Twelve Days of Writing

Day 12:  The End

So this is the last entry in my “Twelve Days of Writing” segment. Today, I want to talk about “The End” of a story. For a writer,  typing “The End” can create a wonderful, heady feeling. Completing a manuscript, seeing the tangible proof of your work–it’s amazing. And exhausting. And about a million other things.

Every time I think of “The End,” I think of Romancing the Stone. Do you remember the scene at the beginning of the movie–the one that shows Joan Wilder typing, crying, loving her novel, and, finally, saying, “God, that’s good!” as she stares at her story? Before I finished my first manuscript, I thought that was the way I’d feel when I finished my novel.

But I was so very wrong.

I type fast, the images flow like a movie for me–yeah, I’m with old Joan on that. But I don’t think I have ever cried while I was writing a story (some authors do, I know this for a fact). And, while I do love my stories, I don’t think I’ve ever, ever said, “God, that’s good!”  Because…I doubt. Right after I finish a story, I wonder if it’s good enough. I wonder if anyone else will like it. I wonder if I took too many risks. If I didn’t take enough. Oh, yes, I doubt.

I think all writers doubt. I view doubt as pretty healthy, actually. I think it keeps me on my toes. I believe doubt makes me want to learn more, and to always try and write better.

So, for me, “The End” isn’t a huge, emotional scene. It’s quiet. It’s more of a soft sigh of relief, a brief breath of worry, and, then, finally, a smile because…I finished the story!

Okay, writers…what does “The End” feel like for you?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 7:09 pm and is filed under Romance. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.