How To Write A Great Resolution To Your Novel

The resolution of your novel is where all the threads of your story come together, providing a satisfying conclusion for your readers. Here are some key considerations to guide you:

1. Make Sure To Resolve the Quest!

Have you stuck to your story? The Quest which was set up in Act One is what needs to be resolved in Act Three. Ensure that the primary conflict or quest that has driven the narrative reaches a clear resolution. Whether it’s a huge battle, a lovers’ reunion, or a critical discovery, whether it’s a positive, negative or even neutral outcome, this moment should feel earned and appropriate.

2. Tie Up Loose Ends

Ensure all other plot lines and subplots have been resolved or at least do not remain noticeably unresolved. Your readers have followed your narrative journey; now they deserve answers. If there are any lingering questions or unresolved issues, sort them out now. Subplots should probably be concluded earlier in the main narrative but if for any reason are not (for example, a secondary character on their own arc returns now as part of a happy ending), they must be tied up. In some novels, ambiguity of outcome can absolutely work, but this must be intentionally part of the novel’s fabric. It should not feel like you just failed to tie up loose ends.

3. Character Arcs

Show how your characters – not just your central character – have grown or changed and the personal transformations they have undergone. Whether your protagonist has found love, gained knowledge, or battled evil, their victory is internal as well as external. Reflect on how the protagonist has evolved from the person they were just before the Inciting Incident. This transformation should feel natural, logical and earned.

4. Emotional Resonance

Evoke an emotional response in your readers, a deep satisfaction (even if the outcome is negative), reflecting the emotional stakes and themes: a sense of triumph and joy, of bittersweet acceptance of life’s complexities or philosophical melancholy in the face of failure.

5. Return to Stability

Bring your narrative back to a state of equilibrium, either in a new world or by returning to their original world. This doesn’t mean everything is wonderful, but there should be a sense of closure and stability. In the example of my own novel just given, the new stability had a sense of shock and despair, but nonetheless the story is over, and the central character must live with what he knows now about the truth.

6. Mirror the Beginning

Again, remember the Opening Image/Hook. Consider echoing it here. This technique can evoke the end of the protagonist’s journey and its completion of the changes it has brought since the beginning, when the Opening Image/Hook appeared. Revisit other foreshadowing or symbolic elements introduced earlier in the novel. You could do this quite literally: the final scene could mirror the opening scene, but with everything different now, or as the protagonist returns home. But it might just be a sense of thematic coherence and stylistic unity.

7. Avoid Over–Explaining

Trust your readers to infer the full meaning of your ending. Providing too much explanation can diminish impact. Don’t be afraid to leave some things implied or even ambiguous. But as stated above, this must feel intentional and the Quest must always resolve.

Checklist For Crafting The Quest Resolution

1. Does the resolution address the initial Quest introduced in Act One?

2. Have characters undergone meaningful growth, an arc of transformation through conflict?

3. How does the resolution evoke emotional responses from readers? Think about it now. How?

4. Does the resolution resonate with the overarching themes of the novel?

5. Can you use the Opening Image/Hook, or other foreshadowing, to enrich the meaning of the novel?

6. Are all loose ends tied up, or if not, can you offer a reason why?

This is an excerpt from How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Novel-Chapter-Outlining-ebook/dp/B0DJ8TMVWL?ref_=ast_author_mpb

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