JPC Allen Writes

Welcome to my writing pages!  The main focus of this website is to offer writing tips, prompts, and inspiration to writers, no matter what their genre or skill level. You’ll also find information on my published works and the ones in progress. My schedule for posting is:

Monday Sparks: Writing prompts to fan your creative flame.

Thursdays – Writing tips based on a monthly theme

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Write the Last Lines of a Less Than Happy Ending

Most readers prefer happy endings. I do. But I don’t mind less than happy endings or sad ones if the story earns those endings. The sad or tragic endings that readers object to are the ones that feel like the writer sat down to her computer and said, “I’ve had happy endings for my last three books. This one, everybody dies.” Those are the endings that feel forced, that don’t feel like the tragic events follow naturally through the story. So my writing prompt today is to write the last lines of a less than happy ending based on this character.

Her expression arrested my attention when I discovered this photo four years ago because it can be interpreted in so many ways. Here’s what I wrote four years ago for a less than happy ending.

*****

Amy, Rachel, and I descended the steps of the police station. I zipped my coat as a sudden gust tore down the street.

“It’s all over,” Rachel sighed.

At the bottom step, I said to Amy, “I’m glad I had the chance to help you, no matter what happened, to prove how sorry I am.”

Amy had been gazing down the street as fat flakes collected on her hair. Now her head swiveled to me, and I knew that stare. I’d seen it since we were kids.

“What makes you think you’ve proven anything?” she said in that ice-cold tone that sunk into me better than fangs.

“He nearly died saving you,” Rachel shouted. “If that doesn’t prove it, nothing will.” She blinked. “That’s the truth, isn’t it? Jake can’t reconcile with you because you won’t let him. Not because he doesn’t want to.”

That was the truth. All these years, I had thought I hadn’t tried hard enough to make up for the way I treated Amy, and it really came down to Amy didn’t want to forgive me. She liked wielding the power of unforgiveness.

I drug in a deep breath of frigid air, shoving my hands deep in the pockets of my coat. “If you ever want to act like a real sister, Amy, I’ll be ready.” I headed down the sidewalk, Rachel falling in step beside me.

“You were never a real brother to me.” Amy’s quiet voice sliced through the snowflakes.

I stopped. “Not when we were kids. But I am now.” 

“You got that right,” said Rachel, giving me a tired smile.

We turned the corner at the end of the block, and I didn’t look back.

*****

Let me know how you would use this character in a less than happy ending.

Here are more writing prompts for endings.

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How to Write Your Novel Resolution Right

How to write a great ending for a novel

Denouement or wrap-up is another critical component of the ending to any novel. These are the scenes following the climax, in which you resolve all the remaining loose ends of the plot. Below are my tips on how to write your novel resolution right.

Why is the denouement so critical?

This resolution part of your novel is another reward for your readers. The intensity of the climax and how well you pull it off is the first one. Once readers have enjoyed that, they get the extra treat of sitting back and enjoying how you resolve the other plot points that have contributed to the novel.

Pacing is the key element of the resolution

You don’t want a resolution that’s too fast or too slow. If you resolve the loose ends too quickly, readers will close the book dissatisfied because they didn’t get enough time to enjoy saying good-bye to the characters and the story. If you’re too slow, your resolution will come across like a houseguest who won’t take hints from the host that it’s time to leave.

How to write the correct pacing for the resolution

First, reread your manuscript and make sure you’ve caught all the plot points and loose ends of your novel.

Second vary how you tie up your loose ends. Since I write mysteries, readers expect a detailed resolution of all the plot points. So I tie up those points in various ways. A few I resolve before the climax, if it doesn’t hurt the intensity of it. For example, my amateur sleuth discovers one of the suspects has an iron-clad alibi before the climax, taking that character out of contention as the culprit. After the climax, I decide how much page space I should devote to a loose end depending on its importance. For example, if my teen sleuth and her dad have been at odds throughout the whole novel, then the resolution of their conflict should have a lot of space. But if the loose end is who moved the murder weapon after the murder, and it turns out the maid did because she did’t realize it was the the murder weapon at the time, then that resolution only needs a brief conversation.

Third, have someone who enjoys reading and understands your genre read your manuscript. I guarantee you will have overlooked at least one minor point that needs wrapped up. An author is so familiar with her manuscript that it’s easy to miss a loose end.

Fourth, you should also ask this reader about the pacing. If he or she feels the resolution is rushed or dragging, review your resolution to discover if you can add depth or tighten your writing.

What novels have you read which have a perfectly paced resolution?

Just wanted to let you know there won’t be a tip next week but I’ll be back two weeks from today.

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Write the Last Lines for this Scene

How to write endings for novels

My writing prompt for today is imagining this scene as the last one in a novel. You pick the genre and then write the last lines for this scene in the comments.

My genre is thriller.

*****

Only three days after Ferrick was finally caught, and we’re back on the same corner, watching people go by–probably the same people my brother and I watched two weeks ago.

I glance at Eric.

