I Was Wrong
Feb62012
You know how I’ve always said that an ending has to make sense to a reader or it won’t work, that the reader has to believe it’s possible or you’ll lose her (or him)? I was wrong. I just saw a story that was incredibly good all the way through to the end, and then the ending was pretty much impossible. And my right brain said, “That would never have happened.” And my left brain said, “WHO CARES THAT WAS INCREDIBLE OH MY GOD I LOVED IT I NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN.”
If you can write a story so good that your readers’ left brains scream that at the end, you’re good to go. I’m not that good–yet–but this is the kind of thing that can inspire a woman. No, I’m not going to tell you what it was, it would be spoilerish and you have to hit this one unawares. I’m not even going to reply in the comments to this post so don’t bother to badger. But OH MY GOD THAT WAS GOOD. (Yes, really great storytelling is like sex, what makes you ask?)
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71 Comments to 'I Was Wrong'
On February 6, 2012 at 3:20 am Clever Cherry said...
It’s funny, though, how some people can get away with things that others can’t. Some people everything they do is just magic.
It’s amusing that you think this way about someone. I think this way about you. Except I think, I’ll never be able to write as well as Crusie.
Fun to try, though. Speaking of, I reread Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick aka Jayne Anne Krentz again. The heroine is a writer who has so much fun writing. It’s a joy to read for that alone.
On February 6, 2012 at 3:56 am toni said...
Meanie.
On February 7, 2012 at 3:06 pm inkgrrl said...
Notice Toni’s is the comment most liked? There’s a reason for that, Jenny. Getting us all worked then just leaving us hanging?
On February 6, 2012 at 4:28 am Katie said...
Oh man, now I may never find it, and it’s going to drive me CRAZY. No fair.
On February 6, 2012 at 4:39 am londonmabel said...
That’s how I felt about The Power of One. The very last chapter is trite and undercut the depth of the story–but it’s easily mentally excised. I still recommend the book to people, I just tell them to skip the end. I also thought the ending of Poisonwood Bible was unnecessary, but still loved the book. And Dragon Tattoo has an entire subplot that’s dull and unnecessary, but that hasn’t hurt it’s sales!
On February 6, 2012 at 4:41 am Eve said...
da akhem?? at least tell us if it’s a tv show or a movie and what year from and country? otherwise, we might never EVER be able to let this go…
but YAY glad you enjoyed it…NOW TELL US
On February 6, 2012 at 7:24 am romney said...
You can break the rules if you’re good.
The worst thing is to do something half-heartedly because “it’s in the rules”.
On February 6, 2012 at 8:53 am stephanie said...
I think I might be fine with impossible as long as it’s not stupid or violates character. That stuff just makes me insane and spoils the story for me forever.
On February 6, 2012 at 9:07 am Tracey said...
I’m with the crowd — if my willful suspension of disbelief has been fully engaged in the rest of the story, a dud ending might not be a deal breaker for me — but Crusie, you’re being tactful here — you don’t write inappropriate or implausible endings not because you’re “not that good,” but because you’re too good to do that to your characters and you have too much integrity to pass that off to us, your readers. And you’re too honest not o say what you think about what you read — the body of the story was incredible but the ending stunk. Fair enough. Don’t tell us what you read — really; I just hope it’s still in draft form and that whoever can go back and make changes!
On February 6, 2012 at 9:33 am Jenny said...
No, no, the ending was wonderful. It was just exactly what I needed. Huge relief.
I know, I said I wouldn’t comment. Well, we knew that wouldn’t last.
On February 7, 2012 at 7:29 am London Mabel said...
Oh an ending one HOPES for but is unrealistic. Je comprends. For me that was the movie Les Grandes chaleurs, a romance between a social worker and a previous patient, with a 20 year age gap. Thank God they ended up together.
On February 6, 2012 at 9:44 am Tori said...
Mean!
On February 6, 2012 at 10:06 am Skye said...
And now we’ll never even get to know if it’s a book we’ll even want to read. If it’s a book. Maybe a movie? New or old? Romance? Creative non-fiction? Sheesh.
