Endings - When is it time for a sequel, and when should the damn story be left alone?

Another novel comes to an end. Two Doors Down (still not happy with that title) has reached the final chapter. It's a pretty dramatic feeling.

Page 400. Never thought I'd get here.

Don't fret, this doesn't give away anything major (not that you'll know what the story is actually about). By the time this novel gets a release, you won't even remember seeing this picture. Plus, there's no way you can read every word of this. My heiroglyphics can be somewhat troublesome to decipher.

It's been a long journey with Ari (who lost her phone and needed a job to replace it) and the old bat from down the road (who gave her a job, but what a job it is). It's changed both characters (as it should - your story MUST have an arc, people!), and I've enjoyed tagging along for every minute of their discoveries. But they're about to move on without me. They don't need me anymore.

Now, I believe I've discussed endings in the past (here, somewhere, maybe), but I haven't really gone into what it means for the author. Months on end are spent with these characters and their stories. What happens when the story is done? Is there always room for a sequel? Should there be?

Even if there's never a sequel, these characters (if we've written them well, if we've made them sing) never leave us. If I was asked to put any one of my characters into a specific scene or situation, if I was asked to write them right now, I know that they'd snap immediately back to life for me. I know how they'd react. I lived with them all for long enough.

I wrote a novel YEARS ago (massive comic fantasy, I mean huge), and the lead characters Louisa Laloupe and Geraldine Floure still pop up in my head sometimes. A real pair of idiots. I loved writing them. That book was so much fun to discover. I kind-of wish I could write it again. I definitely wish I could get somebody to read about them. It was demented. Body swaps, musical numbers, extraordinary violence, supreme stupidity, Lead Astray had it all. Man, I miss it.
And we're talking 17, 18 years since I finished writing it. Gerald and Louisa are still with me. I still know what stupid things they'd do. I think that when you're having fun with a character, or you're at least interested in them yourself, then your writer's work is going well. They should be unusual. They should be strange. They should be bloody-minded. They should occasionally be cowardly in the face of dangerous. They should, at least sometimes, be stupid. They should be like us. And we should miss them when it's all over. After all if the writer doesn't miss them, then why on earth should any reader care?

Getting to the final act of A Graveyard Visible was a relief, because I thought I would never get there. That novel stopped and started so many times that I was convinced it was out of gas and would have to be abandoned in a ditch. Importantly, however, when I wrote the final line I was sad it was over and I was out of that world (for a while at least; need to let these scratchings rest before attempting the next draft), and I was also proud, because the work had that feeling of completeness. It was whole. It felt right. It felt done. It's hard stepping away when the story's done, though. I'd spent a lot of time with Caleb and Misha. They're a part of me.

Honestly? AGV is a dark place - but also an incredibly interesting one.

Layers of shadow and light.

Technically, there is room for more story in the world of AGV - but I'm tempted to leave it alone. Let it stand. Let readers make of it what they will. It's a very dark world to be in, and if I returned I would only find it darker, pitch black almost. As a contrast, Two Doors Down has been packed with lively bright energy. That's not to say that AGV is slow-paced - quite the opposite. The difference is that Two Doors Down feels complete, a story that has been told in its entirety.

It's funny how some novels you write could go on after the end, but it doesn't feel right. That's what it's all about, the feeling of completeness. If the writer goes too far and tries to wring another book out of the characters, it can dilute the appeal of the first book. It can leave a sour taste. That can't be worth it. This is probably too famous an example really, too obvious a choice, but look at the Star Wars prequels. That whole debacle should feature in writing classes - How To Ruin A Property and Really Upset the Fan Base. Never force the story. (Just noticed I wrote 'Star Wars' and 'force' near to each other. Ignore that.)

There's stuff up in the air with AGV, though. So, more is possible. Or not. I could change my mind, though.

As for Macadamian Pliers, have I said 'so long' to him? No. That story isn't over. That's going to be a trilogy. Second volume is pretty much done. No endings there yet. Reaching the end of the first book was more a case of 'so long for now'.

Macadamian Pliers

Out now. Go on.

A Graveyard Visible

Also out now. Go on, seriously

Laters.

(Hey, look, that was an ending.)
(Or was it?)

Next up, a series of spooky blogs. Halloween is coming...

The Definitive It.

Let's jump right on that bandwagon!

I feel justified too. Stephen King's been a huge influence on my burgeoning career as a writer, and It had a major effect on me. So damn right I'm going to wade in on this.

