Arts & Entertainment, Writing

Ending The Book

Lesson time 13:55 min

We've all read great books with terrible endings. Of the infinite possible endings, learn how James chooses the right one.

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Topics include: What the ending needs • Plant seeds along the way • Favorite book endings • Don’t shy from ambiguity • Think of alternate endings • Analyze your favorites • The secret to great endings

James Patterson

Teaches Writing

James teaches you how to create characters, write dialogue, and keep readers turning the page.

Preview

Your ending is hugely important because-- and this is true in movies, and it's true in books-- because that's what they walk-- they walk out of the theater here. They're clapping, and cheering, and feeling great, and spreading the word about the movie, or rather their apartments or whatever in terms of the book. And a lot of it has to do with what you did at the ending, how you pulled it all together, the surprise at the end, the surprise that fits, that's appropriate. So you really have to make sure that it is satisfying, or you're going to disappoint people. And you'll won't get that good word of mouth. You might not get published because there's no ending. It's not just you. It's you and a reader, and I want you to always think about that, because when there is a reader in the process, it's a different thing. The reader's sitting across from you, and you're playing this game. You're playing this cat and mouse game with that reader. And the other important thing about that reader is, you have to go for the highest common denominator. I mean, if you're going to write a best seller, there has to be common denominator. It's got to work for a lot of people. But you want to write for the highest common denominator. It's a really good thriller reader. It's a really good mystery reader. Because you have to satisfy that person. If you satisfy that personal, you're going to satisfy everybody else. [MUSIC PLAYING] It is rare. I'll do the outlines, and I'm preaching outline, outline, outline. I almost never do the ending that's in the outline. Well, at least more than 50% of the time, it's a different ending. Because just in writing the book, so much has changed. So many things have happened. The stakes get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. The villain gets more interesting. Something may have happened to the hero along the line that was a little unexpected. And the ending that I write in the outline is never-- and I think part of the problem is, the outline is a bit more logical than emotional. And by the time I get to that ending, my emotions are really churning, and I'm always feeling it just needs more. It needs more than this. It just can't be about logic. It has to be logic and emotion. You've got to feel something in most cases, certainly in commercial fiction. You should feel something. You should-- and whether it's a tragic ending in which you go, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That can be incredibly effective and appropriate. I can't believe, oh, my god. I got to tell people. Oh, Jesus. That's good. That's a good thing. Happy ending, once again, that can be terrific, if it's honest, where that reader or the person in the movie's going oh, shit, man, that's, oh, yeah, baby, yeah. That's good. That's a good thing. [MUSIC PLAYING] The ending should be really satisfying...

About the Instructor

James Patterson, the author of 19 consecutive No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, reveals his tricks of the trade. In his first online writing class, he guides you from the start to the finish of your book.

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James Patterson

James teaches you how to create characters, write dialogue, and keep readers turning the page.

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