On February 6, 2012 at 10:20 am McB said...
I think if the rest of the story has set you up properly, you can swallow an improbable ending. That takes a lot of skill on the author’s part, to draw the reader gradually but thoroughly into a willingness to suspend disbelieve. I don’t many authors could pull it off.
On February 6, 2012 at 12:34 pm Jenny said...
I think a lot of it in this case was the writer has so thoroughly engaged me, I was so completely drawn in, and then I got the ending I wanted even if it was illogical and impossible. I so want to believe that ending so I do.
On February 6, 2012 at 10:28 am Kiersten said...
Wait, if you won’t tell us what it was, how the hell are we supposed to find it and decide for ourselves?! Should we just divine it?
On February 6, 2012 at 12:33 pm Jenny said...
Most of you can’t find it so it would just be mean to give you the title. Isn’t the illumination enough? The fact that I had an epiphany? (Because it’s all about me.) Hey, I’m CHANGING. I’m becoming more open-minded. Jeez.
On February 6, 2012 at 2:49 pm Lily C said...
Oooo, does that mean that Strop sent you something British?
On February 6, 2012 at 10:42 am robena grant said...
Oooooh, goody. A guessing game. Was it a bird, was it a plane, no it was….a movie. : ) That’s my guess anyway.
I love a story that doesn’t spell it all out but leaves you thinking, contemplating, until you realize it was perfect. Not maybe what you were expecting, but perfect for that story, the time span of the story, the characters.
On February 6, 2012 at 11:03 am Rose said...
Now that’s just mean, especially for those of us who don’t go to many movies or watch too many new tv shows. Maybe you could give us a month for people who would have watched it anyway to watch it, and then come back and tell us what it was in the comments so pop-culturally challenged can watch?
On February 6, 2012 at 11:11 am Danyelle said...
Tease.
On February 6, 2012 at 11:19 am Kathleen Ann Gallagher said...
I’ve seen movies where I’m quick to say,”that could never happen.” Why did I keep watching and later talking about it? Because it blew my mind!
On February 6, 2012 at 11:37 am Ginny said...
Come on people! This is Jenny Crusie. There are CLUES!
She said she saw it. I think that means a movie or television.Since I think most of tv is garbage, I’m going for a film. She never mentioned reading and said the ending was right. No mention of last chapter or epilogue.
What movies are playing in Ohio right now and have just recently come out? And what would Jenny possibly go see?
My guess is “Woman in Black” based on the slimmest of clues. Anyone else want to play?
And it is no coincidence that my sig line is “Jumping to conclusions is often the only exercise I get.”
On February 6, 2012 at 12:04 pm Robin S. said...
I suck at guessing games, so thanks for getting us started!
On February 6, 2012 at 12:37 pm Ginny said...
But after I left my comment, Jenny said “the writer” and that most of us couldn’t find it. If it is an out of print book, there is always ILL (InterLibrary Loan).
On February 6, 2012 at 11:50 am Sure Thing said...
Emotionally impossible? Because I read/watch sci-fi and that sorta thing, impossible is the norm.
And tell us, don’t tell us, see if I care.
Also, I knew you wouldn’t last. You have to comment here. We are irresistible.
On February 6, 2012 at 12:31 pm Jenny said...
You are.
On February 6, 2012 at 12:03 pm karla said...
I so do not agree. Take Diana Gabaldon’s last book. Now her first two were so engrossing that I actually went to Scotland. But her last one? It was like she’d used up her allotment of pages and just plain quit. No, an ending has to end. It has to make sense. I won’t buy another of her books, and I won’t buy another of Anne Rice’s books either because they don’t end the story. Not good enough for me to want to pick up the next one, only to be left hanging again. C’mon now, you have to tie up the loose ends at least a little, even if you tease them into wanting to read more.
On February 6, 2012 at 3:00 pm JulieB said...
