Guide: How to Write 02
Question(s):
How can you create a satisfying ending?
Well, haha, I've personally never finished my own chapter stories (at least the published ones), but I can tell you with a certainty what I like to see!
Of course, it's always good to have a variety of different endings, otherwise every story would just be the same. It also depends on the writer and their style. For me, I love endings that don't really end. The writer leaves you to speculate and then writes an epilogue set a few years into the future. I also do like concrete endings, but again, it depends on the style of the writer.
What you don't want to do is end very suddenly. The reader should know that it's coming to a close before the story actually ends. For example, the initial conflict is finally resolved. You (obviously) can't create a satisfying ending by not resolving the conflict. And, just to make this very clear, you can't create a satisfying ending by not having a conflict at all. I'm not sure if you've read any stories without conflicts, but I have. Funnily enough, I never got to the ending…
Moving on, endings are kind of like tying up a package. Inside are the stuff from the beginning and middle. It's only natural that you use elements from the beginning and middle to be in your ending, yes? I like to think that everything that is written in a story pertains to something later on. It also helps to think that all of your writing should be moving forward, converging on that one point that is the ending.
Hopefully, that was helpful! Now for the characters.
Characters (Part One)
Alex
We've all seen it. Secret spilling Alex. Bipolar Alex. Too-broken Alex. Too-little-broken Alex.
Not all of these are bad, but sometimes people are too focused on showing up those bratty Brookland kids. They want to knock down those high and mighty SAS soldiers. They want to show Alex is better, stronger, and has been through more than them.
Think for a moment. First, think about the actual Alex Rider novels. When Alex comes back from his first mission, does he go around the school, blabbing that he has just been sent on a mission and has just saved the world? No. He doesn't even tell Tom until he needs his help.
Let's just put it bluntly. It doesn't make sense.
We've all seen the clichéd auditorium scene where armed men burst in and wildly demand for Alex. I'm guilty of this too, but I like to think that my Alex didn't give in quite easily.
I've seen it many times. The captor demands that Alex spill all his secrets, and Alex decides to just play along. He explains in detail every one of his missions, conflicted on the inside as he watches his classmates' reactions.
No. Just no.
If you want to write a clichéd scene such as this, Alex would put up a good fight. He would lie and fib. He probably wouldn't give in, even if the captor decides to beat him up.
On the other hand… Alex is a hero. He might not think he is, but look at the books. He might have been blackmailed into working for MI6, but he was doing it to protect Jack. Similarly, Alex would reluctantly spill his secrets to protect someone else. Note the word 'reluctantly'. He wouldn't elaborate in the details. Those missions were painful, dreadful, and terrifying for him. It's amazing he didn't have severe PTSD by the end of the books.
This brings me to the "too-broken" Alex and the "too-little-broken" Alex. It's extremely hard to capture the exact combination that he is, and there really is no right combination. I continuously struggle with this, and it's okay if you do too.
A "too-broken" Alex isn't necessarily a bad thing. You just have to know how to build him up so that he's not a broken shell in the entire story.
This Alex does make sense. Regularly facing death isn't a healthy occupation and is bound to leave psychological scars on a fourteen or fifteen year old.
Just remember, Alex is a teenager. Unless you're writing him as a twenty to fifty year old, he is still maturing and growing.
Of course, there are always exceptions based on your level of writing. In general, just think to yourself, "If I were fifteen and if I were Alex, what would I do?". This method doesn't always work for everyone, but this is what I do and it seems to work out pretty well. But remember: you aren't thinking as yourself, you're thinking as Alex.
Now on the complete flip-side of that, we come to a "too-little-broken" Alex. I use this kind of Alex in my one-shots, but mainly because the one-shots are meant for humor and for fun. However, in this guide, I'll be focusing on chapter stories that are meant to be more serious.
Again, coming back to the psychological aspect of a person (and in this case a character), do you think Alex would be naive to his surroundings or paranoid that there's someone hunting him down? Would he be a bundle of laughs and jokes or would he scrutinize everyone with suspicion?
Mixing the "too-little-broken" and "too-broken" Alex, some writers get a perfect combination and some don't. I'm here to help those who don't.
Usually, the thing that puts me off is something like the again clichéd cafeteria scene. Someone grabs Alex's arm, and he completely flips shit. Next thing you know, the SAS soldiers are scared of him (which honestly makes no sense), the Brookland kids are terrified, and Alex is smugly walking away.
First of all, if you decide to write this, you better drop subtle hints that Alex is suffering from severe PTSD. If you don't, all we see is Alex going crazy. It seems like he's been deprived of human contact for way too long. Unless he has, you probably shouldn't write him flipping out like that.
Secondly, Alex is a spy. He may seem like the best, but if you're sticking around the age zone of fourteen to sixteen, you have to keep in mind that Alex was trained briefly. Sure, his uncle did raise him to be a spy all his life, but Ian didn't go, "hey, Alex. This is what you do when someone you don't know grabs you!"
Maybe Alex reacts by jumping. Maybe he doesn't react at all. Either way, Alex doesn't seem like the kind of guy to react so violently.
If you're writing Alex as seventeen years old or older, this guy is more experienced, especially if MI6 trained him up. This Alex would definitely not react to being surprised. He may even know that someone is about to grab him. What he would not do is flip shit.
I don't know about you, but I'm not a spy. Maybe some of you are, and you're laughing at how naive we all are. No matter, spies everywhere would probably agree that one important aspect of their job is to blend in. If you walked down a street, crossing paths with many people, you wouldn't be able to tell which one is the spy.
Alex is a spy. Spies adapt to their environment. Therefore, Alex adapts to his environment.
Alex adapts to his environment. Adapting to your environment means being inconspicuous. Therefore, Alex is inconspicuous. Alex does not flip shit.
Again, there are exceptions, but generally speaking, see above statement.
Now, a few of you may be thinking, "this is a story! I can do whatever I want!". That is quite true, and you are free to do what you want, but my tips come from what I look for in a good story. I find it easier to read a story with a well developed character than a story with sporadic characters.
Lastly, we'll cover the "Mary-Sue/Marty-Stu" Alex. For those who don't know what a Mary-Sue is, I'll elaborate (with a very bitter tone because I hate them). Mary Sue is perfect, beautiful, and powerful. She's everything we want to be. She's better than any other character in the story and is ultimately better than you. Marty Stu is the male version of Mary Sue. These characters should be used in crack fics.
Hem, I won't lie. I love to see Alex killing the bad guys with ease. Unfortunately, this does not help in building up a good story.
Remember the five parts of a story? Remember the rising action? Remember how I said it was the most important part of a story? Well, "Marty-Stu" Alex can't build up to the climax.
A story is made up of conflicts upon conflicts. How are you going to write a story if Alex can easily solve each conflict with a flick of his finger? The answer? You can't.
This is the one tip that I would say is law. You guys should know this since you all are readers and writers like me, but for those who are new, Mary-Sue and Marty-Stu are a big no-no. Hate them with a passion. They are the cause for headaches, hair-ripping, and brain-boiling.
As you can tell, I hate them. I kill them in my mind.
Anyway, that's it for Alex. Leave some of your thoughts in the reviews, including why you agree or disagree with me. If you notice that I didn't cover some things that you'd like to know, also include that. Questions and suggestions are welcome.
Up next, more characters!
-Alice (for behind the scenes, follow me on twitter at dalekchung)