The End of the Novel?

Last winter, I did a Zoom session on writing a novel. One of the questions an attendee asked me left me a little puzzled.

How do you know when you've reached the end of your novel?

I fumbled for an answer. Something along the lines of "when the problem of the story is solved". But what I was really thinking was "how can you NOT know". I had so absorbed the lesson over the last fifty-plus years that it took me a while to break things down in my head.

Over the months, I've realized some new writers get caught up in their characters try/fail cycle. The new writers aren't sufficiently upping the stakes each time to hit the climax and the denouement.

So what is the try/fail cycle? There's the three-act structure. The seven-step cycle. The hero's journey, which is broken down into 10 or 12 distinct levels, depending on who you talk to. But the important things of the ending are the climax and the denouement.

What's the denouement you ask? If you think of the novel like sex, the climax is the orgasm, and the denouement is the cuddle time. The denouement is where the author wraps up all the plot threads. Here's the weird thing--even guy readers want that cuddle time in the story. And sometimes, even the most experienced story tellers screw this up.

For example, George Lucas originally ended Star Wars with Luke and Han's return to Yavin IV after Luke blew up the Death Star. Test audiences hated it! Why? Because George left R2-D2's injuries unresolved, and the hugs between the heroes was too short. So he added the medal ceremony. R2 is fine, and the guys get public acknowledgement by Princess Leia for their heroism.

A sci-fi novel I read a few years ago had an even worse ending that George's original finale for Star Wars. The heroes were bebopping along,trying to save a planetary official from assassination. At what should have been the climax, they called a buddy on the planet where the assassination was supposed to occur, and the buddy stopped the bad guys. I almost performed the proverbial "throw the book across the room" at that ending. I didn't, only because I was reading it on my antique Kindle. Ironically, the denouement would have worked perfectly if the writer in question hadn't effed up the climax.

So if you're writing a novel, you need both a decent climax involving the actual protagonist(s) of your story and a decent wrap-up. Neither has to be all roses and sunshine. If you've ever watched the movie Se7en, it has a perfect ending despite the sad and hopeless feeling.

However, I suggest watching that one during the daylight hours.