The last line

 ** SPOILER ALERT**

I finished Terry Pratchett’s Dodger the other night.  It wasn’t the best ending.  It should have finished quite a few pages before.  This resulted in the end being farcical.  Despite that, the last few lines still had a bit of punch to them, which shows what a good writer Pratchett is.

This is proof that the lead up to the final line of a novel is just as important as the first and last line.  If the book trails at the end the last line will lose the spark that it may have had otherwise.

In fact, it actually tells us that every part of the novel is important.  The first line needs to hook the reader and the last line needs to give closure, satisfaction or a lasting memory (or all three) but every word between those two lines needs to make the reader want to go on.  There’s no point in making that snappy, magical last line if no one wants to get there.

A few days ago I shared with you my favourite first lines as I sought to find the right first line for my current work in progress.  I’m happy to say that my novel, Matter Of Time (working title), now has a new first line.  And, get this, it was there all this time!  It didn’t need rewriting, it just needed finding.

Phew.

So following on from my previous post about endings, here are my favourite last lines.

Let’s start with my all time favourite book, The Body by Stephen King;

‘The trestle upstream is gone now, but the river is still around.  So am I.’

 A poignant last line that sums up the theme of the novel; the loss of time and friendships.

‘Then she made cheese...

...in the diary, on the farm, and the fields unrolling, and becoming the downlands sleeping under the hot midsummer sun, where the flocks of sheep, moving slowly, drift over the short turf like clouds on a green sky, and here and there sheepdogs speed over the grass like shooting stars.  For ever and ever, wold without end.’  

- Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

A beautiful, poetic ending.  This book ends as it starts – looking at the bigger picture.  But I think the book would have had just as satisfying an ending with simply ‘Then she made cheese.’

‘They were happy, and free, and the endless sky awaited them.

It was enough.’

– Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

Perfect.

‘Nothing else remains.  I shall never see him again.

Except, perhaps, if I’m human enough.  Except, perhaps, if there’s world enough and time.’

– I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan

 I’ve never been entirely sure about this ending but I do like the last lines.  It echoes the messages in the book and gives the reader a nice little spark.

‘That same question came into his head, over and over, and he still had no answer.

Why do I do this?

Why?’

– The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Again this book ends pretty much how it started and, in a book jam packed with characters, it ends on one of the best ones.

‘Yes, thought Montag, that’s the one I’ll save for noon.  For noon...

When we reach the city.’

 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

This wasn’t in my favourite first liners but the ending has got a lovely gentleness to it while at the same time promising something more, allowing the reader to continue the story for themselves if they wish.

‘With a firm grip, the two men clasp hands, and in that single gesture a new order begins to take shape.’

– The Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga.

Now, this might just be me.  I read this before season 3 of The Walking Dead started and this ending had me salivating, waiting for that first episode where I would meet the Governor played by David Morrissey.  This ending is good because it’s a conclusion while leaving the way open for the next story.  It also delivers on its promise.  This book is about the Governor coming to power, and in that hand shake, the Governor is born.

What endings do you like?

The end.

As my last post was about beginnings, so this one is about ends.

Don’t worry – this isn’t the end!

Through my lunch break at work today I sat in a fog of thought about my novel Previously-Known-As-Silver.  I’m actually working on a different novel at the moment but I know where I’m going with that so the problem-solving part of my grey matter is fixated on Silver-That-Was.

There are major plot issues, or maybe there aren’t.  That’s part of my problem.  Which actually all leads to how I would like the book to end.  Should it have a nice simple plot with closure or should it run on?

I’m very close to finishing Terry Pratchett’s Dodger.  It’s a very interesting novel and I do like it but I don’t feel as passionate about it as I have with other Pratchett novels.  So much so, that I’m now waiting for it to end.  I thought Monday night would be it.  It felt that I was only a chapter away from closing the book but it turns out that last chapter is a long one.  

So I picked it up again last night but still it goes on.

