I’ve made a commitment that I will no longer begin a novel––or a short story for that matter––without first knowing how it ends. Good endings stick with you. They don’t have to be “happy” either. Casablanca would not be the classic that it is without that sad goodbye on the tarmac. I believe that what makes a good ending is that the characters get what they deserve. I had a film professor in college who said, “Think about the Rolling Stones song… your character can’t always get what they want, but they should get what they need.”

Read More