He gives me a nod with a faint smile, and I nod back.

Right now, no place we’d rather be.

No.

Right now, no one we’d rather be with.

*****

Here are more writing prompts about endings for a story.

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The Winning Formula for Writing a Killer Novel Climax

Writing a great climax for your novel

Before I get into the winning formula for writing a killer novel climax, let’s review the three aspects all endings should contain.

  • Climax: the most intense part of your novel
  • Denouement or Wrap-up: the section after your climax in which you resolve loose ends of your plot. In a mystery, this is where the detective explains how he unmasked the culprit and resolves red herrings.
  • Final scene and/or lines: the last scene and lines you want to stick with your readers as they close the book.

If any of these components are missing from an ending, or mishandled, the ending won’t be satisfying. Today, let’s examined the winning formula for the climax.

The formula every climax should follow.

Your climax must contain the following elements:

The protagonist. The protagonist of your novel must be the central figure of the climax. It can’t happen without him or her.

The antagonist. The climax also can’t happen without the antagonist. He or she has been the main obstacle to the protagonist achieving his goal. So the antagonist must be present at the climax as readers find out if and how the protagonist deals with the antagonist to reach his goal.

The theme. If your novel has a theme, then the outcome of the climax should resonate with it.

The genre. The climax must fit with the expectations of the genre you’re writing. If you write a rom-com, and the hero and heroine don’t end up as a happy couple, readers will not enjoy the climax.

So the formula is: Genre + (Antagonist x Protagonist x Theme) = Climax. This is the basic outline for a satisfying climax. But there are several more components to keep in mind.

Don’t forget these tips for a climax.

The climax is the most intense part of your novel. Your protagonist is at her greatest risk of failure in the climax. If you have any scene earlier in the novel, where the risk is greater, you either have to make the earlier scene less intense or the climax more intense. A climax that isn’t the most intense part of your novel will definitely disappoint readers.

Give your climax plenty of page time. The climax is the pay off for readers following your novel this far. So take the time make it memorable and meaningful. A rushed climax is dissatisfying, like your host handing you a dessert at the end of dinner, only to snatch it back after you’ve taken a couple of bites.

Don’t introduce new characters. The climax should be the culmination of the character arcs and the central plot. Throwing in a new character will feel like a cheat. You can reveal something new about the antagonist or protagonist, but you will have to have laid hints throughout the novel, so that the sudden revelation feels earned.

What novels do you think have killer climaxes?

Here are more posts on writing endings.

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Best Last Lines from Stories

Books with the best endings

Readers often talk about favorite opening lines, but what about best last lines from stories? Of course it’s often hard to share a favorite last line because it may give away the ending. Since this month on JPC Allen Writes I’m discussing endings, here are a few of my favorite last lines.

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

This short story is one of the best ever written from the opening to the final lines. Rainsford has survived being hunted by mad General Zaroff on his private Carribean island by faking his death. He sneaks back into the general’s mansion and surprises him.

*****

The general sucked in his breath and smiled. “I congratulate you,” he said. “You have won the game.”

Rainsford did not smile.”I am still a beast at bay,” he said, in a low, hoarse voice. “Get ready, General Zaroff.”

The general made one of his deepest bows. “I see,” he said. “Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in his very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford …”

He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.

*****

Murder in Three Acts by Agatha Christie

Master detective Hercule Poirot unmasks a tripe murderer and explains that the first murder was merely a rehearsal for the second one. The killer didn’t care who got the poisoned cocktail. He just wanted to test the method he’d worked out for the man he needed to kill.

After the killer is taken away, it takes a few moments for his scheme to fully hit Mr. Satterwhite, who has accompanied Poirot in his investigation like a Watson.

*****

Satterthwaite said slowly: “I could have drunk that cocktail…”


Poirot answered gravely: “There was an even more terrible possibility… It might have been me.”

*****

That quote sums up Poirot so well, a detective whose ego is only surpassed by his brain.

Black Orchids by Rex Stout

This book contains two novellas featuring the eccentric private detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. The first, “Black Orchids”, relates how Wolfe acquires the unique flower during the course of an investigation. The second, “Cordially Invited to Meet Death”, has two mysteries. The main one concerns solving the murder of a client. The other is why Wolfe sent eight blooms from the rare black orchid plant to the funeral with the card “N.W.” He hadn’t told Archie was sending anything, and it’s completely out of character for the egocentric Wolfe.

After the murder is solved, Archie is still wondering about the orchids at the funeral. He has a few theories–Wolfe sent them to pester Archie because he knew Archie would go to the funeral and notice the flowers. Wolfe had a past with the client that Archie knows nothing about. Wolfe was paying a debt because he suspected the client was in danger and bungled it. Archie thinks the last theory is the most likely.

*****

But Archie writes:

But it’s still a mystery, and when he [Wolfe] catches me looking at him a certain way he knows darned well what’s on my mind.

*****

You don’t have to quote the last lines and possibly ruin the story, but what stories or novels do you think have the best last lines?

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