I can now say that in my opinion, Dodger should have ended a few pages ago.  The main action is over, a climax has already been reached and I’m ready to close the book.  Worse, I’m beginning to not care anymore.  This is exacerbated by the fact that the plot seems to be going to extremes, maybe even approaching the territory of silly.  

While I twisted and turned on my plot problems, I discovered this article about novel endings suggesting that ambiguous endings can be very powerful and truer to life.  The writer is speaking from a literary viewpoint, which does not necessarily affect me, but it is an interesting point; can a story only lack closure if it is for an artistic reason?

Obviously everything in a book needs to be there.  Every character, scene and action is there for a purpose, as is the ending.  But if the message is about ambiguity then the ending has the freedom to be the same.

So what about the general consensus that every reader wants closure?  Take my Dodger experience, for example.  Or perhaps the end of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King that just went on and on.  Maybe these stories are giving the reader too much closure.

In between finding our filter words (something else I learned only this week), weeding out needless adjectives, maintaining a pace and plot, removing all info dumping and developing likeable but interesting characters, we also need to give a satisfying and punctual ending.  

How does a writer strike the right balance in an ending?  I’m actually asking you, because right now I have no idea!

To calm myself down (I can feel my digital voice getting higher and higher), in my next post I will look at my favourite endings and by that point I might actually know how Dodger ends…

A wizard boy, a vampire and a bit of kink

Once again I must apologise for my lack of posts.  I can really only blame myself but I don’t like doing that so instead I’m going to blame work which has been very busy this last week.

Following on from my previous post about bestselling ideas, I was a little shocked that the first three bestsellers that immediately came to mind were all women; J K Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and E L James.  

Where are the bestselling males making headlines?  Well of course there is Stephen King who everyone has heard of, but he doesn’t seem to have the same punch as these three women.  What about Terry Pratchett?  I am slightly biased, being a fantasy fan, and I have a strong suspicion that Mr Pratchett is more a household name recently because of his commendable campaigning for euthanasia and Alzheimer’s rather than his wonderful books.  There are others; Iain Banks, Dan Brown, John Grisham, but no other writers have made quite as big a splash as J K Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and E L James.

 All three women are the creators of a franchise, are household names, they have all owned headlines and the book series, movie deals, crowds of screaming females (the ages of which depend on the particular books) and inescapable merchandise.  Harry Potter even has a place in the Universal Studios theme park – I wonder if they’ll do something similar for 50 Shades.

Why have these three women succeeded in making headlines where others have failed?  Does them being female have something to do with it?

I’ve been having a good, long think about this and I do think that being female is a part of their success.  Not because women are better at writing than men, of course they’re not.  It’s because of the market.

More women read than men and women are more likely to discuss the books they’ve read and share with friends and family.  These three women cover every age bracket; J K Rowling captures the young and subsequently their parents, Stephanie Meyer has hold of teenage hearts and E L James taps into the (consenting) adult.

Success in publishing is largely down to understanding your target audience.  Who is your book aimed at?  Young adult fiction and romances are the largest parts of the publishing market, so it seems only natural that these three major bestsellers should fit into these two categories (if 50 Shades can be considered romance).

I still think that 50 Shades’ success was actually down to the taboo idea.  Let’s face it, E L James didn’t necessarily have to build up her readership in the way that other authors do.  She simply jumped onto Stephanie Meyer’s grown up readership with a new twist on an already successful idea.  She threw in a lot of kink and her own fantasies and came out winning.  Not to mention that the story was so taboo that people who would usually not be interested in erotica felt the need to read this book.

So 50 Shades can claim that it went beyond satisfying the need of a major target audience and it broached the concept that humans are social animals.  To a large extent to be different is to be outcast, and instinctively humans need other humans to survive.  So a handful of people read a book, raise questions, criticism and glow about it which means that other people read it to find out what the fuss is about.  Soon enough, people are buying it purely to be ‘in with the crowd’.  What a feat!

So here’s another question; would a man be able to do what these women have done? 

Of course!  Ian Fleming did it before any of these three.  Will Twilight and Harry Potter survive as long as Bond, James Bond?

