Resolution

      A resolution ought to be satisfying. If the ending is a bad one for the POV then the readers need to be able to believe that it was the only way the story could have ended, or that it was deserved by the POV.

      The "seeds" of the resolution need to have been sown all throughout the story. Readers must be able to go back and see that the events of the story were moving the POV toward the conclusion, even if he (and they) couldn't have seen it at the time.

      Here's a simple (and predictable) case as an example. A knight in shining armor goes in search of glory and a noble and beautiful bride, and at every town he meets he runs into an old hag or a young child dressed in rags or some other humble person who begs his aid. He refuses because their needs are too humble and helping them would bring him no reknown. His squire finds ways to help the humble folk when his master isn't watching. They eventually reach a castle with a beautiful queen, who turns out to be a sorceress looking for a noble husband. The squire marries her, of course. Readers can look back and see that the knight contributed to his eventual disappointment by refusing to aid the sorceress in disguise. The ending doesn't come out of nowhere, and readers feel that the knight deserved what he got.

      The "seeds" for the resolution need to come from events which occur earlier in the story. Nothing new should be introduced (new rules, previously unmentioned characters) for the solution, though things can be *revealed* as long as there were strong clues that can be pointed at earlier in the story.

      Some very BAD conflict resolutions commonly found in speculative fiction:

      • Magic resolves the problem (as opposed to a *mage* resolving it, using magic as one of his tools). This includes wishes obtained by the POV, powerful wizard mentors who cast spells to fix everything the POV has been unable to, a new spell that was just invented or just thought of, a magical item just obtained or just thought of, etc.
      • Discovery that it was all VR (a variation on the old "it was all just a bad dream" cop-out).
      • A new power or magical ability just discovered, unless that power was obtained as a result of some significant personality development of the POV. In this case it should be evident that the POV could not have wielded the new power before her change, because of some character flaw.

       

       

      Return to my Home Page, my Writers' Resources Page, the previous page, next page, or email me.

      Background and graphics courtesy of a very generous and talented lady at   

      This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page