Writing a Novel: The Denouement

When discussing the traditional structure of a novel, you may come across the word denouement. This is the word describing the part of the story that happens after the climax. The denouement is the place where you can tie up the lose ends. And there always are lose ends. Unless you're writing a series and using those lose ends to spawn another novel, you need to wrap them all up in a neat little package so your readers leave satisfied.

Think about The Lord of the Rings. The climax of the story is when Frodo destroys the Ring, but that's hardly the end. There's a lot to wrap up after that, a lot you need to know about what the characters are doing and if any of them even survive. If the story ended right after the Ring was destroyed, the readers would have been really, really, upset. And justifiably so. Is anyone alive? What about Aragorn? What is up with Gandalf? We wouldn't know anything if the story just ended, and that would leave a foul taste in our mouths.

And so the denouement is necessary in almost all cases. It's a weird kind of thing that varies from story to story. And it's not as connected to plot as the rest of the book is. Often it is a place where the emotions of the story are resolved, or not resolved as the case may be. It is also the place where we learn that the lives of the characters will go on beyond the final page (unless that character was killed off in the climax; he's going nowhere). The future, what might be, is often the entire focus of the denouement.

This final bit of the story is also about saying goodbye. If the book did its job, you have grown to care about the characters. You love them, you hate them, you cry with them, and you're about to grieve as you say goodbye to them. A proper denouement will let you move on, finding another book to love, even as you reflect on the journey of the book you put down.

As a writer, it is your job to give all of this to your readers. You must give them a sense of completion and the knowledge that the story they were reading has truly come to an end. If you intend a sequel, you may tease it, of course, but be fair. If you're never going to write that sequel, don't leave crumbs. Leave satisfaction.

Writing a Novel: The Climax

When you're writing a novel, your entire story is going somewhere. It's leading to something. That something is the climax of your story, the high point, the entire point of the novel. If you're reading Lord of the Rings (and treating the trilogy as one large book), for example, the climax is when Frodo and Sam finally reach Mount Doom and the ring is destroyed. That's a very obvious example, but all stories reach a peak. That is your climax.


Whatever the climax of your story, it should generally affect the protagonist in a deep and meaningful way. It should be a pivot point, a point where everything changes for your characters. What this means will differ based on the context of your story. Going back to Lord of the Rings, Frodo not only almost dies at Mount Doom, but he is forever changed.


So how do you craft this climax? Well that will depend entirely on your story and what the point of your novel was. It's a good idea to have your climax in mind before you even begin writing your story. That way you can guide your story towards your climax. You can put hints and allusions throughout your story that almost foreshadow your climax. Your climax might even be clear from the beginning. Sticking with the Lord of the Rings example, you know quite early on what the climax of the entire story is. The Council of Elrond makes it clear that Frodo is going to take the rings to Mount Doom and destroy it. That's the climax. It's revealed early on. You know where the story's going.


That can be a blessing. It gives your readers something to look forward to. They know what to expect, know where they're going, and just need to see how you're going to take them there. But this isn't the only way to get to your climax. You can be more subtle, you can even outright mislead your readers if that's what serves the story you're trying to tell. If you're writing a mystery, for example, you can often surprise your readers with the climax. Perhaps the perpetrator isn't who anyone thought. Or is exactly who everything thought it could be. There are so many ways to approach the climax of your story.


The really important part of the climax is that it be satisfying. It should be the payoff for sticking with the story or an entire novel. It should also wrap up the vast majority of loose ends. It doesn't have to address them all. That's what the denouement is for.

Practice Writing: Many Beginnings

You can't get good at something unless you practice, practice, practice. This is true of just about everything, including beginning a story. If you want to improve the beginnings you write, you must practice writing beginnings over and over again. You have to practice different types of beginnings as well.


To practice, pick a beginning you have already written or write a new beginning to a story that is burning to be written. There are no rules to this beginning at first. Just get it down on paper, or on the computer screen, as the case may be.


