• Information leads to knowledge. (The Penultimate Peril)
• Sometimes you can save lives by being wise and clever. (Poppy)
• Animals care about their homes. (Poppy’s Return)
• Not everything in life comes without a price. (Shiloh)
• Different people can become friends. (Sign of the Beaver)
• Sometimes risky decisions yield their fruits. (Skybreaker)
• Unfortunate people can sometimes become fortunate. (The Slippery Slope)
• Where there is a will, there is a way. (Stone Fox)
• Hatred has negative effects on people. (Weasel)
• Experiencing misery can help a person understand the real feelings of miserable people. (The Whipping Boy)
• Fear can prevent us from helping others. (Wired)
• Some people care for wild animals out of sheer love. (Wolf Pack)
• Greedy human wolves can be more dangerous than animal wolves. (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase)
• Greed makes people cruel animals. (The Wreckers)
• Nobody is infallible. (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
• Believe in miracles. (The Fire-Eaters)
• Sometimes ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things. (The Ropemaker)
• With perseverance, nothing is out of reach. (The Land)
• The abuse of power can lead to destruction. (The Other Wind)
• Exploring the mysteries of the past can often unlock answers to the future. (Briar Rose)
• By losing everything, sometimes you gain the most precious gift of all: a true sense of self. (Crispin: The Cross of Lead)
• Freedom is its own reward. (The House of the Scorpion)
• When fate has it in for you, you’d better be prepared. (Just In Case)
• Everything has a price, even sacrifice. (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1)
• A young girl’s understanding of the many rhythms of life, and how she fits within them. (Heartbeat)
• Surviving tragedy only makes you stronger. (Locomotion)
• One person’s actions can have a lifelong impact on another person. (The River Between Us)
• When you can’t control your own destiny, sometimes it’s better to just let fate decide. (Holes)
• Even the most breakable hearts in nature can learn to love, to lose, and to love again. (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane)
• In the absence of role models, sometimes life’s little lessons are best learned on the streets. (Rules of the Road)
• Never lose hope, and never stop dreaming. (True Believer)
• Only in coming face-to-face with death do we discover the value of living and loving unconditionally. (Looking for Alaska)
Plot, theme, and character are all linked. For example, if the cheerleader girlfriend of your main character abruptly breaks up with him and refuses to say why, your theme will probably have something to do with anger and loss. And how your main character acts as he struggles with his feelings about being dumped in this way will deepen his character, move the plot forward, and ultimately connect to the overarching and universal theme of your book or story.
Through plot, we see characters in action; we see how they act and react, think, and feel. For instance, imagine a novel in which the youngest child in a family grows very ill. His older sister puts the needs of their family first and drops out of the high school play she’s starring in, in order to help her parents take care of her brother. But the child’s older brother—a chess whiz—withdraws into himself and his chessboard; he’s so paralyzed by fear that he’s unable to help. The plot of the novel is propelled by the illness of the young child and by the reactions and actions of his siblings. The novel will explore the consequences of illness in a family. The overarching and universal theme statement might be that crisis differently affects each person.
In this chapter we’ve learned how to create a theme statement and have seen how the plot and the characters of your story are the driving force behind it. Try one last exercise, described below, to be sure you are clear on how to create a theme statement.
Our next chapter explores creating the perfect ending. Remember, you do not write the theme statement in your book, not even in the last chapter.
- AUTHOR WORKING -
Author Janice Eidus suggested the following exercise to explore how plot reveals character and links to theme.
Create a scene in which two very different sorts of characters—let’s say, a small town’s wealthy prom queen and a tough-acting boy from the “wrong side of the tracks”—witness a car accident. The accident propels the plot; now use the characters’ actions in this scene to reveal who they are as individuals. Does one of them call for help? Does one try to attend to the needs of the injured? Does one flee from the scene? Does one feel numb and uninvolved? What do their reactions and actions tell us about them? Based upon their responses, what might the next plot action be if this scene were part of a short story or novel? You can set the scene anywhere: a small town, a big city, or a leafy suburb. And instead of a prom queen and a tough kid, perhaps one character can be a loner who spends all her time with computers, and the other can be a budding young poet growing his first mustache and carrying a copy of On the Road. And since plot, character, and theme intertwine, perhaps this scene can be leading the reader toward an exploration of the nature of selflessness—or something else, depending upon your world view and vision.
CHAPTER 10
CREATING A SATISFYING CONCLUSION
An ending can be remembered or squandered. You want yours to be remembered.
