Loose Ends

I’ve mentioned before that editing is my least favorite part of writing; I love thinking about my stories in an abstract way, I love mulling over characters, plot points, and settings. You might think that completing a book would be the best part…everything coming together in one final glorious swipe of the electronic pen.

But that isn’t so, at least, for me it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, finishing a book feels fabulous. It’s the getting there I don’t like so much. Which is interesting, because I’m a completion kind of gal; checking things off my list is a satisfying behavior. So why the reticence?

As a writer, it’s very important for me to finish up loose ends. The weaving in of errant plot threads is the final elegant touch that makes my work complete. A famous playwright once said if you show a gun in act one you’d better use it by act three. I agree in spirit, although my rule tends to be more like if you mention something three or more times you’d better do something with it, or at least work it into the final resolution of the story.

I remember a book that I enjoyed many years ago. At the end, the woman decided to leave the modern world and stay in the past with the man she loved. OK, cool, but there is something from the story that haunts me to this day. The protagonist had a cat. The kitty wasn’t a huge plot point, but the author mentioned the cat was the woman’s only companion, and greeted her every time she returned to her apartment. In the final scene the woman jumped into the ancient world and left everything behind. So…what happened to the cat??? I had visions of the poor creature meowing for its owner and slowly starving to death in a now empty tomb. Melodramatic? Probably. But I still feel sad about that cat. As a writer I know it would have only taken a few lines to fix this…she found a home for the cat, or even better, she took her best friend with her.

I think about that kitty when I finish a book. I’m very careful about dealing with things at the end. I don’t leave plot points hanging. If I reveal a gun I use it. And that’s hard work. But cleaning up is not the only reason I dread ending a book.

In any good tale there must be conflict. A story about someone’s daily life, no matter how interesting the character or setting, is no fun to read. Conflict...even external conflict... invites turmoil within one’s self, and upon resolution of personal strife, there is change. And change always involves loosing something to gain something. The protagonist may very much want to change, but there is a price to pay.

And writing about pain is difficult for me. By the end of the book, I have come to love my people. I don’t want them to hurt! But in order for the story to ring true, this honesty must be represented. It wouldn’t be fair to my characters otherwise, and it would cheat my readers.

Readers read for many reasons…to experience something alien, something beautiful, something profound. I also think they read to feel a connection to the human soul. And so when a character struggles, has to make a choice and deals with the aftermath, we acknowledge the “realness” of that. Perhaps deep down we know that we too can survive even if we don’t always succeed.

And although I don’t like to write about suffering or the price to be paid for a “happy” ending, authors need to express that universal truth too. So if you’ll excuse me, I have an ending to complete.

But a quick cup of coffee first won’t hurt. Sigh.