Fiction Endings: Should You Leave an Open Ending?

A writer-client recently sent in a manuscript which left what he called an "open" ending, meaning no end or conclusion at all. He had some great rationalizations for this approach and, yes, there are critically-acclaimed books that leave readers needing to decide, for themselves, how the story really ends. But does that mean publishers like this approach? Or that readers enjoy them? Not necessarily.

Sometimes an established author can pull off an end-less book, mostly because they already have a readership willing to buy their book. But for newer writers, consider the value of the conclusion to any book. This pertains to both fiction and memoirs.

WRITING FICTION: In fiction, one of the prime reasons reader spend their precious few spare hours reading is to enjoy a sense of completion in something in their life. Let's face it: too much of our lives are already without ends, incomplete, and tediously endless. In fiction they SEEK something that gives them an "Ahhh" satisfaction on that final page.

WRITING MEMOIRS: As for memoirs, I fully understand the desire to not "finalize" your life's story. Life doesn't fit neat niches anyway and there can be seemingly too much to summarize, or to admit to, or to bask in. I agree that the last thing you or the reader wants is a sense of apology or rationalization of your life. Gosh, if regrets were food we'd all be fat as hogs! An ending, however, doesn't have to be "I now realize this and that and my purpose in life is this." A better and more truthful and touching (to readers) ending is to admit that you DON'T understand all the bits and pieces but that you do see the pattern or fabric that these threads of experiences have created. Then look for a single sentence somewhere in the manuscript that serves as a rounding out of the story as a whole and consider making that part of the final statement.

THE AUTHOR'S PROMISE: Allowing readers to form their own conclusion, whether in fiction or memoir, is kind of an excuse (oops, sorry about such blatant honesty) for not fulfilling an important part of the pact an author enters into with the reader: When readers start any book, they agree to read to the end -- and you agree to give them one. And, yes, they will STILL draw their own conclusion, no matter what you end with. But at least you will have fulfilled your part of the bargain.

In conclusion (yes, articles, too, benefit from conclusions!), writing is about communicating an idea. And without a conclusion of some sort, the idea remains incomplete, no more than a dangling bunch of words that float off, leaving the audience dissatisfied.