Now, it's been a while (yet again) since I've posted. I was just getting some momentum going, then... you know, events happened. I'll talk about some of it in a future post, not quite ready yet.

But there's no better time than now to discuss It.

I'm going to state my conclusion up front: I believe the upcoming movie adaptation will be the definitive version of the story. Novel included. There. I said it. And you know what? I mean it.
There's going to be a lot of 'It's and 'it's going on here. Should be fun to keep up with.

Here's my raggled copy. Probably worth about 20p.

Which is less than a Freddo. Seriously, how do they cost so much?

Before I go any further, and hopefully before the hatchets come out, let me jot down a couple of provisos. I love Stephen King, right? I've gobbled up his books since I was just starting my teens, and there's no doubt that he's a big influence on me becoming a writer. Also, most (note that word most) of the novel It is great - just be aware that I'm going to argue how King started out very, very good, and got a hell of a lot better as his career went on.

Also, I don't have a lot of room to judge, really. My first novel probably sold 6 copies (3 to me), and my second isn't due out until April 2018 (subtle plug for A Graveyard Visible there), so I'm not exactly at the top of my game yet. Still, I retain the right to be as critical as everyone believes they have the God-given right to be on the internet - and I shall do so constructively.

The main thing, and let's get this out of the way now, is the ending. We can all agree that the ending of the original 1990 mini-series didn't work. It's not just the special effects either (can't expect much; It was made for 90's American tv, and there was no budget for effects, and no room at all for any of the gore in the book). Dramatically, it's flat.

The novel has the same problem. The climactic confrontation doesn't work, not when the characters are kids, and certainly not when they're adults (both battles run in parallel, switching from one to another in an attempt to give a double-rush of excitement). You see, we've spent near enough a thousand pages following their various clashes with It in it's multiple unpleasant forms... and then at the end, apparently the best our human minds can do with It's 'true' form is to conjure it as a big spider. Oh well. This form simply doesn't compete, terror-wise, with a psychotic clown called Pennywise. Nor is it as scary as the leper, or the werewolf, or any other of It's visceral, beastly, life-threatening variants. In truth, this last form is a real disappointment, and we would have been better off with the clown. There are other issues, such as the Turtle, which is about as 'out there' (readers of the novel might get that one) as King has managed to go, and I suspect that his editor let him get away with a little bit too much.

I mean, really. Even back at the time I thought we 

would have been better off with no ending than this.

The point of all this? From what I've read, the makers of the new It 2 part movie are dropping the ending entirely. No spider. Hooray! Common sense prevails! The weakest part of the novel is being removed. What are they replacing it with? Who knows, but I'm actually looking forward to finding out. At least now there's a chance that, come the final reel of film two, I might not be disappointed this time.
The only part of the prolonged end sequence that works is the devastation that descends upon the town of Derry, and how the place falls apart. I do hope that some element of this is retained somewhere along the line.

Is that all I've got? Nope. There are other issues, things that absolutely would not translate to screen, some for legal reasons I suspect. The whole 'Beverly' scene towards the end (if you've read It, you know the one, if you haven't, then you really need to be prepared for a no-holds-barred experience) has also been left out, which is only right, really. In fact, something I'm hoping has changed significantly is the portrayal of Beverly throughout the story, particularly as an adult. She's pretty much a vessel for men to do what they want. You can argue that's caused by the treatment she receives from her father, but it's all a bit flat and one-dimensional. And don't get me started on the sappy performance of her in the 1990 mini-series. Let's leave that in the past where it belongs.
From the sounds of things, the amount of (mostly) verbal abuse that the Losers Club receive is going to be toned down, and I think that's a shame. We have to be honest about bullying. Kids can be really unpleasant shitheads. There's no point kidding ourselves; if you can think a vile thought, then you can bet that some kid somewhere on this planet is gleefully shouting it at someone at the top of her/his lungs.

Cannot wait. Absolutely cannot wait.

They're making other changes too - the forms It takes throughout the novel are being altered for the screen. We're going to get the Leper and the dead kids, and that might be all from the original. I'm all for seeing something new. Plus it will be good to get the Leper this time - that part of the novel is freaky. And the Leper isn't going to be CGI. Look it up if you don't believe me...