Why so series-us?

What do Stephanie Meyer, J K Rowling, Terry Pratchett and Paul Magrs all have in common?

They’ve all written a series!

When I was researching, believing myself ready to submit a fantasy novel to publishers and agents, I came across one thing, over and over.  Publishers love their fantasy in threes.  The general notion seemed to be that if you can make your story into a trilogy, it is more likely to sell.

As a reader, I disagree with this.  I would rather read one stand alone book then a trilogy.  I thoroughly enjoyed Northern Lights of the His Dark Materials trilogy (Phillip Pullman), for example, but The Amber Spyglass actually annoyed me and was a battle to finish.  I adore The Blade Itself of the The First Law trilogy (Joe Abercrombie) but couldn’t for the life of me tell you what happened in The Last Argument of Kings.  I couldn’t even remember off hand the titles of these third books!

On the other hand, I am an ardent fan of the Discworld series (Terry Pratchett), the Brenda and Effie series (Paul Magrs) and Joe Abercrombie in general who’s novels all feature the same world and reoccurring characters (I read with longing that Logan Ninefingers and/or Glokta will reappear).

Yes, I dislike trilogies but love a good series.  What’s the difference?

A trilogy tells the same story over the course of three books.  While I have repeatedly read that all trilogy books should be able to stand alone, this simply isn’t true and if you want any closure for your new favourite characters, you must read all three.  Three books are not many, but have you noticed that many trilogies grow in size as they go on?  The final book is always the thickest and suddenly gaining that closure becomes a marathon.

A series tells the story or stories of a set of characters in the same location.  This can be as varied as the writer wants and can make work.  It may be that a series stretches across a whole world (Pratchett’s Discworld), a country or two (George R. R. Martin’s Westoros and across the Narrow Sea) or a town (Whitby in Magrs’ Brenda and Effie series).  It could focus on a small set of characters (Brenda, Effie and friends) or a whole cast full (Rincewind, Vimes, Vetinari, The Librarian, Susan, Death, Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Carrot, Tiffany, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg to name a few and that is not counting the one off characters through the whole series).

A series is something special, it is something that readers become loyal to.  It is the equivalent of joining a group of friends on a new adventure.  You live and breathe there with them and look forward to when you can return to them.

A series is also a sure fire way to make a publisher a lot of money.  Once one book has a readership, the whole series has a readership and the longevity of the books relies on the number of books in the series.  Not to mention that someone may discover a book fairly late and then catch up through the backlog, resulting in more sales and an ever increasing customer base.

Whatever the series you hope to create, there are some constants which must remain throughout;

• Locations must remain familiar.  Feel free to introduce new locations, of course, but make sure they are repeated throughout the series.
• Have a cast of reoccurring protagonists.
• How about some reoccurring antagonists?  This will differ depending on the series.  Crime stories will require different protagonists throughout, but how about that serial killer that got away?

While a series should have constants, it is also very important that each book work as a stand alone story.  This is where it becomes tricky!  A series can/should have a main issue or story that is worked on throughout (the game of thrones in A Song of Fire and Ice, Brenda’s fight for a normal life in the Brenda and Effies books) but each book must have its own story with a beginning, middle and ending giving the reader closure.

You also want to ensure that anyone can dip into the middle of your series and still be immediately hooked without wondering what the hell is going on and being forced to find the first book.

How about a sub series?  Within the Discworld series there are the City Watch series, the Witch series, the Wizard series…if you have a large cast of characters this might be one way of dividing stories.  It also gives way to marketing opportunities – which is your favourite Discworld sub series?

Why not experiment?  Both of my current novels are the beginnings of series’.  One will rely on three main characters with some minor reoccurring characters.  The other will rely on a world, with reoccurring characters but a new story and point of view each time.  I’m actually very excited to see where both will lead me.

As with all writing, there are exceptions to all of these rules.  When it comes down to it, write what you love but make sure it works.




