Can I write a novel without a resolution?

[Ladyrt23]

With the advice from my forum friends, I have been creating my story on paper. I have my conflicts outlined but no resolution. One can be made up but I want a continuation of this story. For an example, the second book would finish where the first left off. Is this possible? I read that authors bring up obstacles to keep the protagonist from accomplishing their goals so quickly. However, I don't want to end my novel with "and she lived happily ever after". Tips needed!!! Thanks a bunch.

[susabelle]

I think, even if you are going to make it a series at some point, you need at least some sort of climax to finish off the story. People do night mind being strung along a bit, but your reader will be pretty peeved if you just drift off at the end of your story without some sort of conclusion.

Think about book series you might have read; they all have a conclusion, even if the opening is left for a sequel later.

[Ali]

I agree with Susabelle. Leave plenty of loose ends, or a major theme unresolved, but have SOME sense of a satisfying conclusion. It's very offputting as a reader of a series to come to the end of a volume and find everything still hanging!

For example, if your story involves a marriage at some point, you could end the first book with the wedding and start the next with the honeymoon. (Yes, that's a bit corny, I'm sure you can come up with something better!)

I think the crucial thing is that the book shouldn't feel like it stops at an arbitrary point just because it's the right length ... it needs shape.

Ali

[Ladyrt23]

There is a climax involved as well. Maybe I should have specified. I'm just curious about not having a resolution for my character despite his conflicts.

[--Deb]

Yes, definitely have some kind of conclusion! Personally, when reading, if I finish a book that leaves me hanging off of every possible plot point, I'm usually too frustrated to want to go on to the next book. ESPECIALLY if it hasn't been written yet, so that there's going to be a year or more before I get any resolution to any of the crises. I absolutely hate that (grin).

One, good cliff-hanger if you can guarantee me that there will be another book? That I can deal with, but there's nothing worse than an author leaving everything hanging and then either never actually writing the next one, or not being able to get it published. I can think of lots of television shows that did the same thing--left their first season with a cliff-hanger on the assumption they'd be back next year, and then didn't get renewed so that the viewer never, ever finds out what happens. DON'T do that to your readers!

--Deb

[susabelle]

Yes, definitely have some kind of conclusion! Personally, when reading, if I finish a book that leaves me hanging off of every possible plot point, I'm usually too frustrated to want to go on to the next book. ESPECIALLY if it hasn't been written yet, so that there's going to be a year or more before I get any resolution to any of the crises. I absolutely hate that (grin).
--Deb

You make a good point, Deb. I read Clan of the Cave Bear when it first came out and it left such a HUGE cliffhanger that I was really angry!! And I knew she wouldn't finish any of the sequels without another obnoxious cliffhanger, so I waited until they were all in paperback, some 10 or 12 years later, before I read the rest of them. That author lost my higher-paying hard-back business because of her cruel tactic of leaving a huge cliffhanger.

Always finish your stories. Your reader is looking for that, and ultimately, you are writing for your reader!

[Ladyrt23]

You're right!!! I just finished reading a novel that was very interesting. The author created all that fuss just to end with a weak finale. After that, I got my answer as a future author. The readers want to have good but fair ending.

[5tein]

It sounds like you're not writing two books (that is, a book and a sequel), but one book with two "parts". For example, The Lord of the Rings was broken into 3 "books", but it's essentially one long book that was written all together.

[philipop]

I have recently done the same thing and found that i had to have some sort of climax othrewise is was just boring and disapointing! so you can write a series or sequel just make sure you have some kind of a climax :)

[TokeBernbole]

In the book I'm writing the end will leave the reader thinking its over but its far from. There are hints to pick up for the reader though. The characters at least need to get something major accomplished at the end perhaps at great cost or some sort of clever guile or whatever it may be.

[OnlyHuman]

One of my earliest efforts had its ending all planned. As I got close to it I felt it was too "happy ever after". Instead of having the hero victorious, I decided to have him betrayed at the last moment and flee into another story.

All the events of the first story were resolved so it would stand alone, but hopefully readers would care enough about the hero and his companions to follow them into the next story as they do with most TV series. A resolution to conclude an episode or even a book doesn't have to be the final resolution of the story, just tying up enough ends to make the reader feel they haven't wasted their time getting that far.