Ask someone else (or better yet, 10 people) to write an ending, and change it to your liking. You'd have to get lawyers involved, as to avoid any lawsuits. Make them understand you will be changing some, or all of it, to fit your vision. Pay them a small sum, and leave it at that. Or just walk away from it for a while, and come back to it when you get some new ideas.
Might be a thread for you.
Just write. Don't edit. Difficult to switch hemispheres and stay on track with the story line. Plenty of time to edit. Never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table. Play poker!!!!!
"And they lived happily ever after."
The End?
There...
Email me for my paypal account to deposit my share of the royalties!
Mark
Book mark for later.
Leave it alone and sleep on it for three nights...then get up and remember what the ending is. Seriously, there must be an ending, and you've simply forgotten what it is....there is also a meditational exercise that one does before bed to clear the mind for more purposeful activity....before slumber recount the entire day backwards. You will then have worked out the kinks before sleep activity, which allows the mind to be creative.
The standard remedy in detective novels, when characters had been "painted into a corner", was the infamous, "...and then two guys with guns entered the room."
It can be called the "52-card pick up" ending. Something happens that changes everything. End the book with maximum chaos.
The heroine announces that she's pregnant.
The hero is recalled to active duty.
A character removes their disguise.
The lights go out and a gun is fired.
The slow-acting poison starts to take effect.
The disaster happens and everyone must scatter, to never meet again...
"Dear Diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Today we were kidnapped by hillfolk never to be seen again. It was the best day ever. "
OK, it's not mine. It's from Firefly, but it's some powerful good writin!
Mark
I don't suppose you can incorporate the responses you've received on this thread into your story? If you do, and you choose to mention my character, Chena, please remember that I don't look a day over a sensual, fit, and drop-dead gorgeous 30 year old woman in spite of being 50 years old.
This was a fictional story, right? ;)
In terms of writer's block, one method that really works for me is my daily lunch ritual. I have a PDA (Palm Tungsten T3) and fold-out keyboard. Every day I bring both to work, and I always bring them with me down to the cafeteria on my lunch break. I typically finish lunch in 20 minutes, which leaves a decent amount of time for writing a page or two. Even when I'm really blocked, I usually manage at least a paragraph, and no matter how bad the writing is it's still progress. If it's really bad I might edit it the next day and continue writing on the third, but I haven't been at a complete standstill in quite some time. For me it's become a daily ritual to the point that I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I went to lunch without my Palm.
Write a general story line,write biographies of each main character and their relationship with each other,write 2 or 3 possible endings .......If that doesn't work this is how to get over the hump...Cry,drink like a fish,make EVERYONE around you miserable and then write a best seller about how unfair the world is...{soap operas are always in vogue!!!!}
The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man sending back soup at a deli.
Would you like me to help you finish you book? LOL
Do what Salvador Dali advised. Eat moldy cheese right before you go to bed. You'll get fantastically horrible nightmares. Keep a tape recorder ready when you wake up. (Click it on after you finish screaming though.)
Quit your day job. Bet everything on your ability to write and sell the novel. In sixty or ninety days the motivation will kick in.
You must read this cool article by Stephen King on how to write. http://www.jccommerce.com/2006/07/18/everything-you-need-to-know-about-writing-successfully-in-ten-minutes-by-stephen-king/
zombies show up and eat everyone. (see, a happy ending)
You'll find that the best advice on this thread are the posts that simply suggest that you put it away and forget about it for a while.
Something will pop into your head while you're in the shower or eating dinner or doing some other mundane task. Your subconscious will still be at hard at work on the problem, although you won't know it until inspiration hits.
If nothing comes in a few days, put the text in a drawer and leave it alone -- and I mean *completely* alone -- for 4 or 5 months. Then go back and read it again from page one. Almost always, I've found that the solutions to the problems of the work immediately become apparent. Distance allows you to see things that you missed while in the throes of struggling with the work.
But here's the thing...almost all serious, extended writer's blocks are based on emotions. You need to identify the emotion that is holding you down. The absolute best book that explains it is "The Now Habit." On Amazon it's found at...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0874775043/sr=8-1/qid=1155876100/ref=sr_1_1/102-0855505-6998535?ie=UTF8
It has helped me understand why I was not able to complete projects, and how to overcome the problem. I advise this book for anyone who has a problem with procrastination.
Ask LS. LS just published a book that I hear is great. I've yet to read it though.