Does it sound like I'm not a fan of the novel? Because that's not strictly true. It is the best two thirds of any horror novel I've ever read. The sense of place and time it conveys is phenomenal. So rich. You can almost smell the heat of the Barrens, and hear the running of the water (in both canals and sewers). I just think there's always a problem with having a main baddie/creature who's true form we cannot comprehend. If our mind can't see it, then how's something supposed to write it (it? It? it It? Aaaaargh)? Anyway, I'd place good money on this being the best horror film of the year, and if it's not... well, I'll eat my hat. Or your hat. Or your dinner. Whatever looks better.

Let's all report back after the movie's come out, what do you say?

Laters.

(Click here to see if I can write any better.)

Endings part 2. (Will it ever end?)

There's nothing worse than that git at a party who won't bugger off home. It's particularly annoying when it's your party in your house. We've all had a lovely time (some of us a bit too lovely), but if good things aren't allowed to end they become boring, agitating things that beg to be kicked out of the door.

You don't want anyone to feel that way about your book, do you? What I'm trying to say is, it's very important to know when to wrap things up. More words isn't necessarily better value.

Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed The Diviners by Libba Bray. I went through a period of a couple of days where I was picking up a book, and not getting much further than a page before deciding it wasn't for me. Sometimes I get really fussy, and nothing will do. So for The Diviners to tickle my interest was no mean feat.

Seriously good cover.

But boy did it take a long time to end.

I REALLY enjoyed the book. The author gets a great handle on the time and place, makes the reader feel the atmosphere of Manhatten in the 1920's, the excitement of the nightclubs, the danger of Prohibition. The lead character is a bit wild, so when she does anything a little crazy it doesn't feel out of place.

I had a little niggle with the book as it went along, and it had to do with the horror elements. There were a couple of sequences involving the Big Bad at the centre of the story (as there had to be), where he stalks and kills his victims, and they felt a little strong, a touch out of place. Overall though, this book is pretty much the berries (you'll get the reference when you read it (and you should read it)). But the ending. It goes on a bit.

After the climactic battle with the Big Bad (won't tell you who won!), there are a lot of pages left to go. Not many of these are spent wrapping up loose ends. The majority of this space is filled with placing some brand new threads, a whole bunch of them left dangling in a not so subtle manner which says 'There's another book coming and now you're going to have to read it'. I don't mind a book that has all its characters (however many survive) at the end and it is clear that there is a possibility of more adventures. I also don't mind if there's a larger arc make crystal clear from the beginning, then I know what I'm in for. But ending a story and suddenly sticking in a bunch (and I do mean a bunch) of conspiracies and mysteries that need solving? One a time, please. One at a time.

Everything seems to have sequels these days. It seems almost impossible to pick up a book and find it's a stand alone beast and not one of triplets (at the least). That's okay - unless it feels forced. Three stories stretched to breaking point, or one that is complete and whole and satisfying? That's a pretty easy choice.

Two Doors Down (the novel I've nearly nearly finished) seems to have a similar problem. The big climax is done with, and it's a pretty damned action-packed sequence if I do say so myself. There's a few things to wrap up afterwards, but my concern is that it's going to be a bit of a drag after all the fun of the finale. Usually, once I've had my blockbuster end sequence, I tend to wrap up the novel pretty quickly. I mean, I really don't like to hang around. When the story's done, it's done. No hanging about to see how the characters lives turn out after all the hoo-ha. This time, there are events that legitimately have to happen after the adrenaline sequence, there's no avoiding it, no changing stuff around because it simply wouldn't make sense any other way. I feel okay about myself in that way - the writer must always be true to the story, and most importantly true to the characters. All developments must come naturally. A reader will always sense any wrongness, and there's no worse cheat than a fudged ending.

However, things need to be tightened up in Two Doors Down. Remember the famous equation: Second draft = first draft -10%

Basically, fellow writers, rock up at the party, give it some groove, show your trick, then get out while they're still clapping.

I'm reading the sequel to The Diviners now. Honestly, I almost didn't bother because of that whole ending shenanigan - but again, I was struggling for anything else to read. (See how a drawn-out ending can potentially put your reader off coming back for seconds?) Amazingly, it's jam-packed with another one of my bugbears - dream sequences. Even more amazingly, despite all that, I'm still quite enjoying it. Miss Bray really is that good with character and place. (Note: I've read a fair bit more of the book since starting this blog, and I'm not really digging it, even with the focus on dream sequences. It's lost a bit of the party-atmosphere pizzazz of the first novel though.)

And hey, if you fancy checking out how I end a novel, click the pic at the bottom of this post, grab yourself a good horror read - and give me some grief if you don't like the way it all turns out. :)

Laters