"Undeclared" Release Week Post 2!
UNDECLARED
RELEASE WEEK POST 2
TIME TO WRAP IT UP
Figuring out when to write “The End” is harder than you might expect. Figuring out whether or not you need an epilogue is also a challenge. Some time ago (quite a long time ago, actually) I wrote a post about Want vs. Need, and I generally use that thought process to determine whether or not a story should have an epilogue. As a reader, I’m fairly indifferent. I don’t love them, I don’t hate them. Sometimes it’s an unnecessary bonus, a few extra pages with characters you’ve grown to love. Sometimes it’s necessary – the main story resolved, but we need to see a bit farther into the future to know for certain that things have worked out the way we hoped.
I wrote the epilogue for “Undecided” because I wanted to. I don’t believe it’s wholly necessary, but because so many of the story beats were centered on holidays, it seemed fun to include an epilogue that took place on Valentine’s Day. Lots of readers loved it, though I did see a review that actually deducted a star simply because it existed. Not much you can do about that!
“Undeclared” doesn’t have an epilogue because I don’t think it’s necessary, and I really have no idea what it would be about. Because it wouldn’t have any new information, I didn’t want to write something simply for the sake of it. Kellan and Andi have known each other their whole lives, and once they got their HEA, there was no new ground to cover. I’ve already had a few comments from people saying they wish there was an epilogue, and that’s when want vs. need comes back into play. I don’t think this book needs one, so it doesn’t have one. (Though, in hindsight, I think “Going the Distance” should have had an epilogue, and I now regret that I didn’t include one.)
Writing a book is hard. Getting to the end is hard. And knowing when you’ve reached that “real” end is hard too. It’s just something you know in your gut. Sometimes I shunt aside the want vs. need question and ask myself if I’m satisfied with the story. And that’s my answer.
The end.
I hope.
RELEASE WEEK POST 2
TIME TO WRAP IT UP
Figuring out when to write “The End” is harder than you might expect. Figuring out whether or not you need an epilogue is also a challenge. Some time ago (quite a long time ago, actually) I wrote a post about Want vs. Need, and I generally use that thought process to determine whether or not a story should have an epilogue. As a reader, I’m fairly indifferent. I don’t love them, I don’t hate them. Sometimes it’s an unnecessary bonus, a few extra pages with characters you’ve grown to love. Sometimes it’s necessary – the main story resolved, but we need to see a bit farther into the future to know for certain that things have worked out the way we hoped.
I wrote the epilogue for “Undecided” because I wanted to. I don’t believe it’s wholly necessary, but because so many of the story beats were centered on holidays, it seemed fun to include an epilogue that took place on Valentine’s Day. Lots of readers loved it, though I did see a review that actually deducted a star simply because it existed. Not much you can do about that!
“Undeclared” doesn’t have an epilogue because I don’t think it’s necessary, and I really have no idea what it would be about. Because it wouldn’t have any new information, I didn’t want to write something simply for the sake of it. Kellan and Andi have known each other their whole lives, and once they got their HEA, there was no new ground to cover. I’ve already had a few comments from people saying they wish there was an epilogue, and that’s when want vs. need comes back into play. I don’t think this book needs one, so it doesn’t have one. (Though, in hindsight, I think “Going the Distance” should have had an epilogue, and I now regret that I didn’t include one.)
Writing a book is hard. Getting to the end is hard. And knowing when you’ve reached that “real” end is hard too. It’s just something you know in your gut. Sometimes I shunt aside the want vs. need question and ask myself if I’m satisfied with the story. And that’s my answer.
The end.
I hope.
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message 1:
by
Jo
(new)
Mar 05, 2017 09:10AM
Hi Ms Keyes! I love your books! Going the Distance and Undeclared are my favorites so far. I have to say that I would have liked an epilogue in Undeclared, just to see how Kellan navigates in a committed monogamous relationship. However, I kind of liked that there wasn't an epilogue in GtD. We saw Jarek planning a grand gesture; he was finally willing to step out of his comfort zone and Olivia was giving him a chance. I did not need to see their next inevitable steps towards an HEA spelled out. The book was perfect as it is :-)
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Hi Jo! How welcome to hear someone say they didn't need a GtD epilogue - that was my original feeling (obviously) and it's nice to know someone out there agrees! As for the Undeclared epilogue...maybe epilogues (and covers!) are something I just need to keep working at until I find the right formula. (FWIW, Kellan does fabulously in a monogamous relationship.) :)
Julianna wrote: "Kellan does fabulously in a monogamous relationship."Yay!
