Epilogues - The Last Word On Your Story

with guest Winnie Griggs

Hello everyone.  Winnie Griggs here and I’m very excited to be back at Seekerville.  It’s always fun to spend time here.  Last time I posted here I discussed Prologues, so I thought this time I would discuss Epilogues.

First a quick definition of what an Epilogue is, as it relates to a work of fiction. 

An epilogue provides a comment, conclusion or depicts consequences of the actions within the story itself and always appears at the end of the story, AFTER the climax.   

So let’s discuss how we know if we even need an epilogue to our story.  The short answer is no.  If you’ve done your work properly, and provided a satisfying climax, your story will not NEED an epilogue to feel complete.  However, there may be a number of reasons why you would WANT an epilogue.

Think of it this way.  Compare it to baking a cake.  If you mix and bake the batter properly so that it comes out light and tasty, and then you top it with a yummy frosting, then the outcome is quite satisfying. However, if you as the baker, sense there is a little something extra you can do to enhance the eating experience, say add some chocolate curls to the top, then by all means do so. 

So let’s talk about when you might WANT to add an epilogue.  Here are a few reasons.

·      To show the ‘Happily Ever After’ in more detail. 
This is probably the most common type of epilogue, especially in the world of romance novels.  If you’ve done your job right, by the time you get to the end of your story, your readers should be totally invested in your characters.  An epilogue is an ideal way to make the jump to sometime in the future to show that the HEA you gave them at the end of your story truly ‘stuck’.

·      To show the consequences of some event or decision made by characters in your story.
Perhaps this is not the kind of story that has a happily ever after, at least not for all of your characters.  In that case, you might want to show the long term consequences of those wrong turns taken by your characters.

·      To tie up any loose ends after the story’s climax.
If for some reason your story called for an abrupt or traumatic ending then there may be some issues relating to the fate of your characters that you want to clarify. 

·      To plant seeds for a sequel
If you already have plans for a follow up story, there may be some teasers you can plant with an epilogue to whet your readers’ appetites.

·      To show some impact on the world of your novel
This would most commonly be used in a story that deals with a political, sociological or world-in-turmoil focus.  In this case you could use an epilogue to show how the characters or events of the story affected the story world itself.

There are other reasons, but these re the most common ones.

All that being said, there are a few good reasons NOT to write an epilogue.

·      To wrap up your story
Your story should be able to stand alone without the epilogue.  If there are loose ends, it is best to find a way to resolve these in the final chapters of your story.

·      Because you as the writer hate to say good-bye to your characters or storyworld.
An epilogue must serve a story purpose, must add something positive to the reader experience to earn its place in your book.  If not, it runs the risk of being deadweight, resulting in having your story end on an anti-climatic note.    

In other words, the epilogue should impart something that adds to the reader’s appreciation of your story, but that depicts something that is clearly beyond the main storyline.

Okay, so you’ve decided that your story could benefit from an epilogue.  So how to do you go about writing one that is effective?

Here are a few DOs and DON’Ts to help with that:

DO 

·      Know your purpose
Whether it is to serve one of the purposes I described above, or some other purpose, make certain you have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish and then focus your words on doing just that.  Which brings us to...

·      Keep it tight
An epilogue should generally be short and simple.  You already had your climax so you don’t want to draw these final notes out.  This is not the time to introduce new characters or conflicts unless, of course, you are planting seeds for a follow-up story.  But again, don’t draw things out.

·      Separate the epilogue from the rest of your story
There should be a definite time break of some sort, the more time the better.  This not only gives the reader a sense of perspective, but it keeps your prologue from feeling like merely the continuation of the previous chapter.

·      Make certain it ‘flows’
Just as in every other scene in your book, your epilogue should flow logically (though not necessarily predictably) from what came before. 

DON’T

·      Avoid being repetitive
Don’t merely mimic what you’ve already depicted in your story’s climax.  If you’re not going to show us something new, then there’s no point in having the epilogue in the first place.

·      Don’t stray to far from your overall theme and tone
Again, this should be recognizable as a part of the novel itself.  The voice of the epilogue should be consistent with the voice of the novel as a whole.

·      Don’t include an epilogue ‘just because’
I’ve said this before but it bears repeating - an epilogue must justify its existence with a firm story purpose.  You want to make certain when your reader closes your book it is with a sigh of satisfaction, not with the vague feeling that the story went on just a little too long. 

In closing, before penning an epilogue for your story, make sure you know exactly why it is needed.  And, as objectively as possible, question the need and ask yourself if it will add any value to your reader’s overall enjoyment of your story.

There you have it, my thoughts on Epilogues.  So what do you think?  Do you agree with the various points I made?  And reasons or tips do you have that I left out? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And since I have a new book out this month, I’ll give a copy of Lone Star Heiress to two folks who leave a comment here.



Click to Buy

Rescuer Turned Husband? 

Plucky Ivy Feagan is headed to Turnabout, Texas, to claim an inheritance, not a widower's heart. That all changes when strapping schoolteacher Mitch Parker rescues her in the wilderness. Straightlaced Mitch has never met a woman like Ivy—beautiful, adventurous and good-hearted—but he already lost love once and doesn't dare try again. 

When Turnabout's gossips target Mitch and Ivy's friendship, he proposes to save her reputation. But Ivy doesn't want to marry for honor, and she doesn't need to marry for money. Ivy will only agree to a proposal made for love's sake—but will Mitch make his heart part of the marriage offer? 

Texas Grooms: In search of their brides…

Winnie Griggs is the author of Historical (and occasionally Contemporary) romances that focus on Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace.  She is also a list maker, a lover of dragonflies and holds an advanced degree in the art of procrastination.

On a fun note - having been born on a Friday the 13^th, Winnie has always considered 13 her lucky number.  This belief was recently reinforced when her 13^th book, Handpicked Husband, won a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in - what else - 2013.
Winnie loves to hear from readers.  You can connect with her on facebook at www.facebook.com/WinnieGriggs.Author or email her at winnie@winniegriggs.com.