Clayton Blue's picture
Clayton Blue from Arizona is reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides December 19, 2011 - 3:13am

Commercials for DVD's with six or more alternate endings got me thinking. Can a story really have more than one ending? I don't mean hidden endings or twists. I mean when taking in account a psychological profile of your characters and their situations, and the symbolism of the story, there should really only be one true ending. Even if that ending involves chaos, the story must have led to it. I've taken this idea to action by not considering any movie with more than one ending on the DVD.. But more to heart, when writing, I come across the doubt of whether or not my story adds up when I come across multiple available endings for my story. So I back track and try to tighten up the symbols and themes. As a new writer, I guess I am asking if this is actually hindering my writing process.

Also... Alternate Ending attachments for e-books??????? hahaha

CB

David Shepherd's picture
David Shepherd from shepherdsville, KY is reading Idoru by William Gibbson December 19, 2011 - 5:56am

I guess if you truly feel the need to write the endings and you just know that there has to be more than one it would be ok but personally I would never do it. You have to let the story end it's self and if it has chosen it's ending already than forcing another on it is a bad idea, especially if you only do it to reach a wider audience. When writing a book the story usually just gets away from you and it becomes less and less like you're actually writing, once it writes it's ending that's it. That is what the story needed and it knows better than any of us how to end itself. If youve never had this feeling before you probably think this sounds crazy but trust me writing rarely leaves you in control of the actual story and as a writer you have to learn not to buck against it, just gently help it along.

Fylh's picture
Fylh from from from is reading is from is reading is reading is reading reading is reading December 19, 2011 - 9:12am

I like the idea of an assemble-it-yourself story in ebook form. Like you get the first chapter free, and then you buy the ebook based on which element of the opening chapter you wish to follow: Does he pay the ransom, or does he go out to find the kidnappers? Do we follow the killer, or the detective?

Fylh's picture
Fylh from from from is reading is from is reading is reading is reading reading is reading December 19, 2011 - 9:13am

Double posts are stupid, but I double-posted, so I'm going to edit this one with with a smiley:

:)

There.

postpomo's picture
postpomo from Canada is reading words words words December 19, 2011 - 9:56am

Didn't the movie Clue have three different endings - and the one you saw depended on the theatre you went to.

Alternate endings can be done well, but I don't think it's an easy task (maybe in a work of metafiction, it has more of a place). At Swim-Two-Birds has three beginnings.

I imagine if you know how each story/character arc resolves itself, then the decision is in part which one to highlight, and how to present it to the reader. If you are unsure of the events themselves, then that's a different task altogether. Is your decision regarding what to present, or which events to unfold?

My struggle is with the middles.

Clayton Blue's picture
Clayton Blue from Arizona is reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides December 20, 2011 - 7:58am

I guess my question was really if tightening up your story with full psychological profiles and flodded with symbols and metaphors made the characters and the plot too distant, or when taken fully would just become a sort of code the reader has to break. Which I thought might cause the reader to lose touch, or distance themselves from the story. Although I totally agree with the idea that the story writes itself and that usually one ending is fitting, I'm afraid the method might eventually make the story predictable or over heads.

postpomo's picture
postpomo from Canada is reading words words words December 20, 2011 - 8:08am

I just read John Gardner's "The Art of Fiction" where he addresses this - unfortunately, as with most of his points, he advises what to avoid, and also mentions that it can be pulled off effectively.

Finish writing the ending that YOU feel fits most aptly, get someone reliable to take a look, and see what kind of feedback you get for it. or Explore all those endings - I think these are steps in developing your writing process, and not hindering it. If your story provides the potential for six different endings then the captivated reader will see it through to which one ties it up all together.

Even with the carefully constructed story with one appropriate ending, there are countless ways of presenting it.

misskokamon's picture
misskokamon from San Francisco is reading The Moonlit Mind December 29, 2011 - 3:25pm

I know this thread is sort of old, but I've been away thinking about life and what it takes to make a tastier cup of coffee. 

I thought this was an interesting thread because the idea of multiple endings has ocurred to me, though I don't know how to implement it. A friend and I wrote a spooky story, but had a few ideas for an ending. We did eventually settle on a true ending, but we got to thinking: why not have use those different endings, too?

At the time, we were thinking about turning it into a graphic novel. We're both artists, and if the story was seperated into four short segments, that fourth comic could easily have two or three versions. As a novella, however, the idea doesn't make it.

In the end, I figure the best thing to do is offer alternate endings and deleted scenes on a website or something.