Endings in young adult fiction are more important to get right than are endings in adult fiction. Many types of endings that may be satisfactory in adult fiction will leave a young adult reader disappointed, unsatisfied, and even angry that the author didn’t “finish” the story the way he expected. Authors writing young adult fiction must at all times take into consideration the experience, age, and emotional and psychological development of the reader. (Even though in recent years young adult fiction is being read by adults, too, we must agree that the target readership of young adult fiction ranges from children at the edge of adolescence through almost-adult late teens.) These traits are different from those of adults, and some research into child and adolescent development will help any writer of young adult fiction.
Great young adult novels are more than entertainment. At the end they should have altered the way the reader looks at the world. Ideally, a great young adult novel leaves the reader better able to cope with his own real-world challenges, because he has vicariously lived similar challenges with the protagonist of the story and gained his insights. Like the protagonist, the reader has faced and overcome incredible obstacles and is now stronger and wiser because of his almost-real experiences. As a result, the impression a story leaves on the reader is determined largely by the ending, making the ending doubly important.
Sadly, the ending is where a lot of YA writers seem to lose the proverbial plot. Either the writer tries to resolve everything in the last few pages or else he has too many endings. So my advice to YA writers is to make the ending powerful—think about what will provide the most satisfying ending for your characters. Let it grow out of the situations you’ve created throughout the book. And, whatever you do, don’t send the book out to agents or editors until you have one that really works.
- ADVICE FROM PUBLISHERS ROW -
Wendy Lamb, publisher of Wendy Lamb Books:
“The best endings are earned, and by that I mean the emotional payoff the reader feels in that last paragraph is set up early in small moments throughout. You should read that last line and have a true, complete, satisfying understanding of the story. How can so few words do so much work? They can’t—their ultimate power depends on preparation.
“Whatever type of book, the author has to prepare the reader for the ending. Build your case for the ending along the
way. Subtle moments or details work in a complex, literary book; but a funny wacky book can have a bold wow ending. The wow will work if the story is already full of such moments.”
TYPES OF YOUNG ADULT FICTION ENDINGS
A good ending serves as the keystone of the story, holding up and giving closure to everything that came before. It’s the part the author wants the young adult reader to take with him from the story, so it must be well thought out and an integral part of the story. Therefore, the story should end at the moment the theme has been clearly, logically, and entertainingly illustrated for the reader. Not before and never later.
Let’s look at some different ending options.
Lessons Learned
The protagonist and possibly other characters recognize that by overcoming the conflict they have learned something important and it will affect their lives.
Open
The author may hint at what the protagonist may do after the climax, but the final interpretation will be left up to the reader. Alternately, the author will leave the protagonist with a number of equally plausible courses of action, and the reader must decide which the character will choose. In this ending the hints and choices must be tightly coupled to the plot and proceed logically from the character.
Cliffhanger
Ending with a cliffhanger can be done, but it must be approached with great care. The major conflict must be completely resolved, and all of the loose ends except one must be resolved. That single remaining loose end must be selected to generate the reader’s interest for a sequel and at the same time be significant enough to be used to begin the next novel.
Circular
In this ending the protagonist returns home to tell of his life-changing quest. Often the end scene is similar or the same as the beginning. This ending is frequently used in fantasy novels.
Wish or Promise
The story ends with the protagonist wishing for a different outcome of the climax or making promises to himself that will affect his life. This type of ending is common in young adult fiction, but it can be overdone. The promises must be reasonable extensions from the plot that the character can actually carry out.
Reversal
In a reversal ending a character may start with nothing and end up with everything or begin with nothing and lose it all. What is being gained or lost does not have to be physical objects, such as riches. Love, happiness, friendship, trust, and many other intangible things may be won and lost in the course of a story.
Resolution
The story builds to a climax where the protagonist either “wins” or “loses” in his quest to resolve the conflict. Generally there are clear winners and losers, but the protagonist does not always have to be the winner.
Bittersweet
The protagonist must make a difficult decision and sacrifice something to obtain something else. These endings work well because, as in real life, when a conflict is overcome, there is an element of loss along with the victory. The best bittersweet endings require that the protagonist make a choice among things, all of which are important, and where giving one up will cause him significant pain and remorse.
Puzzle
This ending is a variation on the resolution ending. In this ending a mystery is solved or explained. Usually the reader is enlightened at the same time as the protagonist, but sometimes the protagonist is left in the dark.
Twist
To be successful, this ending must truly surprise the reader, but the surprise must extend logically from the plot of the story. It should not be a coincidence or “just in the nick of time” random event. This type of ending is hard to write well, and if done poorly it will seem like a punch line to an extended joke.
Train Wreck
Unlike many types of endings there is no element of surprise in a train wreck. The protagonist’s life or situation spirals down to an inevitable disaster that readers can see coming but the protagonist can’t. The plot of a story with this type of ending must be carefully unwound because the reader knows the nature of the climax. How it’s presented must follow logically and have its own unique, interest-holding qualities.
