Comments on: How I Think I Did http://fluidimagination.com/blog/2008/05/06/how-i-think-i-did/ Melting down disparate elements to form a new reality. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:59:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Kyle http://fluidimagination.com/blog/2008/05/06/how-i-think-i-did/#comment-47786 Kyle Thu, 08 May 2008 15:35:58 +0000 http://fluidimagination.com/blog/?p=1808#comment-47786 Well, let's try it the other way, then. Can you think of books that had TERRIBLE endings when compared to everything that happened before that in the book? Well, let’s try it the other way, then.

Can you think of books that had TERRIBLE endings when compared to everything that happened before that in the book?

]]> By: Adam http://fluidimagination.com/blog/2008/05/06/how-i-think-i-did/#comment-47644 Adam Tue, 06 May 2008 20:44:37 +0000 http://fluidimagination.com/blog/?p=1808#comment-47644 So, when you asked for reader feedback, I was thinking that it was an easy question - i mean I've read a fair number of books (some I've loved, others liked, and others finished) and considering how important an ending is, I should be able to discern among all those books which has good endings and which fell short. Well, its a lot harder for me than I thought. I mean, in thinking about all of the books I've loved, I can't really remember how they ended or anything specific about the ending that I liked....I feel that a book needs a strong beginning to get you interested and to get you "into the book"....and in order for a book to be memorable, it has to be strong through the middle, when everything is getting developed and occuring...the ending of a good book is always going to be a disapointment because you don't want the book to end, you don't want the characters to go away, you don't want to leave that world....in fact, I find I'm typically depressed at the end of a great book for all those reasons...it doesn't matter how the author ended it, per say, the fact is its over and now I'm forced to move on (usually to something else that author wrote, as I try to recreate the magic). Anyway, I guess my point is that a book ends when it ends...when the story is done and you have nothing more to say or you choose to have nothing more to say. Either way, the book will already be what it is and it's quality and completeness will be long decided. There have been some great books that have ended so succinctly and strangely that I couldn't believe they were ending. I actually thought the remaining pages had fallend out of the book....sometimes its even made me mad because certain ends weren't tied up quite yet. However, ultimately that is not what remains when I think of those books.....the guts of the book remain and how it ended just fades away....so don't stress about the ending. Also, I think the complete opposite can be true for a movie where the end can really effect how you felt about the whole experience....much more important to have the right ending for a film than a book... So, when you asked for reader feedback, I was thinking that it was an easy question - i mean I’ve read a fair number of books (some I’ve loved, others liked, and others finished) and considering how important an ending is, I should be able to discern among all those books which has good endings and which fell short. Well, its a lot harder for me than I thought. I mean, in thinking about all of the books I’ve loved, I can’t really remember how they ended or anything specific about the ending that I liked….I feel that a book needs a strong beginning to get you interested and to get you “into the book”….and in order for a book to be memorable, it has to be strong through the middle, when everything is getting developed and occuring…the ending of a good book is always going to be a disapointment because you don’t want the book to end, you don’t want the characters to go away, you don’t want to leave that world….in fact, I find I’m typically depressed at the end of a great book for all those reasons…it doesn’t matter how the author ended it, per say, the fact is its over and now I’m forced to move on (usually to something else that author wrote, as I try to recreate the magic).

Anyway, I guess my point is that a book ends when it ends…when the story is done and you have nothing more to say or you choose to have nothing more to say. Either way, the book will already be what it is and it’s quality and completeness will be long decided. There have been some great books that have ended so succinctly and strangely that I couldn’t believe they were ending. I actually thought the remaining pages had fallend out of the book….sometimes its even made me mad because certain ends weren’t tied up quite yet. However, ultimately that is not what remains when I think of those books…..the guts of the book remain and how it ended just fades away….so don’t stress about the ending.

Also, I think the complete opposite can be true for a movie where the end can really effect how you felt about the whole experience….much more important to have the right ending for a film than a book…

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