Can A Book Have No Ending?
It’s time to learn about the elusive open ending
Writing is full of controversies. Should novels be written from multiple points of view, should they include obscenities, should they be written in the past or present tense? The list of topics up for debate is long and can be intimidating, especially for new writers.
Of all the writing styles that are currently scrutinized, there is a practically taboo one. It is the open ending or ambiguous ending.
This type of ending leaves readers with no specific conclusion to satisfy them. Understandably, this can cause anger and confusion, particularly when this technique is used inappropriately.
There are, however, plenty of popular movies out there that perform this ambiguous trick flawlessly. Right at the end, when the audience’s hearts are still racing in their chest, the story cuts to black. This technique allows the watchers to ride out the movie high longer than if they knew what happened to the character next. Also, it creates room for conversation and theories to be had.
So, how do you conquer an elusive, open ending in a book?
Easy.
You treat it like real life.
Good characters should be as realistic or as human as possible. There isn’t any human that is perfect or has a…
