In your opinion, what would be the best way to wrap up a series that would honor the readers' long-term investment in the story and the characters?
Need advice on how to wrap up a series
- Thread starter Joe Washington
- Start date
Give all your characters a happy ending!
That's a loaded question - without more details about the series, it's impossible to answer. I'd say don't give them the easy ending - make the characters earn their happy ending (if they get one). Treat your reader with respect - don't pull the rug out from under them at the end. Give them most of what they want... but then leave a little room for surprises, too.
Vague, I know. Like I said, without details it's not possible to answer adequately. Hope my ramblings help.
Jerriecan
Ideally, the idea is to make the ending flow with the overall storyline of the series.
By that, I mean--look at each of the characters. Look at the conflicts they've gone through--and the growth they've all experienced. An ideal finale--or more appropriately, final season--would at least bring some sort of closure for these characters.
If your series has an overarching plot--bring that plot to its logical, emotional conclusion.
In short...it must be a natural extension of your series--a resolution of the central conflicts, initiation and reward for the characters that have endured growth, and so on.
I would say that the best way to wrap up a series like this is to honor the readers' long-term investment in the story and the characters.
Honestly, you've given us nothing to go on. Treat the characters with respect, if there are loose ends, tie them up. Answer any questions that the readers have.
In addition to my OP, what would be the best type of closure for a series' end: complete closure in which every question is answered and every loose end is tied up or semi-closure in which some things are tied up while others are left hanging and up to the imagination of the audience?
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It would really depend on the characters and if you intended to use them again in any spin-offs. Without more to go on its hard to say.
But you could have the CO promoted to the admiralty or retiring to spend time with his/her/its family. The XO promoted up to Captain with a couple of other shipmates remaining behind to continue the adventure as some of the others go their own separate ways (the Engineer gets his/her/its dream job with the SCE, the Counsellor becomes attached to a new diplomatic mission to the Gamma Quadrant, etc).
Either that or have them go out in a blaze of glory saving existence as we know it. The epilogue would then be a touching memorial to the ship and her crew.
But you could have the CO promoted to the admiralty or retiring to spend time with his/her/its family. The XO promoted up to Captain with a couple of other shipmates remaining behind to continue the adventure as some of the others go their own separate ways (the Engineer gets his/her/its dream job with the SCE, the Counsellor becomes attached to a new diplomatic mission to the Gamma Quadrant, etc).
Either that or have them go out in a blaze of glory saving existence as we know it. The epilogue would then be a touching memorial to the ship and her crew.
The series in question can be any series. I just asking for the opinions of those who have wrote fanfic series.
Why not leave it on a cliffhangar? The characters are bloodied, angry as hell, and scared crap-less by a sudden ambush by (Cardassian-Romulan invasion? Rogue Klingons refusing to honor recent treaties? A new generation of Maquis sympathizers? Non-Federation / Terra Prime terrorists? Orion pirates testing the A.Q. Alliance defences/response times?)
You end the story on a low-but-not-entirely-impossible note such as most of your characters are all packed into escape pods and headed for the nearest planet or rescue vessel. Fade to black & "To Be Continued..."
You end the story on a low-but-not-entirely-impossible note such as most of your characters are all packed into escape pods and headed for the nearest planet or rescue vessel. Fade to black & "To Be Continued..."
^Well...then it's not really a wrap-up, then....
Look, I think the best ending for a Trek series ever...was "What You Leave Behind". Many of the characters move on with their lives...seeking new challenges. Many have complete closure. A few perhaps have a few loose ends tie up...and will go off to tie them.
Some stay...to face whatever adventures await them...but it won't be the same.
Look, I think the best ending for a Trek series ever...was "What You Leave Behind". Many of the characters move on with their lives...seeking new challenges. Many have complete closure. A few perhaps have a few loose ends tie up...and will go off to tie them.
Some stay...to face whatever adventures await them...but it won't be the same.
Right, and what those of who've "wrote' fanfic series are trying to tell you is that without specific ideas about the story you want to end we have no frakking idea how to tell you how to end it. The ending depends on knowing something about the beginning and the middle.
Regardless of what series, it would depend on the characters. Have they got any loose threads that would determine whether or not they remain in deep space? Did they always envision their lives being for the good of others, and therefore don't get to live happily ever after?
Every series would be different depending on who you are writing about, with each individual being treated as such with their own destiny in mind.
That's how I'd do it, once I planned on wrapping up a series.
In your opinion, what would be the best way to ask such a generalised question that is virtually impossible for others to answer?
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