My WIP (work-in-progress for those of you non-writer folks) is printed out and sitting next to my computer, still missing an ending. I was working through possible endings when my sister Joyce died. Obviously, my attention has been on matters far more important than a fictional story, so I've been drained of story-focus and energy.
This hiatus from writing will be good in the long run, I'm certain, because I'll probably be able to see the story with fresh eyes. Hopefully an ending will be obvious to me- but my biggest fear is that I'll write an ending that's too obvious to the reader. Nothing bugs me more as a reader than investing all that time in a book and figuring out the ending halfway through.
I recently read a book called When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. It was a decent read until the ending- which totally surprised me - which made the book unforgettable. I love the sense of satisfaction that comes from an ending that ties up loose ends, isn't hokey, and somehow combines being unexpected and inevitable at the same time.
Just like life.
Gosh, I hope I can do that as a writer.
