meme, endings
Oct. 28th, 2007 12:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fearlessfanI've been working on my Yuletide story, which of course means that I've been surfing LiveJournal and trying to find ways to avoid actually writing the story. I saw this meme in a few people's journals, and since this LJ is all about self-involved memes, I am posting it here:
What would you say are the trademarks of my writing? What themes or quirks or turns of phrase have you noticed?
The thing is, I haven't written that many stories, and I post them so infrequently and in random fandoms. Still, I am curious, if a bit fearful, because of course the answers I'm picturing are things like, "Well, usually I'm disappointed in the endings."
Which is something I think might be true. I've gotten that piece of feedback on more than one story. Also, when I go back to read over stuff I've written, the endings are most often the parts that I dislike or am disappointed in. There are some I like, and I can't figure out the common denominator - of the ones I liked, some came to me with the idea of the story, some came to me on my thirty-fifth pass through the story, some were randomly chosen, some were carefully planned.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks related to making a story ending work, or telling whether an ending works once you've written it? Do you have any pitfalls you've fallen into in the past that you've learned to avoid? Help me write a non-sucky ending to my Yuletide story, peeps!
(Not that I'm anywhere near the ending of my Yuletide story, of course.)
What would you say are the trademarks of my writing? What themes or quirks or turns of phrase have you noticed?
The thing is, I haven't written that many stories, and I post them so infrequently and in random fandoms. Still, I am curious, if a bit fearful, because of course the answers I'm picturing are things like, "Well, usually I'm disappointed in the endings."
Which is something I think might be true. I've gotten that piece of feedback on more than one story. Also, when I go back to read over stuff I've written, the endings are most often the parts that I dislike or am disappointed in. There are some I like, and I can't figure out the common denominator - of the ones I liked, some came to me with the idea of the story, some came to me on my thirty-fifth pass through the story, some were randomly chosen, some were carefully planned.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks related to making a story ending work, or telling whether an ending works once you've written it? Do you have any pitfalls you've fallen into in the past that you've learned to avoid? Help me write a non-sucky ending to my Yuletide story, peeps!
(Not that I'm anywhere near the ending of my Yuletide story, of course.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-30 11:51 pm (UTC)Anyway, are you willing to share what stories you/others feel have "disappointing" endings? Because I think looking at what you think doesn't work OBJECTIVELY (and not how you usually do, Ms. Refuses to Recognize Her Talent) and reading what other people have to say OBJECTIVELY (for example, someone who wants Danny/Rusty fic isn't ever going to be happy with the ending of Drive) could help you with what you think is a problem.
But, for the record, I think you're crazy. And I wish you wrote more.
MORE!!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-31 03:39 am (UTC)And I am willing to share! One person sent critical FB on my Psych story - they said that the ending felt rushed and too neat. The qualified rec was on the Office story, and there they left it vague, I think they said that the ending didn't work for them but didn't elaborate. Frustrating!
On the Psych fic, I can definitely see the rushed thing - for reasons you and I have discussed, I was glad to reach the end of that story! On the Office fic, I'm a little more puzzled, partly because her comments were vague. Maybe that was too neat, too? I do kind of feel bad for Roy in that story, he's pretty much hung out to dry because of my JIM/PAM4EVAness.