Cozy Mysteries discussion

I'm getting close to finishing The Murder House, book five in the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries series that I write. I have a fun ending planned. The problem is my ending isn't what happened. I don't want the book to end the way it should. Have any of you hit that kind of wall? What did you do?

Let your characters tell you both what would and wouldn't happen next. Or write several endings and see which works best. Good luck.

It's got to come to a natural ending, so unless "what happened" will change the whole story, let it end the way it should. I agree with what Ellen said, too.

Nancy wrote: "I'm getting close to finishing The Murder House, book five in the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries series that I write. I have a fun ending planned. The problem is my ending isn't what happened...."

Jumping into the conversation late, but ditto the advice already offered.

Question: how might changing the ending impact the next book or the series itself? If you're okay with wherever it takes you, let the book end as it will. (I hope that makes sense; it's closing in on end of term and I have a bad case of FBS (Fuzzy Brain Syndrome, common to authors and academics alike).

When I was working on the final scenes for Deadly Ties I had three possible scenarios. I actually had to act them out with a few friends before I could decide. And without posting any spoilers, let me just say that all three required some serious physical activity!

~Susan

p.s. If you've made your decision, can you share without giving away details? How did you make your decision?

Again, perhaps this suggestion might be too late to consider, but here's an option, and one that I have implemented not in the ending of any of my books, but which has helped with other editorial issues.

Perhaps you could consider an editorial compromise by trying to combine as much of the fun ending as you intended without changing it into something you might not be as comfortable with.

Writing is all about making decisions, and blending these decisions into something worthwhile, and sometimes the greatest idea is actually a combination of one or more ideas (or even something entirely new).

The best of luck, and hope this helps!

Thanks for your suggestions, Jennifer and Susan. I have finished the book and it's off for editing. I kept the ending honest even though it pained me to do so. Then I lightened the book and my mood a bit by having my protagonist giving a lecture and having her Q & A come up with a fun bit of ambiguity. I'm satisfied with the way The Murder House ends and hope readers will be, too.