Oooh! I’ve been waiting to talk about that ending with someone over on the forums! Are you _sure_ you won’t buy the next book? I knew it would make a lot of people angry, but she has said the next book will be the last book (although really it might be Part 1 and Part 2 the way she writes)
Anyway, if you want to debate it, look for the thread in the books section.
On February 6, 2012 at 3:20 pm Stephanie Berget said...
I was disappointed in Dianna Gabaldon’s last book after being in love with the first few, but I will buy her next one if it’s the end of the series. However, Janet Evanovich’s last book was supposed to be the end of the series and it ended…well, I think she left it open for another book. I won’t be buying any more from her.
On February 6, 2012 at 8:50 pm JulieB said...
Janet Evanovich’s was supposed to be the last one? Was it a Plum book?? I have totally missed that, and I try to keep up with junk like that.
As far as Gabaldon, I think she started A Breath of Snow and Ashes intending for it to be the last, but as she started writing, she realized it was going to take too much to get to where she wants the series to end. So I think ABSN is actually part one of the end, and I think the next book has a working title of King, Farewell and should conclude the Jamie/Claire stories. I haven’t read her blog since I got my new computer, so all of this is a memory that really probably pre-dates the last book…
On February 6, 2012 at 8:51 pm JulieB said...
Ooops. Formatting – hee, even the “Reply” button is italicized.
On February 6, 2012 at 4:28 pm Bookwrm said...
I totally disagree. I could read about Jamie & Clair forever. My only complaint is it takes too long between books! Breath of Snow and Ashes could have been the end, but Gabaldon has a way of telling a story that has me dying for the next one. The Scottish Prisoner was very good also!
On February 6, 2012 at 12:28 pm Courtney said...
How about a hint?
On February 6, 2012 at 12:57 pm katyL said...
Lucky you for coming across the story.
I think there’s a big difference between being left feeling that whatever happened couldn’t possibly happen or feeling it just plain wouldn’t likely happen. One can ruin the experience and the other not so much.
It’s fiction, after all. It should take you for a bit of a ride or it’s not fun.
On February 6, 2012 at 1:29 pm Tracey said...
Hmmm…what screenplays has Steven Moffat written recently that have been filmed either for Bog Screen or TV? Did Alistair snag a bootleg copy do Sherlock, season two? Wikipedia has Moffat writing the screenplay for The Adventures of Tintin…can’t quite see that, but hey why not…
On February 6, 2012 at 2:08 pm Katie said...
I wondered if it might be Sherlock. The season finale was excellent, and I have no idea how they plan to explain the ending next season.
On February 15, 2012 at 6:14 pm Bonnie C said...
They cheated. But then made up for it gloriously. I made my husband find me contraband because I couldn’t wait until May – MAY!?! – for it to run here in the states.
#hangsheadinfauxshame
On February 17, 2012 at 6:34 pm Jenny said...
As long as we buy the DVD as soon as it comes out in the US, we’re good. Which I’m going to.
On February 6, 2012 at 2:00 pm cleo said...
I feel that way about Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas. I love that book. I logically know that the hero still has a LOT of work to do on his ptsd and their happy ending is ridiculously optimistic, but I DON’T CARE. Because I love the characters and the book and I WANT to believe in their happy ending. And I do actually do believe it, left brain be damned.
This idea of believing the ending is particularly important to romance – since having a happy (or at least optimistic) ending is part of what makes romance romance. And making the reader believe in an unbelievable happy ending is a pretty impressive trick.
On February 6, 2012 at 3:19 pm Deborah Blake said...
Can you at least tell us if it was a book or a movie? And–if a book–in print, out of print, or not yet printed? PLEASE….you know you want to.
Comment, Crusie, comment.
On February 6, 2012 at 3:21 pm Stephanie Berget said...
Jenny, I’m glad you had an epiphany. Those are so fun.
On February 6, 2012 at 3:23 pm Kate George said...
See, I think it must be an unfinished work – an arc or something. I bet Jenny has the opportunity to read a lot of arcs if she cares to. Am I right about that, Jenny? No don’t tell us if it was an arc, but do you have the opportunity to read stuff if you want to?
I would guess you’d be inundated with requests to read.
