Susan May Warren

Melissa asked: Why does every book have to have a happy ending? Don’t get me wrong, I like the happy ending, but at the same time there are a few books that I have read that totally threw me by not having the expected happy ending, the guy didn’t get the girl, and they didn’t live happily ever after with 2.5 kids and a dog. Anyway, funny question, I know, but sometimes I like it when the ending isn’t what I’m expecting.

Oh, that’s a good question!

Actually, I did write a story that didn’t have a typical happy ending once – Marina, where my heroine and my hero do NOT live happily ever after. (at least in that book!). Why do I mostly write happy endings? 1. Because I like them. 2. Because I think my readers, who have spent so much time with these characters would like them to be happy. 3. Because after all that suffering, I think my characters deserve it. And since I’m the creator, I want to make them happy.

However – if I am crafting a story where I don’t think there should be a typical happy ending, then I am not going to write one. I think the story has to be told the way it is demanded to be told. I hated, for example, Sommersby. Hated. Why? Because, aside from the fact that I was a sopping mess by the end of the movie, it wasn’t a happy ending. However, that was how the story HAD to be told. Any other way, and it wouldn’t have been realistic. But then again…was it truly an UN-Happy ending? Because the heroine got to keep her status as a landowner, had experienced true love, and was able to honor the promise her husband/imposter had made in giving the land away to the freed slaves. Perhaps, it was happy…or let’s call it bittersweet.

How about Cold Mountain? That might have been written differently, but then again, it wasn’t really an UN-happy ending either, was it? The woman lost her man, but she’d only had him in her imagination, and only in reality for one night. They might NOT have lived Happily Ever After, but she had her child, and the illusion that they would have been happy, and person, in that way, they did have their traditional ending.

I think it’s important to take a look at WHAT HEA means for the character. And for the story. And if it means a traditional ride off into the sunset, then great. But perhaps, like you suggest, we can think outside the book, get to the heart of the matter, and craft an ending that will keep people (like me), rooted to their seats, sobbing. And, thinking.

(Susan May Warren spent the summer collecting “Ask and Author Anything!” questions, about life, writing and anything (within reason) her readers asked. Stop back every week this winter to read the answers to those questions!)

Are you a writer? Get your daily dose of writing craft! www.mybooktherapy.com!

Hannah asked: I always wondered how a author can write so many books and still have such good endings and plots etc. So what’s your secret to writing? Lol!

Oh, thank you for those kind words! I love to write, and I’m always on the hunt for a great story! I’m actually very dangerous to have around – just last week I was sitting in a restaurant and accidentally overheard a person talk on their cell phone (have you ever noticed how loud people are on their cell phones?). He poised a question to his caller, and it got my little brain thinking of all sorts of crazy answers, so much that I had to sit down and write an opening scene for a yet unpublished book. I can’t help it – I’m always asking what if, and what does that person do, and pretty soon, I have a story in my mind. As for the endings, it really depends on the character, and his/her needs/dreams/fears. I always let the character tell me what the ending is going to be, before I start the story. Yes, I know that sounds a little strange, but if I discover who my character is and why he/she does what they do, usually I can tell what sort of ending will be perfect for them. Hence, why each story is different! (Although, yes, I have one theme – Happily Ever After!)

I have a lot of secrets to how I plot my characters and stories – discover them at www.mybooktherapy.com, and get your daily dose of writing craft!

(Susan May Warren spent the summer collecting “Ask and Author Anything!” questions, about life, writing and anything (within reason) her readers asked. Stop back every week this winter to read the answers to those questions!)

Are you a writer? Get your daily dose of writing craft! www.mybooktherapy.com!

Tawni asked: How do you go about getting your story noticed by a publisher? My daughter is 15 and loves to write.

Getting noticed in today’s market – whether you’re published, or not, it always a challenge. There is always another great book out there, always a story that is similar to your own. What do you do?

1. Write the story that is on your heart. God has given you a passion for something, and no one can write it with your angle, your insight, your burden. Yes, it might be a rehash of a million other stories, but written in your fresh voice and perspective, it can still be a story that resonates. (Look at all the remakes of old movies, or variations on, say Bible themes, or Shakespearian plays!)

2. Work, work, work on craft so that you can write the best possible story. Make your verbs sing, your nouns sharp, your dialogue crisp, your theme powerful. Make your characters real, and your tension sizzle. Craft always gets noticed.

3. Be true to the story. Every book has a message, yes, but if your message overpowers your story, then you’re just preaching. Tell the story, as creatively as possible, and the message will shine through.

4. Stay current with books in the genre you’re writing so you know your competition. Your editor will know what else is out there – you should too.

5. Take criticism with grace, apply it, and DON’T GIVE UP!

Sounds simple, I know, but those basics are what have driven writers across the centuries to write the classics, the best-sellers and the stories we love today.

(Susan May Warren spent the summer collecting “Ask and Author Anything!” questions, about life, writing and anything (within reason) her readers asked. Stop back every week this winter to read the answers to those questions!)

Are you a writer? Get your daily dose of writing craft! www.mybooktherapy.com!

Sarah asked: The one author who has impacted me the most?

I know I’ve answered my favorite writers, (Dee Henderson, my buddy Rachel Hauck, and many others) but as for the one that impacted me the most, it must have been Francine Rivers. When I read her Mark of the Lion series, I realized, for the first time, just what an impact Christian Fiction could have on a person’s life. I wanted to be the kind of Christian that Hadasseh was, have her courage, and commitment to the Lord. And when I read Redeeming Love and the Atonement Child, I knew that I wanted to write powerful books that could touch lives. No, I don’t write the kind of stories Francine does (yeah, right, like who does?), but I put prayer and study into them, hoping they too will impact people seeking to know God better.

(Susan May Warren spent the summer collecting “Ask and Author Anything!” questions, about life, writing and anything (within reason) her readers asked. Stop back every week this winter to read the answers to those questions!)

Are you a writer? Get your daily dose of writing craft! www.mybooktherapy.com!