The Evernighties Writing Challenge - Week 41

Epilogue Or No?

I think this question can be determined by the story itself. Does it need some type of wrap up after the book has ended? So do, some don't. As a reader, I always enjoyed an epilogue that expands the characters a little bit, or the world I've just read about. As a writer, I've used many epilogues to set up the next in a series. Epilogues can be great plot devices that let the reader know that there's more to come.

Likewise, I've read epilogues that have completely demolished everything I just enjoyed about the story. And it can work in movies and films as well. Take for example the movie "Kissing Jessica Stein". That whole movie was a woman's journey into discovering the perfect man, and instead discovers the perfect woman. It was only at the very end, when the epilogue kicks in (although in movies sometimes this isn't obvious), the man and Jessica meet again and he asks her how her relationship is going with Helene...and it's revealed they broke up. Wait...we spent two hours falling in love with Jessica's discovery of herself and the realization she likes women...only to have our females lovers break up??? I've never watched that film again even though it was sooooo good the first 93 minutes (film is only 97minutes long).

I digress... I tend to do that a lot.

So epilogues. I highly encourage all authors to be careful what goes into an epilogue. Are you going to eviscerate everything you've just written? Or are you going to use it as a plot device to secure readers into picking up book two?

Or are you going to describe how cute the babies are between hero and heroine?

**Make sure to check out the others in the Evernighties Weekly Writing Challenge!