And I’m sure you could have told us about your epiphany with out making us all crazy with curiosity! Just plain mean!
On February 6, 2012 at 3:32 pm Susan Stokes said...
Not Fair…Not Fair…Must Play Well with others : ). I must agree with the SYI/FI Poster ..I read Certain UF/Para Authors The Fever Series K.Moning and Nicle Peeler “The Tempest Series” The Hush,Hush Series “Becca Fitzpatrick…Always on The Edge of our Seats…Your Books Keep me wanting More..and More “Maybe This Time”was my First of yours…And Bought Friends who never read your books,on a Jennie Crusie Quest..Looking forward to Whatever you write..BTW Reading Lucy March “A Little Night Magic” <3<3 the Book….
On February 6, 2012 at 3:32 pm Becke Martin/Davis said...
If it’s a movie, my guess is Hugo.
If it’s not, I’m going to go insane trying to figure it out. I’m addicted to mysteries, for God’s sake – this is cruel and unusual punishment!
I recently read a book that was full of coincidences. My right brain said, “This would never happen” while my left brain was intrigued, going “But how cool is it, imagining that it DID?”
On February 6, 2012 at 3:59 pm Jenny said...
I can’t tell you, it’ll spoil the ending for you and I want you to have the same feeling I did. I know, big tease. I should have kept my mouth shut. But I was on such a high . . .
On February 6, 2012 at 4:00 pm Mander said...
Sometimes the not so happy ending is better. A happy ending for me is the middle of the story. I always think..okay now what?
On February 6, 2012 at 4:05 pm Becke Martin/Davis said...
Your high is contagious, and we want to share your infection. (Ewww!) I mean that in a good way…
On February 6, 2012 at 4:33 pm Leigh said...
An HEA that left you filled with happiness and hope? Hell, let’s bottle it.
On February 7, 2012 at 1:54 am Jenny said...
And kickstarted my libido. It was a GOOD ending.
On February 6, 2012 at 6:05 pm merry said...
Wait, now. Will there be a time when you can tell us? Or a time when it will be readily available? Because I’d rather know what it is and that the ending is wonderful though improbable than figure I’m probably never going to get to see it (or read it?) or even know what it is. It’s not that I mind (much) your epiphany being my frustration, but there has to be a way around this.
On February 7, 2012 at 1:53 am Jenny said...
The thing is, I don’t want to tell you the title because I’ve just told you that even though you’re going to be tense because the ending is so incredibly sad, at the last minute it’s fabulous. You need to be really bummed to get the huge rush of the reversal at the end.
Wait. I can use that. EPIPHANY!
On February 7, 2012 at 9:42 am merry said...
Ah! I get it. Although I wish I could say, “Aha!!, I’ve got it!”.
On February 7, 2012 at 10:26 am Kate George said...
Well, when you put it like that… I hadn’t gotten that the end was a reversal. Ah well.
So you could trick us and later put it in a list of must watch or must read (movies/books).
On February 6, 2012 at 7:31 pm Jill said...
I probably have not seen/read it and will not go see it/read it. So you can whisper in my ear and I promise I won’t tell. Pinky swear.
On February 6, 2012 at 7:41 pm Jinx said...
Darned epiphanies!
On February 6, 2012 at 8:52 pm JulieB said...
Uh oh. Did I break the whole blog?
On February 7, 2012 at 1:50 am Jenny said...
I don’t think so. A whole lot of spam got through Akismet, maybe you put a hole in it.
On February 7, 2012 at 7:03 am Julie said...
Julie B, dude. You broke it all right. I’ve done this (over at Lucy’s or The ‘Verse, can’t remember). Only Alastair can fix it. And sometimes it takes him a while.
(Way to go.
)
On February 6, 2012 at 9:16 pm Micki said...
OK, I can live with the secret. But, was the impossible because it broke with all the set-up that came before? Or was it physically impossible, but there were hints that it could happen?
I like a good surprise ending, myself. (-: But there’s the problem: defining good.
