Wrapping it up

I'm going through the last chapters of the work-in-progress, and once again, I'm reminded that every stage of writing a book has its own particular problems. That's something I tend to forget when I'm trying to find the best beginning (which, I have recently realized, is actually on page 5 of the current work-in-progress...sigh), or trying to navigate the best possible middle.

I try very hard to make sure I've got a satisfying ending. I want the readers to believe my couple is still going to be together five, ten, twenty years down the line.

I want to wrap up all the subplots in the best possible places.

I want the pacing of my book to gradually slow down and glide to "the end," for a nice, gentle farewell. I don't want a series of bumps, then a sudden jerk.

I don't want people thinking, "Hey, but what about...?" (Well, unless I have a sequel planned.)

And of course, I want the words to flow and the characters to be engaging, and the dialogue to work...all the usual things.

I've heard that the opening of the book sells that book, but it's the ending that sells the next one. I'm not sure that's a hundred per cent true, but it certainly inspires me to work just as hard on the end as I do on the beginning and middle.