Fancy a bit more?  Check these links out -
www.bestsellerlabs.com/the-hottest-tip-no-fiction-writer-can-afford-to-ignore
http://www.joeabercrombie.com
http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/ 
http://lifeonmagrs.blogspot.co.uk/


 
 

Surprisingly stumped when asked for comparisons

The other day I submitted Silver to a publisher.  Part of the submission guidelines were to suggest comparable authors and titles.  This stumped me.

I’ve done my research, I know not to brag about how my writing is as good as Terry Pratchett’s or that my series will be the next Twilight.  I never intended to compare my books with others in an attempt to sell it, I suppose I wanted to be accepted on the merit of my own writing and that it would then be the publisher’s job to find comparable titles as a selling point.

The truth of the matter is that I have read books about women, vampires, demon slayers and otherwise, fighting in their world of dark fantasy full of werewolves and angels.  I’ve read them and been bored, the woman always falls in love, usually with the bad guy.  She walks through a club of girating bodies with her weapon concealed at her side looking for the villain and when she lays eyes on him she is overwhelmed with passion and arousal and suddenly I’m reading a Mills and Boon book (not bad but not what I wanted).

Suddenly the strong heroine is made weak by a man.

I wanted to write a book where the female heroine wasn’t compromised by a man.  Sure there are love interests, sexual partners and men in Silver but they are not necessarily the obstacles that Emily May must overcome; they are tools to bring the obstacles into her life, they are her comfort and they are representations of the opportunities open to her.

The real obstacles come from deeper, darker issues.  Emily May will not be weakened by love or sex, but instead she is slowly dragged down by the amount of death that surrounds her and the weight of taking so many lives. 

This is the kind of book I want to read and I know I’m not the only one.  I’ve read forums, comments on social networking sites and blogs that tell me I’m not alone.  But I still haven’t been able to find a book that matches what I want.  I’m not saying that Silver succeeds in this, but I hope that it does.  I’m also not saying that Silver is the only book that might succeed in this, of course it’s not.  I just haven’t found a book that gives me what I want and is memorable yet.  But then I read titles other than dark fantasy and am possibly quite a slow reader.

Don’t worry, I didn’t put this long argument in my submission!  I hope I remained professional while giving a succinct answer but if not then I’ll never hear from the publisher again.  I’ve already moved on, writing my next novel and planning the future of Silver.

Contining on the topic of comparing your novel with other well known authors and titles, I found this on the publisher Orion’s blog;

Don’t mention Terry Pratchett! Or: How to submit your comic fantasy novel . . .

I’ve read a few articles like this one and I am always amazed and entertained at the things people supposedly write in their submission packages.  I am confident that I have remained professional throughout this process and that can only give me hope.

Top 10 Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Books

In response to Zed’s comment to my last post about Science Fiction, here are my top 10 Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror books.  I tried to put them in some sort of order but that proved too difficult, so in no particular order;

      1.       The Body – Stephen King

Sentimentally speaking, The Body is my favourite story.  The Body is one novella of four in the book Different Seasons by Stephen King.  Four boys lie to their parents and follow the train tracks to find the dead body of a kid their age.

I first saw the film based in this story, Stand By Me, when I was 12 and I fell in love with it.  I found the book when I was 18 and it sits proudly on my shelf, yellowing and bent from the number of times it’s been read.

The book is beautifully written and dark.  As much as I love Stand By Me, the book spoke to me so much more.  This is a story from my childhood and adolescence, this story got me through teenage depression, GCSEs, exams and my first year of University when I felt down or homesick.

2.       The Blade Itself: The First Law Book One – Joe Abercrombie

This book, and the subsequent sequels, have some incredibly vibrant characters written on its pages.  Beware, there are a lot of characters but a couple really stand out and even now, years after reading this book, I still remember Logan Ninefingers and Glokta vividly.

The Blade Itself is gritty, violent and full of action.  I never doubted buying it after reading the blurb in the bookshop and I accidently read the first sentence when I got home. I had to put whatever I was reading at the time on hold until I had finished this fantastic book. 

A summary/blurb can be found on Joe Abercombie’s website.

