: Re: How do I successfully structure a long fiction piece? I’ve ‘completed’ three novels – a thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a mystery. I’ve had expert readers for all three including

@Kevin153

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I have a hunch: The endings are not satisfying. When that's true, there's nothing for the second half of the novel to build toward.

If that's true, then perhaps the problem is not structure per se, but the ending. And if that's true, there's a good chance that the beginning somehow doesn't lend itself to a satisfying ending.

In my experience, three things make for a satisfying ending: A strong external conflict, a strong internal conflict, and an inextricable relationship between the two. The internal conflict makes the external conflict especially relevant and difficult for this character. The external conflict exacerbates the internal one, or the internal conflict makes the external one irresolvable.

So: Look to the beginning. Is there a strong external conflict? Does the main character have a strong internal conflict? Are the internal and external conflicts inextricably related?

Then look to the ending: Does the ending resolve both the external and internal conflicts, in a way that gives strong meaning to the interplay between internal and external conflicts?

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