Assembling Endings

Every narrative, every story has a beginning, middle and end. Through the author's artistic vision for the piece the reader experiences scripted emotions, perceptions and thoughts as the writer intends but there limitations.

A recent story that has brought into question series endings as well as artistic vision has been the whole Bioware/Mass Effect 3 ending that has managed to go from an industry specific topic to national news and even spurred Forbes to begin analyzing the industry. This is really interesting because it is an argument of artistic expression versus respect for the property for fans.

More on artistic vision next time but for right now we'll focus on the concept of the ending.

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The entertainment industry is no stranger to 'bad endings' in movies, tv and writing. Every person can recall a multitude of narratives that failed due to the writer's choice in crafting the ending.

Examining the concept as a whole there are many stories that can succumb to 'bad endings' but are these part of artistic vision or are these elements subject to change? Regardless of whether it's artistic license or something that is open for debate, there are certain elements that need to be considered.

When an author chooses to convey their vision to others they need to consider the threads of each piece and how they flow.

Each element that is introduced in a narrative be it a character, a detail or an event these become elements, threads, of the story that continue forward throughout the piece. The viewer has a unique perception of the story and while the writer can attempt to foresee what those perceptions will be, it is important to note that the audience may focus on elements that may be insignificant to the writer.

Ex. If the writer introduces an engraved handgun that was given to the main character by a brother in the first couple of chapters, the readers will expect it to come into the story as some point before the close. This may be a detail to the author to create a sense of heritage but to the audience it is unconsciously an element that will play a role. This may come as another detail, it may come as the use of the weapon but there will be an aspect of this 'thread' that will return with implications.

Most 'bad endings' are not a result of leaving too many threads loose but frequently the result of Deus Ex Machina or breaking off the threads rather than tying them off.

Deus Ex Machina literally means - "God Out of the Machine." In short this means where the writer creates a perfect solution to the problems that arise in the story. This perfect solution is generally an unexpected abrupt event, character, ability or object that appears out of nowhere.

In some instances Deus Ex does have it's place for writers but for the audience these instances still feel contrived and cheap.

Breaking off threads usually incorporates Deus Ex for the threads or simply creating ways of eliminating the threads without a sense of closure. A number of series rely on this method when the writer wishes to make radical changes to a series. The writer desires to change the car the main character drives? The writer creates a radical scenario where the old car is eliminated and a new one needs to replaces it.

While this may be an applicable means to make changes in a story or series the primary key to using it effectively is in the pacing. If the threads are broken too quickly it will will appear out of place and once more it will cheapen the experience from the audience's perspective.

The final option for a writer to assemble the ending of a piece is for the writer to actually leave some of the threads untied. This is a common practice for writers to leave openings for sequels or other story opportunities.

This approach is used the most frequently to great effect providing the appropriate threads are tied in the conclusion.

Crafting a narrative is a delicate balancing act. The beginning is constructed in such a fashion to hook an audience and introduce all of the threads but the conclusion is the final moments of the piece. The last thoughts the audience will have of the work and the parting impression that will stay with them. If the conclusion doesn't strike the right chords, tie off the right loose ends in an appropriate fashion, the audience will perceive the entire work with that connotation just like the Mass Effect series.
 

Intriguing Adaptations

In any creative composition that desires to convey a narrative, the piece strives to emulate life. Through the emulation it is possible for others to connect with the work.

Individuals that perceive the composition can empathize with others in familiar situations, they can recognize individuals and even understand how narrative thoughts could come together because it is familiar. Establishing relatable elements expands the scope of the piece, changes it into something personal, something that can convey a concept into the very thought process of others.

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Selecting and manipulating elements to make a composition relatable is only one part of a larger challenge, making the piece interesting to an external perspective. Individuals have their own perceptions, preconceived notions that filter any composition.

While establishing the connection with the piece creates a given level of interest, it does not guarantee that the piece will have enough innate interest to keep the viewer engaged.

The most fundamental element of any narrative that grabs an individual's attention and keeps it is adaptation.


Every narrative, every piece is driven by the fundamental concept of human adaptation, individual adaptability. People are naturally drawn to stories because of the innate fascination with observing how other people adapt to situations. Regardless of whether it's how someone would adapt to the death of a loved one, the stress of saving lives, catching a murderer, caring for a child or even switching careers the interest is piqued.

Since most people are unable to experience all the possibilities of human adaptability they are innately drawn to experience these adaptations through others. It doesn't matter if it's called coping, overcoming something or character growth, it is human adaptation and we are always interested. Mixing relatable elements into the piece only assists in emphasizing our interest in that adaptation.

Intriguing Observations: Your Book’s Palette – Using Color in Your Fiction

The Intriguing Observations series was created to gather some of the greatest supporters and bloggers to provide their own insight on all things creative both in their ventures and their techniques. This week on the guest series is another all-star supporter and an outstanding wordsmith Samantha Hunter.