Now take this beginning and rewrite it several times. Start by rewriting it in a way that puts your main character in the middle of the action. Make sure this beginning leaves the reader with at least one unanswered question, but it should not be confusing. Action, not confusion. Tweak your beginning several times until you have accomplished this.


Rewrite it again, but this time not with a main character performing an action. Instead, begin your story by focusing on an important thing, place, or animal. Make your beginning full of description. Bring it to life with your words. But also include some type of catalyst. Maybe the location or thing is what springs the story into action. Maybe it's the motivation for your main character. Whatever it is, try to begin the story absent any actual characters. It may not always be a practical way to begin a story, but it's good practice.


Begin the story again, but this time try being funny. Write amusing lines or anecdotes. Have characters amused by everything. Intrigue the reader with all that is funny. Make sure this leads to interest. Keep the reader reading by amusing while at the same time leaving questions unanswered.


Finally, rewrite the story beginning by adding an essay or prologue. Perhaps it's the main character reflecting on what happens in the story before you actually get to telling the story. Perhaps it's the narrator giving information that the reader needs in order to understand the story that will follow. It might just be the history of the setting you're using. It doesn't matter. Begin with exposition. It may sound dreary sometimes, but it can also be helpful..


Look back on the beginnings you've written. They should all be to the same basic story, but they will vary dramatically. Return to these beginnings. Pursue them. See which one takes you further. Perhaps you are now well on your way to writing a novel.

Writing a Novel: Exposition

Technically, all writing is exposition. Writing is simply explaining, describing, or commenting, which is what exposition is. But when we're talking about fiction, exposition is generally used to describe the act of giving the reader the information he or she needs to understand the story. A certain amount of exposition is necessary if you are to avoid confusing your readers, so exposition is a good thing. But filling your entire opening chapter with page after page of exposition is never a good idea.

In film and on stage, exposition tends to happen while characters are eating or drinking. Think of the "bar scene" or the dinner between characters that happens in your favorite movie. The characters sit down, share food and drink, and reveal or work out some important piece of plot that the movie needs to move forward. This works well enough on the stage or screen, but a novel is a different beast entirely.


On stage and screen, you are limited by what you see, but writing is more subtle. This subtly does not easily allow for the sudden dumping of exposition, especially at the beginning of a novel. If you're trying to squeeze in your exposition, your readers will know it. It will appear unnatural and forced. If a character doesn't have reason to think or say a thing, it will stick out and surely break the spell you're trying to weave for your readers.


Fortunately, getting exposition right isn't too difficult if you're writing in third or first person. It should be a relatively simple matter to include relevant facts when they become relevant. If there is a reason for the character to think or say the exposition, then it fits into the story without being noticed.


The problem writers often run into, however, is assuming the reader needs or wants more information than is currently relevant to the story. Don't include a piece of information in Chapter 2 if it's not needed until Chapter 52. Remember that most readers are just like you and I. They are forgetful. They don't always want to flip back and forth. Unless you have a compelling reason to provide a bit of information well before it's needed, don't do it. One of the exceptions to this is a mystery novel. Mystery readers are quite accustomed to a piece of seemingly irrelevant information coming back to haunt your characters.


But in general, you should not force a piece of information before it is naturally revealed by the story. If you are dumping exposition upon your readers, make sure it is invisible. Have a character who is excited or frightened reveal too much. Make sure your characters have a good motivation for thinking or talking about the information you are presenting. And don't do it in your opening chapter. Your opening chapter is for hooking your readers, not confusing them with bits of information they won't need until the end of the story.


For exposition to be seamless, it must be motivated by the facts of the story. There is an element of timing involved, and one of relevancy. Just because you, as the author, feel the information is important doesn't mean it should be presented right at that moment. There must be a reason, or it will feel chunky and out of place.


The best story beginnings aren't filled with a bunch of facts that don't make any sense yet. They are filled with brilliant descriptions, vibrant characters, and unanswered questions. Propel your readers into your story before you start dumping exposition on them. Even if it's necessary exposition.