Tips on How to Connect the Middle of Your Fiction Novel with the Ending

Fiction novelists love to work on impulse, allowing one moment to guide them to the next in their work. Unfortunately, such a wonderfully creative method can lead to difficulty when it comes time to creating a series of resolutions in the novel. If you, like many writers, find yourself at the end of your rope when the time comes to draft those final chapters, consider the following tips on how to connect the middle of your fiction novel with the ending.

Tip #1: List all "loose ends" in the piece. Take a break from your writing for a moment and go back through your manuscript, listing all details that still remain open for the reader. Create a list of what must be addressed in the final chapters of your novel for the sake of cohesion.

Tip #2: Create a new outline only for your novel's ending. When an author sits down to create a preliminary outline for a novel, rarely does he/she fully grasp where the story will take them. As such, the original outline may no longer work for the current manuscript. Once all loose ends have been listed, create a new outline defining where you believe the story is now designed to go. Worry about how to get there only after completing the following steps.

Tip #3: Determine two possible outcomes for your novel. Connecting the middle of your fiction novel with the ending successfully means keeping the reader engaged until the final page. At no point should readers be able to completely predict the outcome, lest they should put the book down permanently with no reason to continue any further. For that reason, at least two possible endings should be apparent in the final chapters of the middle section of your novel. Ideally, one outcome would be positive and the other negative. Add a new scene or problem that will keep the reader guessing, and intrigued, before beginning work on the novel's ending.

Tip #4: Create a moment where all hope is lost. Whether the hero's love interest seems to have fallen for his enemy or the necessary funds for the critical surgery are stolen at the last second, there must come a point when the reader believes the story is turning toward the negative possible outcome. As such, the reader is prodded to continue reading for further investigation and closure. (On the other hand, if you intend for your story to have a negative ending, consider creating a false sense of security for the reader very briefly.)

Tip #5: Bring up the past. Chances are, there is at least one factor from your novel's earlier pages that can help bring closure to the story. Rather than simply finding a resolution for each and every loose end, you may be able to select one or two that actually add to the ending of the novel as a whole.

Tip #6: Leave room in the middle of your fiction novel for the "unexpected but understandable." All too often, fiction novelists find themselves desperately reaching out for an ending to their stories by grasping at unattainable scenes and additions. In other words, they do not develop their stories well and therefore must create endings that do little to provide the novel with continuity. Even if it means adding an extra chapter or two the your novel's middle section, leave enough room in the story for a few surprises that can aid in the development of a reasonable ending.

Tip #7: Keep at least one aspect of the story completely uncontrollable by the protagonist. Creating suspense in a fiction novel means keeping some of the power out of the main character's hands. When connecting the middle of the novel to its' ending, you'll also have the power to determine how that uncontrollable factor turns out and how it can bring the story together in a believable manner. For example, a wedding marred by rain can go a long way toward creating the time lapse necessary to give the hero a chance to break up the marriage. The rain is unforeseeable, uncontrollable, unexpected, but absolutely realistic.

Remember, creating continuity between those crucial middle and ending chapters of your fiction novel is absolutely essential to providing the reader with a sense of closure at the end of the story. Leave enough room for that creative spark to continue, and you will find your work coming together smoothly and consistently.