I think Lewis Carol was one of the originators of the "it was a dream" endings. The trip through Wonderland was fantastic but we have no resolve at the end. Today Rick and Morty play with a multiple universe ending so there never is any "real" ending. I think multiple universes are little more creative than "it was all a dream" but they are also becoming cliche.
Yes, I think you're right, @mineopoly, that Lewis Carroll perhaps invented the genre of dream-induced stories. Ha ha. Alice in Wonderland was one of the cited examples in the forums I read that some people liked and others didn't. One person said something to the effect of "the ending didn't matter because the entire story was nonsense."
Stories that end with someone waking up from a dream are never going to go away, but as you said it's a cliché and hopefully our community members will feel empowered with knowledge about the downsides when they consider that approach.
Explained so logically and wisely. Taking from the aspect of a reader, I would surely feel frustrated when I would know that the whole thing I spent my time on and felt about was merely a dream and has nothing to do with a change in the character's life.
Here here. I hate it when students do that - it's usually the younger years. But I never quite knew how to explain WHY you don't end like that. This post articulates the 'why' perfectly. Well done.
Thank you, @riverflows. I'm glad it resonated with you. Many of our writing tips are about collecting our thoughts on what we think works well in short stories so we have an article to point to instead of re-explaining the ideas. I have a feeling we'll be using this one as regular resource. 😀
I thank you so much that you take time to give us these things. Personally, I have never seen it that way and now, I realize that I still have a long way to go in development!
We are all a work-in-progress on the writing journey, @deraaa. You have some wonderful writing talent. I always look forward to your stories! I think we all find along the way that there is always more to learn and more to master in the craft of writing.
...so having a long, flowing, vivid and deliberate storyline be a dream can come off as a bit of a joke.
I quite agree with this. I came across this story ending style when I read a tricksy bait once and all the fuss ended in a dream! I was caught off guard and at the time it made sense ...but looking at it closely, it can come off as a joke and an easy way out.
Thanks for the resources you've added. Whoever said it's easy to write a good story? 😄 It takes a lot of imagination and work! Kudos to our fantastic writers and the Ink Well team.
!PIZZA
This post could serve as a masterclass in why not to take the escape hatch. When I'm done reading a story I want to know what happened, not what didn't happen.
I hope our writers read this post carefully, as carefully as we read their stories. Thank you @jayna for clarifying an important writing principle.
It is impressive the information this publication conveys. This escape hatch is very true, and it can actually play against our stories.
From my opinion, it has happened to me that I am reading a very fascinating stories and interesting characters, until I come across something like "it was just a dream" or " it was just the imagination" and Then I feel I wasted my time. This is a very important point that from now on I will keep in mind in my publications.
Thank you so much @theinkwell for the tips and guidance that also applies to our growth as writers 🙂👏👏👏👏👏.
Yes, I agree, @cajiro. It is often a shock to come upon such an ending, and we are left with the feeling that we should not have wasted our time reading the story.
Thank you for the suggestions ♥️ From what I can remember, I only did that once - and I did have the protagonist bring something back with her, to prove that it happened 😲
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I think it's very common for writers to take that approach when they are building their skills. But just like learning to ride a bike or drive a car, you get better and better at it. Thanks for sharing thoughts about your writing journey, @bornben.
I think Lewis Carol was one of the originators of the "it was a dream" endings. The trip through Wonderland was fantastic but we have no resolve at the end. Today Rick and Morty play with a multiple universe ending so there never is any "real" ending. I think multiple universes are little more creative than "it was all a dream" but they are also becoming cliche.
Yes, I think you're right, @mineopoly, that Lewis Carroll perhaps invented the genre of dream-induced stories. Ha ha. Alice in Wonderland was one of the cited examples in the forums I read that some people liked and others didn't. One person said something to the effect of "the ending didn't matter because the entire story was nonsense."
Stories that end with someone waking up from a dream are never going to go away, but as you said it's a cliché and hopefully our community members will feel empowered with knowledge about the downsides when they consider that approach.
Brilliantly explained. Kudos @jayna ❤️💕🤗
Thank you, @itsostylish!
Explained so logically and wisely. Taking from the aspect of a reader, I would surely feel frustrated when I would know that the whole thing I spent my time on and felt about was merely a dream and has nothing to do with a change in the character's life.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, @amberkashif. Yes, readers often feel frustrated with such an ending.
😊
Here here. I hate it when students do that - it's usually the younger years. But I never quite knew how to explain WHY you don't end like that. This post articulates the 'why' perfectly. Well done.
Thank you, @riverflows. I'm glad it resonated with you. Many of our writing tips are about collecting our thoughts on what we think works well in short stories so we have an article to point to instead of re-explaining the ideas. I have a feeling we'll be using this one as regular resource. 😀
I love your resources - very handy both for you and budding writers. You do a wonderful job.
Beautifully written and a great insight on how to end and not to end a story. I'm glad I came across this.
Thank you, @windgirl!
🥰
I thank you so much that you take time to give us these things. Personally, I have never seen it that way and now, I realize that I still have a long way to go in development!
We are all a work-in-progress on the writing journey, @deraaa. You have some wonderful writing talent. I always look forward to your stories! I think we all find along the way that there is always more to learn and more to master in the craft of writing.
Yes ma'am. I'll keep working on mine.
I quite agree with this. I came across this story ending style when I read a tricksy bait once and all the fuss ended in a dream! I was caught off guard and at the time it made sense ...but looking at it closely, it can come off as a joke and an easy way out.
Thanks for the resources you've added. Whoever said it's easy to write a good story? 😄 It takes a lot of imagination and work! Kudos to our fantastic writers and the Ink Well team.
!PIZZA
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Oh my, isn't that true. This writing business is not easy! I have a Hemingway quote at the bottom of my website:
Of course, it's not a typewriter these days, but the sentiment is the same!
This post could serve as a masterclass in why not to take the escape hatch. When I'm done reading a story I want to know what happened, not what didn't happen.
I hope our writers read this post carefully, as carefully as we read their stories. Thank you @jayna for clarifying an important writing principle.
Thank you, and yes that's it exactly, @agmoore. We want to know what happened, not what didn't happen!
It is impressive the information this publication conveys. This escape hatch is very true, and it can actually play against our stories.
From my opinion, it has happened to me that I am reading a very fascinating stories and interesting characters, until I come across something like "it was just a dream" or " it was just the imagination" and Then I feel I wasted my time. This is a very important point that from now on I will keep in mind in my publications.
Thank you so much @theinkwell for the tips and guidance that also applies to our growth as writers 🙂👏👏👏👏👏.
Yes, I agree, @cajiro. It is often a shock to come upon such an ending, and we are left with the feeling that we should not have wasted our time reading the story.
Thank you for the suggestions ♥️ From what I can remember, I only did that once - and I did have the protagonist bring something back with her, to prove that it happened 😲
This post has been manually curated by the VYB Curation Project
Thia is truly helpful. Thanks for putting this out.
:)
This is so helpful
..
I think it's very common for writers to take that approach when they are building their skills. But just like learning to ride a bike or drive a car, you get better and better at it. Thanks for sharing thoughts about your writing journey, @bornben.