Open ended stories - annoying

Yeah I can see the points made.
I still personally find books that do it irritating. Especially when, as I said earlier, all things build to a cliff hanger, I turn a page and see "To be continued in book two" but nowhere on cover, fly leafs or authors / editors intro does it state book one of a series. Thats what makes me want to get my axe, latex gloves and go a stalkin'
 
REF: dannymcq.
I agree 100%, it really annoys the hell out me, having spent time and effort, to find a book or film has no real ending.
Some people might find this nice and arty, but to me it is shear b****y laziness on the writers part, they simply can't be bothered to tie things up properly.
Or they've painted themselves into a corner and can't get out.
This type of ending would be excusable if there was a sequel on the way, but nine times out of ten there isn't.
And yes I agree, it is very annoying to read a book only to find it's volume 1 of a series, there being no hint of this on the cover, flyleaf ect!!!
This happened to me when I read "The Reality Dysfunction" by Peter F.Hamilton.
It's a real brick of a book.
I did enjoy it, but after slogging all the way through it only to find there were two more volumes to go it's a wee bit vexing.
 
Authors can say what they like about making it a ' better' story.
Trouble is I spend a good wodge on new books (get myself nagged off my wife for going OTT sometimes) and when this happens I no longer buy any by that name.
I sometimes pick a new book by them up at local library and, after reading and yet again finding this 'cop out' , I sit pleased that I didn't waste my cash.
Minor victories I know but how many more readers do the same?
Probably enough to affect book sales and thus the author - I hope!
 
I guess I wouldn't have called that "open ended" as much as a serial story (or whatever). And sometimes the publisher does that. Peter Watts goes into a long and colorful diatribe in on of the Rifters books about how publishing companies do not like books of certain length and will force the author to divide them.

But I don't think a book that fails to spell out a definitive denouement for every plot point is necessarily leaving the reader dangling. If it is written like that, the author isn't being lazy or mysterious, he wants you to enter Schrodinger's Box and take some mystery away with you.


Some of my favorite films, like Blade Runner or Blood Simple do this effectively.
 
I'm not suprised fans were tearing there hair out over the ending of "The Sopranos".
I only watched one or two episodes but I did watch the last one.
This must rank as one of the worst endings or non-endings ever!
You invest hours & hours watching ever episode following all the plot lines only to have it finish more or less in mid sentence!
I may be old fashioned and not very arty but to me a story should have a beginning, middle & end normal in that order.
If you want to see how a series can end properly then watch "Breaking Bad"!!!
 
I honestly think it depends on the narrative. If it's a book that has a sequel, open ended endings are a great way to encourage thought, spark debate, and of course, push sales.

If it's the final book in a series or a standalone story, then it is definitely annoying for me. I like a proper sense of closure.
 
What if an author just isn't good at endings?

I agree that an open ended ending tends to be MUCH worse than a proper conclusion to the story, but writing a good ending is notoriously difficult. -I'd much rather have an open ended ending than a closed-ended bad ending, and I imagine a lot of authors don't have the (particular) skill for the first to be an option.

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My personal hate is books with incredibly negative endings, and insufficient forewarning.

A story should (generally) have a resolution. "And then evil reigned forever, lol, f*ck you" is not a resolution, it's just malice.

I'm not saying a book can't have a tragic ending, or even can't have a not-even-tragic ending, but shoehorning such an ending into an otherwise conventional book because you think it's clever, or even because you think it's just how things would play out (if that hasn't dictated your choices elsewhere), or more likely because it makes you feel good to f*ck with people, is unforgivable in my eyes. People read books to get away from all that, and emotionally ambushing them in an otherwise conventional story (on whose strength and associated expectations they will have invested money, energy and attachment) is at best lazy or stupid, and at worst a self indulgent or clueless decision to betray the reader's trust, having effectively solicited it by use of conventional tropes.

-If you want your book to have a horrific ending, don't write a conventional book, so all of the people looking for a normal conventional story can look elsewhere.
 
I've been reading this series by KJ Colt and I think it falls in the category of discussion here::
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R8IPKZC/?tag=id2100-20
::Each story ends:: Basically with a clear understanding that there is more story to tell. The character moves forward in each story and completes a part of the journey by the end; but they are far from happy and necessarily satisfying endings; however they typify what I love in a great story.

The characters in the story are characters that I enjoy reading about. Despite often being frustrated by their choices. They are characters that as the last page turns I feel I know them well enough I would like to read more of their story and that's what I've been doing.

Book 5 is on the way and the author claims that things wrap up in book 6: but really I'm not sure I care as much as knowing that there will be two more books to read.

Perhaps I was ruined in my childhood by ERB and John Carter of Mars who seemed to always end on semi-cliffhanger moment. Sure there were some stories in the Martian books that had clear ending for most of the characters. And even at one point things evened out for John Carter and yet in the final chapters he was being left hanging out there.

I enjoyed reading the stories of the journeys.

So what if the author leaves a lot for your imagination at the end or decides to string you along for another story.
If the author leaves things hanging maybe one day they will finish the story for you or maybe they expect you to finish the story. If it were only about the wrap up at the end then I'd read the first few pages and the last few and have done with it. But if you do that then you miss the whole point of the story.
 
Brian G Turner said:
I really dislike open-ended stories, too. It's a criticism I've levelled here about Stephen King, for example, that some of his books didn't feel like they'd actually ended - that something was missing to conclude them.

And yet, and yet ... I'm experimenting with a side project that does have an open ending. And it's not because I want one, it's simply that the story has one - I always know how my stories are supposed to end before I write one, and this is how this one ends. And if I try to change it, it would become a completely different story, and not one I'd want to write.

Then again, if I do finish this project, maybe my betas will persuade me to change it after all and maybe I'll agree. :D
Click to expand...

Nah, stick to your guns Brian, be the man you were twelve years ago!
Open or closed story endings?
 
dannymcg said:
Nah, stick to your guns Brian, be the man you were twelve years ago!
Click to expand...

In the end I started to write that story, and it certainly doesn't have an open-ending! At least, I'm not going to suddenly stop and then leave everything mysterious and open to interpretation. But I had to provide room for a sequel to follow on...
 
I think there's a move towards open-ended stories in modern literature. I know it's supposed to get the reader involved and start thinking but I prefer resolution. Maybe I'm just dim :)
 
It may (hopefully) only be a passing trend - like black and white music videos back in the eighties
 
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