Matthew Feinberg: "Dear Vina Jie-Min Prasad: Continuity, Accuracy, Suspense"

Dear Vina Jie-Min Prasad: Continuity, Accuracy, Suspense

 By Matthew Feinberg

            Endings, to me, are the most important part of a story. If the ending is trash, unfulfilling, a letdown, or just simply bad, then I feel that the lead up to the ending is wasted. The beginning and middle should mainly serve as building blocks for the end of the story, to help push the plot into an exciting, suspenseful ending. To me, there are three main qualities of a good ending: continuity, accuracy, and suspense. One of my favorite books, The Martian, does an amazing job with all three categories.

            Continuity is one of the least obvious qualities of an ending, but it is necessary to tie everything together in a way that flows to the reader. Endings that have good continuity are endings that can tie together the majority of the story leading up to the ending. For example, in The Martian, almost everything that Mark Watney does in the story prepares him for his final journey home. All of the preparation that he does during his time on Mars: making food, rationing water and supplies, rebuilding and refurbishing a rover, all prepare for his end goal. I think that a good ending makes use of almost, if not all, of the story elements before it. A proper ending should use the previous story elements in a combined fashion to produce a final product that is the culmination of the story.

            I believe that another very important part of an ending is its accuracy. What I mean by that is that a story ending cannot contrive plot devices or other details for the sake of the ending. Although these details and devices may be created to make the ending flow smoother, they undermine the accuracy and integrity of the ending. It is my belief that major plot devices should not be introduced in the last few pages of a novel; however, I am not against small details or obstacles in the way, as long as they are accurately represented. For example, in The Martian, an unexpected tear in the getaway ship’s makeshift canvas forces Mark Watney to fabricate a makeshift bomb and fire the ship’s thrusters mid-fight to counteract the effects of the broken canvas. The broken canvas is a small plot device created to fuel the suspense of the ending, but it’s accurate. Technology malfunctions all the time, and a makeshift canvas is one such example. Watney then creates a makeshift bomb, which he has the capability to do, since he is a botanist/chemist. These small plot devices are created and solved with accurate solutions.

           Finally, suspense is a very important tool, that when used effectively, separates good endings from great ones. Take, for example, the ending of The Martian (once again). As stated above, Watney’s ship’s makeshift canvas breaks mid-flight, and he is forced to create a makeshift bomb and fire the ship’s thrusters mid-fight to counteract the effects of the broken canvas. The time between the canvas breaking and the problem getting solved is a few pages of raw suspense, where the reader does not know what will happen next. Nothing is certain for those few pages. Even after the canvas accident is over, Watney is still just a bit too far away from the target ship. One of the other crew members, Beck, goes out into space on a tether to physically catch and save Watney. In the page or two where this decision is made, more suspense is created for the reader. These two minor issues in the ending of The Martian both create major suspense for the reader and fuel the ending to an exciting, page-tearing masterpiece.

            Great endings are about as much work as writing the rest of the story. I believe that a great ending has three elements: continuity, accuracy, and suspense. A great ending should use most, if not all, of the story’s previous plot points, and tie them together in a culminating ending to the story. A great ending should be accurate: major plot devices should not be contrived to finish the story. Any small plot devices or details introduced during the ending should hold accurate to the rest of the story elements. Finally, a great ending should be filled with suspense. The reader should be uncertain of the final outcome up until the end of the ending. To me, these three factors, when combined, create an amazing story ending.