When I reach the end of a novel, sometimes I wonder what happens next. Where’s the rest of the story? Do you ever feel that way? Some endings seem abrupt – like the author reached their word count and quit writing.
I’m a big fan of the Epilogue chapter that covers the rest of the story. You’ll notice all my books have an epilogue. Even if those characters appear in subsequent books, I like to wrap up some more details for the reader. The definition of an epilogue is “a literary device used to add insight into developments once the major plot is over – an afterword”.
Maybe I’m not giving the reader enough credit and I should leave some mystery surrounding the events that happen after the main plot is over? Let the reader decide for themselves if the happy couple has kids, embarks on new career paths, moves to a new locale and so on. As the reader, if you don’t want to know the rest of the story, then simply don’t read the epilogue! I’m just saying…
Author Leah Busboom 