mystery/thriller genre.
okay but what are some of the best ways to start a book? I'm fairly new at this whole writing thing and your videos have been helping a lot just kinda stuck on how to start
Excellent question. 🤔
This is so much needed! Lately, before buying a book I check the reviews to confirm that the book "ends". I read one for a week just to know that it didn't end and the author put a note to buy the next book if I wanted to find out "how this story ends". 😡
This is why I will almost never buy a book anymore that is part of a series. I get notices on Facebook for books that are part of a three, five, seven book or more series. One book is basically a never ending story leading into the next one.
A good book gives you a satisfying conclusion. Not every problem has to be solved, or question answered, but you need an end. Then, if I enjoyed the book, I'll think about getting the next one, but don't try to get me to buy into a never ending novel.
Best example I can think of is "One Second After". It has two sequels, both not as good, but the first book is a compelling, interesting story. When it ends there are still lots of problems and questions, but it has a resolution ending. You don't have to read the sequels to have had a good, thoughtful read.
Music is loud!
I don't think your microphone is working
I haven't seen your recent videos but is your voice audio usually focused on the left?
The best book series imo are those whom every book in the series is a stand alone. For example: Ender's game (osc), across the nightingale floor (lh)... Not everyone wants to read the whole series and that is something that should be provided. Again imo.
Over all, agreed 👍🏻
“Epilogues are meant to brief” tell that to red dead redemption 2
Jenna: if you write a series with subplots cross books, can you put them on ice then return to them? If yes, how long is too long?
As a reader, my experience is that very few readers will remember if you ice it for one book in the series. Some of it has to be in all of them.
I think it's okay to introduce a group of people at the end of a book that's not the last book in the series, like a sudden group of allies or enemies or people living where you thought no one lived, like as a twist, but you probably shouldn't start introducing the people in the group until the next book. Like, introducing a conflict more than introducing characters. Or maybe that sort of ending works better in TV/movies, idk.
See also: spending the last 2 books tearing down the ship you spent the first 3 books building up smdh great library series.
I’m having flashbacks to a series I read once that set up a ship between two interesting, dynamic, lovable protagonists, only for the last book to end with one of them married off to the blandest, most boring cardboard cutout of a character to ever exist and the other one paired with the first one’s little sister-who was underage, by the way. I was doing so well at blocking that disaster from my memory too…
So at the end of my book I have all the relationships formed and they have a few moments after the climax to figure out what just happened but at the very end they all got separated is that too unresolved. It is the first book in a series but I could not tell the rest of it without that cliffhanger…
70s Kung Fu movies love ending on the climax.
Jenna, the audio seems off, one ear only, but I'm a long way away, so it might be just my ears. Cheers.
With #8, I think Romance isn't quite as clear cut and the couple doesn't have to end up together with a happily ever after. As long as you know what you're doing, the couple doesn't have to be happy or together. Half the time though, this will involve mixing genres into probably a Romantic-Tragedy (ie: Romeo & Juliet), but even they were "together in the end" in a way.
Yeah, a romantic storyline in a non-romance genre book can get away with a non-happy ending, but not books within the romance genre. Like Jenna said, it's a basic promise the author makes to the reader.
This video is the best birthday gift ever 🎉
8:01 Perfectly explains why I HATED ‘The Alchemist’ in secondary school.
why the audio coming from only one side?
I think another big thing that ruins a book is taking a character that your readers become invested in and killing them off unceremoniously and disrespectfully, or essentially letting the villain win. Charlie in both sequels to silver eyes, Borrasca essentially having no redeeming qualities left about the town or its people by the end and nothing bittersweet to take home afterwards…just bitter, etc.
if your audience reads your book and the ending has them irritated or angry for weeks on end or makes them stop reading after “that part” of the ending, then you know you f***ed up
My sister has pointed out recently she can chafe when the HEA decides to time jump and tell you what their happiness looks like. Largely because the main go-to model of happiness for these dynamic complex characters is settling into banality.
the last one kinda confused me
have you seen books which their story was never finished because the author choose to?
The Lady And The Tiger is one of the most famous examples of a deliberately ambiguous ending, and it made the story more compelling.
For number 8, you're totally right. Genres have rules and you should follow them if you're setting out to write within that genre or market with the label. Grey morality, horror, and bad endings are a staple of Dark Fantasy, for example, and it would be TERRIBLE if someone were to release a Dark Fantasy fantasy book without understanding that and just slapped the label on a series, tricking people into buying it and losing their trust forever.
Damn you made me realize that the story in my head was a dark fantasy and not a normal fantasy. Thanks! This will help a lot!
@@alicedodobirb2808 You can have moments of happiness and warmth, but make sure to keep the tone proper too.
@@WandererEris of course, I haven't started writing yet cause I still need to make the characters lol. I was struggling because I thought I wasn't allowed to make the story darkish tbh. The characterization is going to be a lot easier now that I understand the tone of the story basically. :)
@@alicedodobirb2808 Well, you're allowed to write anything you want, and I wouldn't worry about what other people will say, you know?
@@WandererEris yeah but this would be my first story and my sister didn't like the idea of gouging put eyeballs so I thought others wouldn't for whatever reason lmao.
am i the only one with only left ear audio?
Nope, there are 8 other people, so far, commenting on that experience.
There's music in the right one for me but her voice is only in the left.
Damn, Jenna even expertly ended the video
what's up with the audio
Such a great video
Two exceptions to introducing a new character:
If the character has been hinted toward during the entire story, their arrival could work. Oftentimes this is a Big Good - King Richard in some Robin Hood stories, sometimes even the arrival of the President of the United States or something.
The second is to introduce a storyteller character, like Tom at the end of the Once and Future King or the like. A minor character, often related to an existing one (who is sometimes deceased) who serves as a storyteller to document what happened.
You need to reupload this with fixed audio.