Revelation
Revelation uses rising tension in the form of the choices being continually narrowed until a final choice is revealed that explains all.
Monologue
In a monologue ending, the protagonist alone comments about the outcome of the climax. These should be short and written to allow the reader leeway to interpret the character’s words. A closing monologue can easily be overdone and turn into a preaching lecture to the reader.
Narrative
The narrator takes over and wraps up the plot by discussing the climax instead of the characters. Narrator endings should be short and to the point, referring to the characters as much as possible. The reader has developed a relationship with the characters and does not want the narrator to take the story over from the protagonist.
Reflection
This is a variation of the narrative ending where the narrator thinks about the climax and muses about the characters’ futures. The narrator discusses the climax and plot only indirectly while discussing the protagonist more directly.
Dialogue
Two or more characters discuss the climax and its ramifications. This ending works best when it is kept short. Lengthy summaries of the plot and the climax are counterproductive. The reader should know what has happened and why and does not need the characters to tell him.
Literal Image
In this ending the setting or some aspect of the setting resolves and completes the plot. A common use of this ending is in fantasy novels where the protagonist resolves the conflict by successfully positioning himself in a desired location.
Symbolic Image
Details described in a setting or a situation represent a meaning beyond the literal one. An author should exercise great caution in this type of ending, because the readers may miss the point altogether if the symbolism is beyond their experience and maturity. This is not commonly found in young adult fiction. If symbolism is used, it works better when coupled together with another, more concrete type of ending.
Illuminating
At first read, this type of ending seems abrupt because it does not have a traditional clear-cut resolution. However, the ending does indicate what will happen to the characters, implying that now that the conflict has been overcome, life will go on as it was before. This type of ending is rarely used in young adult fiction.
Epilogue
This type of ending is not normally found in young adult fiction. If used, it tends to be a summary of the future life of the protagonist and should relate to the consequence of the story. It should be exceedingly brief, because it can tell the readers what would be better left to their imaginations.
TEN ENDINGS TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS
There are some endings that really just get under your skin. Granted, these radioactive do-not-touch endings are still being used, sometimes with great success, but such instances are extremely rare, and unless an author has a variation that is unique, exciting, and fresh, he should avoid them. Let’s consider a few and why they aren’t the most effective.
And Then I Woke Up
This ending is the author bailing out on the reader. After writing many pages of an interesting, exciting story, the author has run out of energy or imagination. The “waking to a ringing alarm clock” ending is an example of this.
And Then I Died
An ending such as this is a bailout by the author similar to the ending above. This ending has been overwritten so many times that it’s a cliché unworthy of a good story.
I Found Out That I’d Been Dead All Along
The “speaking from the grave” ending is old and stretches the readers’ willingness to suspend their logic to enjoy the story. There is a limit as to how much a reader is willing to accept, and this exceeds it.
And Their Names Were Adam and Eve
If a story ends with a populat
ion-destroying holocaust or a couple who have crash-landed on an environmentally suitable planet, don’t try to end with this gambit. No one will believe it.
The Vengeance Ending
With this ending the downtrodden protagonist extracts his vengeance on the antagonist, regaining his dignity and honor. The nerd on the beach takes the Charles Atlas muscle course to become more than a match for the sand-kicking bully. A vengeance ending can be effective only if it is consistent with the personality of the character that has been fashioned throughout the novel. The reader has had an entire novel to assess and understand the protagonist’s motivations. A revenge ending would have to have been developed and foreshadowed long before the climax, and it would follow logically from the personality and motivations of the character. One of the best examples of a revenge ending in any fictional work is the ending of the movie The Sting. At the climax, the grifters get revenge on the big-time hood so subtly that the victim didn’t know he’d been played as a sucker even as he lost all his money. Most important, the grifters each played roles faithful to their abilities and personalities established from the beginning of the film and took advantage of the antagonist’s weakness. In a vengeance ending the author has to decide if his character has the personality and motivation to spend the time and effort to challenge his antagonist’s strong point as the nerd on the beach would do, or exploit some weakness or flaw in his enemy.
And the Next Day in the Paper I Saw That He Died
This is the “I talked to a ghost and didn’t know it” ending. For some unknown reason, spirits wander the night doing good deeds for people. A common variation is the “I picked up a ghost hitchhiker.” This ending fails because it introduces a new character at the end, a character so important that a short appearance at or near the climax can alter the course of the entire novel. Instead of resolving all the conflicts and bringing the novel to a close, the author has created a host of unanswered questions with a new character. The reader will want to know who this spirit is and what relationship it has to the protagonist that makes him so important. In short, the novel really doesn’t end.
Writing Great Books for Young Adults Page 12
