Ending it All
What do jokes, sex and fiction all have in common? No matter how good the beginning and middle are, they’re ultimately judged on how things end.
So you’ve got your killer first lines, your stunning plot developments, your unforgettable characters... But how do you wrap this thing up in a way that honors and elevates the story you’ve poured your heart (and maybe years of your life) into? How can an ending not just tie up the loose ends but actually add meaning to the work?
Novelist and short-story writer Rebecca Makkai will talk you through endings that work, endings that are sublime, and endings that fall flat. Whether you’re working on a story, novel or memoir (or even poetry), whether you’re refining the last page or just starting your project, this class will give you your toolkit for a killer ending.
Rebecca Makkai is the Chicago-based author of the story collection Music for Wartime, as well as the novels The Hundred-Year House (a BookPage “Best Book” of 2014 and winner of the Chicago Writers Association Award) and The Borrower (a Booklist Top Ten Debut). Her short fiction was featured in The Best American Short Stories anthology in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and appears regularly in publications such as Harper’s, Tin House and Ploughshares, and on public radio’s This American Life and Selected Shorts. The recipient of a 2014 NEA Fellowship, Rebecca has taught at the Tin House Writers' Conference, Northwestern University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her website is www.rebeccamakkai.com.