And in life, there are all sorts of impossible and implausible things, and I KNOW that “they” say we can’t use that sort of stuff in fiction or the reader will be mad. But . . . .
I kind of wonder if it’s like “gaijin brownie points.” The idea is that in any culture, you get a certain amount of “weirdo points.” You can deviate from the norm a certain amount, and remain “normal.” But, if you use too many points, then you are weird and ostracized. Gaijin (foreigners in Japan) are awarded extra weirdo points because, “they are foreigners, they don’t know better” — and I’m sure that’s true the world over. Pregnant women also get bonus weirdo points.
So, with a book, an author can have so many weirdo points. If s/he does a great job with other aspects of the book, s/he might gain extra weirdo points to play around with (and of course, books that have been translated are allowed extra weirdo points, going back to gaijin brownie points). So, if the author wrote everything with such beauty and chemistry, s/he can pull off an impossible ending.
(-: Luckily, the publishers of my favorite genres (SF and fantasy) award extra weirdo points, so you get extra-crunchy delightful plot lines and endings in those genres. I think romance readers can be extremely conservative, especially if they think they are getting “straight” romance. Which isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a true thing.
On February 7, 2012 at 1:50 am Jenny said...
I think I was so emotionally involved with the characters and there was no way they could have a happy ending, it just wasn’t possible. And then the writer pulled it off with this HUGE stretch (not coincidence, just a stretch) and I cheered. Because it was the ending I so wanted.
On February 7, 2012 at 4:07 am Eve said...
seriously, at least tell us the year it came out or an actor who’s in it. then we’ll WATCH ALL THE MOVIES
and since we won’t know which one, we will be surprised
On February 8, 2012 at 12:49 am Ally Moody said...
My guess is Downton Abbey season 2 Christmas Special, it’s Mathew and Mary plot line? Am I hot or cold? If am hot, I couldn’t believe the ending either when I saw it but I DON’T CARE, I WANT IT THAT WAY.
Couldn’t you tell am a fan.
On February 7, 2012 at 10:08 am Ginny said...
That would so be the coolest name for a band “Gaijin Brownie Points!”
On February 7, 2012 at 11:43 am Sierra said...
ARGH. You’re worse than Himself. At least when he teases me about something amazing, it’s something I know I’ll have access to at some point.
To be honest, I don’t mind spoilers, especially if the writing is fantastic and I know I’ll enjoy it regardless. I’m much worse about being left hanging and curious.
If you still don’t want to tell us here, maybe wait a few months and then do a recommendation post with several things and toss it in there without telling us that it’s in there? Just to up our chances of discovering it someday?
On February 7, 2012 at 12:31 pm cleo said...
trying to close italics here
On February 7, 2012 at 1:44 pm Skye said...
Now I can’t wait to see you do this in your writing!
On February 7, 2012 at 4:16 pm MaineBetty said...
Why is everyone whispering?
On February 7, 2012 at 5:05 pm Sure Thing said...
Ok, loving the broken blog. It’s just making me smile. I dunno why. It’s not like that time we nested it into a conniption. That *was* all us. This wasn’t/isn’t.
I am really ok with not knowing. I loathe being spoiled even inadvertently.
I remember that someone told me John Grisham’s “The Partner” had a “good twist at the end” and I read and waited and read and waited and got to the end, and I thought “That’s it?!?!????” If that was what he called a “good twist” then his standards were abysmal because I saw the potential for it CHAPTERS before.
So I’m TRULY on the “don’t tell us” side.
On February 7, 2012 at 6:51 pm Bette Noir said...
Could you maybe do a sequel post that says at the top that you’re going to tell us and then leave a lot of room so that people who don’t want to know can just skip that post? Because you’re killing me here.
On February 7, 2012 at 7:23 pm Micki said...
(-: I think I have the solution: make a list of five “hard-to-find but worth-your-time classics” and include this one in the list. Those who MUST have, will find them. And then, set an alarm on your calendar, and discuss six months from now!
LOL, this sounds like a big PITA solution. It’s OK not to spill; we’ll forget about it in three months anyway. Probably.