Earlier today I posted how I was catching up on those assignments that I was backlogged on and I've been getting some wonderful feedback on them since. One thing I got feedback on was a question why I didn't want to post the answer to one question.
The question was: 2. Do you know how it (the promise made to the reader in the beginning of the novel) will be answered?
I replied with yes, but I'd rather not post it here.
Someone asked why that was that I didn't want to post it. I mentioned theft issues, but honestly I'm not particularly worried about that since this is a locked forum. What I am concerned about is giving away the ending of my novel. Since this class takes us up to the submitting to agents step, we will be trying to do something with these novels sometime next year or the year after, so here's where the two questions come in.
For the READERS:
Would you buy a book from an unknown author in which you already knew the ending? Why or why not? (It can be a simple explanation)
For the WRITERS:
Would you want to divulge this info and possibly deter sales from those that are already interested in your work? Why would you post the info or why would you not post it? (Again simple explanations are fine)
I'm just wondering how many out there think I'm a nut and how many would or would not post it/buy novels in which you knew this info.
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Comments: 11
As a reader I don't like knowing the ending in advance to any author's book; it doesn't necessarily spoil the read but it may make it less enjoyable.
As a writer I never give away spoilers, simply because there are some readers that hate spoilers with a passion.
Yeah, I feel it's not as enjoyable either, and with 400 on my shelf to read (and only 1-2 a year read) there's others that I'd pick where I don't know the ending first.
That's a good way to look at it as a writer. Amusingly enough I've noticed that this far the person setting up the assignments has not given out the full plot outline of her novels (but wants us to do so) she's given out one scene each assignment and outlined one chapter, though, but she'd not told the ending to either.
I think it's time that I shell out $20 and buy the workbooks and work offline by myself.
As a reader, if I like the beginning of the book then I usually want to read the last page to see how it ends. If it doesn't end the way I think it should, then I still read it to see whether or not I will be disappointed with the ending. If it ends the way I want, then that just makes me want to read it more. You can't really go by my answer, though, because I'm weird (just ask Sammie - lol!).
That makes sense, too Leah. I think to an extent I can agree with that view as well. Actually, when I was younger I used to sit at the crossroads and try to outguess the authors of them. One author I got to know so well (he must have been predictable LOL) that I often guessed right. Other times I was wrong and liked my ending better. xD
You? Weird? Nah.
*looks to see if Sammie's online* Darn she's not, lol.
Oh, did she tell you that Gideon and SweetPea were on Webcam together the other day? It was really sweet. :)
The other day Sammie had the Webcam on and I didn't realize it. I was doing WiiFit in my pajamas while she was talking to one of her friends. It's a good thing I've known him for a long time, because I must have looked ridiculous but by now he should be used to that - lol!
I'm always on so it shouldn't be too hard to get them together. Gideon seems to like seeing her on cam so he should come over and sit nicely :P
LOL! It is a good thing that you knew him or that could have been potentially embarrassing.
I agree with you. I don't want to post the end of my novel for many different reasons.
1. I don't like to post the ending because it's subject to change at any given moment. 90% of the time when I start a novel or I am planning a novel the ending I intend is not even close to the resulting ending. Only a few novels have had endings that I knew since the beginning.
2. I put a lot of time, work, and effort into writing however many thousands of words to precede this ending. I want the reader to work up to it. Because of this, as I'm sure you know, my endings are usually pretty different from what people would expect (you know how Levi's novel ends...completely unexpected, I'm sure, and Zara's is kind of different too from what I can tell). Since I put so much work into it, I like to keep it somewhat a surprise and to be able to build up to it.
3. I've seen too many people steal things (especially on a certain site that I know you know what I'm talking about) that I just wouldn't risk giving away specific details of my plots. On a locked forum I might not have this particular issue, but I usually just follow the rules for everything because it's easier than making exceptions.
So there. You've got my two cents.
My endings typically ARE what I say they are in the beginning, but I might take a different route to GET to them that I first planned. Generally, though they don't change much if at all from the first concept.
Stealing... ew. I know the site you mean and yes, they do. I won't post anything other than a genre on that site for that reason.
And it is much easier to follow the same rules all around rather than changing for each site.
How are you going to handle the Outline assignments?
I just said I'm working on them offline and how far along they are and that I'm not posting the specifics to the forum. I'm waiting to get flack from someone, but it's my way of telling them I'm still with the class and doing the work.
As long as you do the work, I don't think it should matter too much whether you post every little detail to the class or not. It's a free class anyway, so you only get as much out of it as you put in so if you WERE cheating then you'd only be cheating yourself.