Tags
Arts, Catherine Earnshaw, Emily Brontë, happy endings, Heathcliff, historical romance, Literature, romance, Tragedy, tragic endings, writing, Wuthering Heights
Since I touched upon titles in my last post, I thought I’d talk about endings today. It was just this last week that my good neighbor Jo asked, “How do you know when to end a book?” I’ve been thinking on that – and I still don’t know the definitive answer. For me, it’s more an instinctual feeling than a specific idea that I am nearing completion of the tale.
If you’re a traditional romance author, by the end of your book, your hero and heroine have resolved all conflicts, the threads woven throughout are neatly tied up and the villains are usually dead. Seems like the appropriate time for your couple to walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand. Yes, romances tend to have a happily-ever-after ending, all rainbows and puppies and kittens. But deep in the dark recesses of my mind, I have a story that doesn’t. Is that sacrilege? Have I crossed some unknown line in the world of romance novels? Would I be banished forever into the realms of the unknown, no longer allowed to own puppies and kittens?
I do have a dark side and confess to a love of senselessly violent movies with kick-ass fight scenes. I have been known to sprinkle some of this into my own writing, and lurking just beyond sanity is the notion of a tragic ending. It intrigues me. It beckons to me.
So, how should a book end? Does everyone prefer to feel good and happy at the close of a story? Or is a good sob just as rewarding? I mean, the tragic tale of Wuthering Heights has always been one of my favorites — Katherine and Heathcliff’s heartbreaking love is truly unforgettable.
“My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.”
Masterful. And it could not possibly end any other way, now could it?
Should Brit Darby consider writing a tragic ending? Or stick to the tried and true path? What do you think?
~D
Brit Darby 
I loved the Stephen King quote you gave: “Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once.” Sometimes we read a book and just when the characters begin their relationship the book ends….we feel frustration, because we want to know what comes next. Sometimes we read a book that takes us for generations into that relationship and it still is not enough. Only the author who knows and created these characters can make the decision on when to end. But, as readers we can always imagine what if……….
I forgot to answer the question: “Should they, as authors try a tragic ending, or stick to the tried and true. First of all I would not presume to give advice to two such talented ladies, but keep in mind, we already have a lot of tragic in real life.
A good point, Jo. Many turn to books to escape into another world, and perhaps to forget the not so good in the real one. It is certainly something we should always keep in mind.
~D
I’m all for giving in to the dark side on occasion. But that’s an easier task in lit fic than in romance. Still I’d say give it a go; if that tale is waiting to be told, tell it.
Thanks for reblogging my post! One of the benefits of indie publishing is this very topic, trying something new. Not everyone might appreciate the change of direction, but a good cry can be quite cathartic. And sometimes life doesn’t find all the loose ends neatly matched.
Thanks for the input Anna. And, thanks to B for the reblog. I’m on board for nixing the term self publishing and using indie publishing instead. Much better. Why didn’t I think of that?
~D