SWRT 215 | Epilogues

July 29, 2021

person typing on MacBook Pro on brown wooden table during daytime photo

This week on the Story Works Round Table, we talk about “those bits tacked on at the end of a story to explain everything…” Wait, who said that? We discuss the epilogue and dig into our favorite epilogue to love and hate at the end of the Harry Potter series. What did you think of it? Have you written epilogues to your novels? Let us know in the comments.

VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

What is an epilogue? (0:55)

Does your epilogues content need to be presented to the reader? (1:55)

Is your epilogue presenting too much to the reader? (4:40)

How much ambiguity do you want in your epilogue? (7:18)

How can we make sure our epilogue isn’t too heavy handed? (11:14)

What about romance epilogues? (15:53)

Are epilogues always about the characters future? (17:27)

Could you take your epilogue off of your book? (18:35)

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

Things we mentioned:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Silence of the Lambs
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group.

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Two of her short stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She is the author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series. Alida lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her Golden Retriever, Seva the Wonder Dog. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com