3.       Guards Guards – Terry Pratchett

I love all of the Discworld novels to a certain degree.  Guards Guards is one of my favourites for two reasons; Sam Vimes and dragons.

This is the first Discworld novel for Vimes, we are introduced to an alcoholic guard and his men.  You instantly find yourself drawn to Vimes, you empathise with him and trust in him which is what makes him one of most anticipated and heart warming characters in the Discworld.

I love this book so much that I have an artists impression of Errol on the wall of my living room.

4.       Small Gods – Terry Pratchett

Another Discworld novel.  This novel explores the perception of belief and that is why I love it.  I admit that I have a fascination with mythology and belief and I found this book a joy to read with fascinating concepts.

Small Gods follows Brutha, a novice priest who lacks what is necessary in the thinking department and yet he is the one that the great god Om, in the form of a tortoise, appears before.

5.       Good Omens – Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Yes, another Terry Pratchett, but this time co-written with Neil Gaiman.   I told you that I have a fascination with belief and gods and you probably know by now that the Armageddon holds some interest to me too.  This book is about just that and a mix up with the coming of the Antichrist.

I picked up this book because of the angels and Terry Pratchett’s name on the front and was introduced me to the world of Neil Gaiman.

6.        The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman

This is supposedly a children’s book but that shouldn’t put adults off.  A toddler house is broken into and his parents murdered.  The ghosts living in the graveyard across the road take him in and raise him.

This book is dark, humorous and beautiful written with a story that has never left me.

7.       Wee Free Men – Terry Pratchett

Yes, yes, I know.  Another Terry Pratchett book.  But come on, the Wee Free Men!  How could this not be on the list?  Again, another supposed children’s book.  Wee Free Men is the first in the Tiffany Aching series.  Tiffany is unlike other girls, she has a fantastic way of thinking, taking after Granny Aching.  She is a cheese maker and a witch.  On her family’s land live the Wee Free Men; small, blue little people who speak the most wonderful Scottish. 

This book is a must read introduction to the Wee Free Men and the lovely Tiffany.  I cannot actually put into words how amazing the Wee Free Men are, which is a frustrating thing for a writer.  They are so much fun to read and they quickly became some of my favourite all-time characters.

8.       World War Z – Max Brooks

Now, I haven’t actually quite finished reading this yet.  I bought it in preparation for the film which is due out in this country at the beginning of 2013.

This book is a collection of interviews with all different types of people around the world, telling the story of World War Z, the war with zombies.

Despite not having finished it yet, this book has already made the list purely based on the dedication and research that has obviously gone into it.  It is very well written and basically every interview is a short story, reading them gives you the full story of the war from every angle possible; economic, political, military and civilian, from so many different countries across the world.  It is an awe-inspiring novel just for this but the story is also painfully real, violent and wonderful all at the same time.

9.       The Midwich Cuckoos – John Wyndham

This is possibly the only Science Fiction novel on my list.  Is this Science Fiction?  The classic story of an English village.  One night every occupant blacks out, when they come round they soon realise that every woman of child bearing age is pregnant.

This book is fascinating, fast paced and I found it very difficult to put it down.

10.   The Shawshank Redemption – Stephen King

A true classic.  The Shawshank Redemption is another novel hidden inside Different Seasons by Stephen King.  As with all books-turned-into-films, the book is a lot better than the film and surely you know how good the film is?  The book is more personable and heartfelt, it is dark with a twisted human beauty that seems to be Stephen King’s forte (I haven’t read much Stephen King-yet).

Watch the film; read the book.

A small selection of books on my to-read pile are;

•  Everything Neil Gaiman (he is a new discovery of mine – Neverwhere and Stardust)
• The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
• Retribution Falls: Tales of the Ketty Jay – Chris Wooding
• Heroes – Joe Abercrombie
• Snuff – Terry Pratchett

What does this tell you about me?  That I’m not too keen on Science Fiction but I am a big Terry Pratchett fan. 

So come on then, share.  What are your ten favourite Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror books?