forum Advice for like ending a story like idk what to do help
Started by @Someone_Called_zap group
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people_alt 54 followers

@Someone_Called_zap group

Hey so like I'm writing this thing for class and like idk how to end it really lol. Like if you can think of a good ending for this then like pwease help.
*Note: This is set in the industrial revolution, around 1873
Ok so key players

  • Lazarus Bartholomew: main character, nervous train wreck when sober but horrible angry bastard when drunk, about 16, run away trans ftm, broke mathematician and alchemist
  • Landlady (Man I need to name her): caring like a mother, but also like an older friend of Lazarus who makes fun of him, often looks out for Lazarus because she knows he's just a kid
  • Albert the Bartender: like a concerned dad for Lazarus, actually cares about him even though he denies it, really just a nice man who wants to help everyone
  • Doctor Louis: very high class, has some sort of mysterious relationship to Lazarus, gets him his ingredients for his tonics and books on math. Could easily blackmail Lazarus if he wants to, is very suspecting and close to figuring out that Lazarus isn't who he says he is
  • Walter: Very obvious fop, total gay bottom energy, part of the mafia and is dragging Lazarus in with him

    We start with Lazarus losing his job at the factory. He then goes home and drinks and doesn’t leave his apartment for a bit over a week. His landlady comes in to tell him that rent is almost due and that he should get a real job and stop moping about. He pushes her away but then decides to go to market place to go and ‘buy’ food. Lazarus gets into an argument about him stealing the food and the price of the apples when a stranger comes up behind him and buys him some apples, pulling him away. The stranger introduces himself as Walter/Edward/Albert and offers Lazarus a trade. He will support Lazarus finically if Lazarus will kill a man for him. Lazarus is hesitant on saying he’ll kill the man, but before he can really reject the man leaves. We then switch to a new day, or well afternoon, as we see Lazarus being denied any more alcohol at a local pub, so he just starts talking to the bartender about his delima. Someone else comes in, an ‘old friend’ Doctor Louis. He pulls Lazarus away and has a hard talk to Lazarus. We find that the doctor saved Lazarus’ life and now Lazarus is still paying off the debt from it but is very close to done. It is implied that the doctor has picked up that Lazarus is trans, and is blackmailing Lazarus about of it. Doctor Louis 'highly suggests' that Lazarus runs off his family as he has grown to fully hate his wife, but Lazarus just keeps pushing him away. The doctor eventually leaves, giving Lazarus, who he only calls Bartholomew, a few things for his tonics. Lazarus immediately leaves with suspicious looks and goodnight from the bartender. When walking into the apartment building Lazarus runs into the landlady, who asks where he got the money for rent. Lazarus is confused and she explains that he was going to be out but Walter/Albert/Edward payed his rent saying it was his money. Lazarus agrees with this and heads up to his apartment with the ingredients and a new delima. After talking to himself all the way up he grabs his gun and a bottle of something, a failed tonic probably, and heads out to go kill the problem man. He knocks on the door and gets angry when the man is rude, shooting him point blank in the head. Walter/Albert/Edward sweeps Lazarus into his apartment and Lazarus freaks out and spends the night there. The next day Lazarus distracts himself by making his tonics and developing his theory of time travel. After the guilt builds up he goes and talks to the landlady late at night. Edward/Walter/Albert pulls Lazarus away to talk. To him about what he told the landlady and calmly suggest that he should join in the ‘business’, which is obviously the 1873 equivalent of the mafia. Seadrift

So like the only two ending ideas (that I feel aren't that great) are these and like I'm thinking of scrapping both of them.
Hard cut to Lazarus working finances
and make 'appearance alteration tonic' for the 1870's mafia. (A more organized form of scuttlers). A small group is asked to go to the forest and help Lazarus find things for his tonics, but are brought out there to be shot. A few people are but Lazarus has a thought for once in his life and shoots back, running into the forest, thinking of the doctor and how he will help him.
Or
We end with Lazarus getting arrested for shooting a man but just at the very last sentence Walter/Albert/Edward comes to buy him out, only if he will join in the ‘business’ obviously the 1800’s equivalent of the mafia.

Any help is appreciated also sorry this is so long. Have a great day! =)

@Loaf

This probably isn't quite the definite advice that you were going for but I think you're looking more for a late middle than an end currently. I've got some ideas for the end and maybe you could work out more of the middle to get there.
I think that the most important thing is making sure that your character has a character arc- they start off with some wrong decisions so it would be nice for them to end with making the right one, or helping someone else to make the right one.
Something else nice would be a circular ending. My story starts with two best friends and a small discussion on platonically involved parents and ends with them adopting a child (although goodness knows what happens in the middle). Yours starts with Lazarus losing his job, so both of your ending could work quite well, the first being him deciding not to do the job and the second being maybe a fresh start???
Lastly, what do you want the moral/ final message of the story to be about? Is there a message that you wanted to hear when you were younger? Write the book that you needed.

@Someone_Called_zap group

Thank you so much! I think you're right a nice circular ending would do it well. :) Working on it more from when I've posted this, his character arc has basically become "he wants to see his little bother again and get in regular touch with him" to "Lazarus realizes that bringing his brother into his life would not be safe and the best thing to do is to cut all contact". I can tie that in and hopefully have it all flow together! Other than that there's no real moral. Don't get caught up in the mob? Listen to your friend's advice? I guess these could count. But anywho, thanks for your time ham bone! Have a rad day!