Learning to sew and decorating a home has taught me a lot about using color. It was inevitable that this would find its way into my writing. When I learned to quilt, I had to learn a lot about color combinations, tones and patterns. In painting (and repainting) the rooms in our house I’ve learned a lot about using color as well. For instance, how to use color with certain kinds of light, how colors will make a room seem larger or smaller, welcoming or not, and how to create a flow of color from one room to the next. In sewing, you can make a subtle color pop in a quilt by placing it next to something that contrasts, and the difference between striking and gaudy is usually the placement of colors next to each other.

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As we all know, color affects mood – green and blue are soothing, orange can stimulate appetite, and yellow can inspire happiness. Brown is earthy, white is cold. Color also has historic can cultural meaning – the main rooms in my home are painted to reflect earthy, Craftsman color palettes popular in the early 1900s. Or, if you like red, you know in the US red usually suggests “danger” while in China it’s the color of wedding dresses for good luck! (White, in China, symbolizes death).

Some colors work together and  some do not. It’s best whenever you are using color to use tones and shades that complement and work together somehow. Here are some good links to read up on using color:

http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/how-to-choose-a-color-scheme/index.html

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/08/color-theory-for-designer-part-3-creating-your-own-color-palettes/

You can do a lot with color and get as deeply into it as you would like in your book, but a consistent or interesting color scheme for your book can enhance your story, as well as tell us something about the characters, scenes and moods, which in turn affect the reader’s emotions and responses.

Does your heroine wear a red coat or a blue one? Why? What does this all say about her? If you describe them as living in an old farmhouse, or a log cabin, or an adobe ranch, you want to have a color palette that’s amenable to those living spaces as well as addressing your character’s choices. If you are decorating your character’s apartment, and she is a historian, what period of history does she favor and how would that be reflected in her dress or room colors? Or, if she really has a hidden desire or hates her job as a historian, maybe it shows up in the colors she chooses for her personal space in contrast to her office.

One of my favorite things to do with color is to use it to show how the characters and the story are also changing. For instance, in one of my earlier books, Fascination, my heroine wears only black and white at the start of the story – this reflects the issues at that point in the book, being trapped in extremes. But by the end, she is wearing multi-colored, flowered dresses – her world has opened up; she’s free. Even this simple use of color can have a subtle effect on the reader and how readers perceive the story.

Another example might be in the weather, the colors in the environment that you show through the protagonist’s POV and how that changes depending on their situation or mood. Or, how it can change in  the moment when someone caged by beige walls suddenly sees them as the frame for a beautiful view of the blue sky out the window – this could represent a life-changing moment for a character, a change in their perception of their world.

You can go back through scenes and consider how color makes a difference – or how it could make a difference. How does the gold wall look in different lighting, and how does that convey a certain mood? Consider everything from the color of the walls and clothing for your characters to the color of their car, etc. You can send messages to the reader through this use of conscious color choice, and make your story deeper in a very easy, fun way.

Sam Hunter lives in Syracuse New York with her husband and several pets. Since January 2004 when she sold her first book to Harlequin Blaze, Virtually Perfect, she has gone on to publish several more with new releases on the way. Sam holds two Master's degrees and was a university instructor for many years before quitting to live the writing life, is a confirmed TV addict and enjoys gardening, sewing, and travel.

Website: www.samanthahunter.com
Twitter: Follow @SamanthaHunter

Current books: Harlequin Blaze, Straight to the Heart; Indie Mystery: Once Burned, Book Two in the Sophie Turner Mystery series.

Establishing Style

Each and every composition is born of a unique idea that the creator desires to convey through their work. The idea, concept and overall composition may be unique; however conveying the distinctiveness of the piece can be one of the more difficult prospects.

Out of the more than 300,000 books published in the US each year, the difference between one composition and another can be as little as character names despite the unique idea that the creator originally had.

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The audience is often drawn to similar works and when one composition is difficult to distinguish from another on premise alone, the unique idea needs a strong means of conveying that distinctiveness. Adjusting tone, setting and specific details can take a composition from similar average work to something iconic.

Examining some of the most iconic media compositions, Burn Notice, MacGyver, Supernatural, X Files, Twin Peaks, The Matrix, TrueBlood, GhostBusters, The Shining, even James Bond it is apparent that each of these compositions established their distinctiveness through tone, setting and the manipulation of character details.

Adjusting the tone of the entire piece not only changes how characters perceive others and elements in the composition but it affects how the piece is perceived through the narrator and ultimately the audience's own perceptions. Changing the setting to something unique or even changing how the setting is perceived can establish a unique aspect that shifts the composition to something iconic. One of the most powerful means of establishing a composition's uniqueness can be through the details of the piece. Does the main characters wear expensive suits? Drive a classic car? Have an obsession with coffee?

When there are millions of different narrative compositions and the audience has a preference for things that are uniquely distinct but remarkably similar to what they are comfortable with, the struggle to be distinct becomes synonymous with Style. Even when the theme or concept is familiar establishing the uniqueness becomes a drive for the distinct style of the work.