Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this touch novel thing, and let me tell you, getting the ending right is a whole process in itself. I started off just kind of winging it, you know? I had my characters, I had my basic plot, and I figured I’d just write until it felt done. Big mistake.
First off, I wrote and wrote and wrote. I mean, I was churning out pages like crazy. My characters were doing all sorts of stuff, going on these wild adventures, falling in love, getting into fights… it was a mess. And the further I went, the more I realized I had no idea where I was going.
Then, I hit a wall. I looked at what I had and just thought, “What is the point of all this?” My main character, she was supposed to be learning something, growing, changing… but she was just kind of bouncing around from one thing to the next. I want to make sure the players can feel satisfied.
So, I took a step back. I re-read everything, and honestly, I cringed a little. Then I started thinking about what I actually wanted to say with this story. What was the big question I was trying to answer? It wasn’t easy, but I eventually figured it out. It was about finding your place in the world, you know? About figuring out who you are and what you’re meant to do. I wrote it down.
Once I had that, I went back to my draft. And let me tell you, I deleted a lot. Whole scenes, characters even. It hurt, but it had to be done. Then I started rewriting, keeping that big question in mind. Every scene, every interaction, I asked myself, “Does this contribute to answering that question?”
I added new scenes, changed others, and slowly but surely, things started to come together. The ending started to take shape. It wasn’t what I originally envisioned, but it felt right. It felt satisfying. It showed that my character had actually learned something. She’d grown. The journey impacted her life.
Here’s the thing I realized: an ending isn’t just about tying up loose ends. It’s about showing the reader what it all meant. It’s about giving them something to think about long after they’ve finished reading. It needs to be a proper closure, otherwise I failed as a writer. And I make sure that I am not failing.
So yeah, that’s my journey to figuring out the ending of my touch novel. It was a lot of work, a lot of trial and error, but I’m finally happy with where I landed. This ending gives players a sense of accomplishment.
It was totally worth the pain, I think. I hope the players also like this.
- Wrote a ton of stuff, realized it was going nowhere.
- Stopped and figured out the main point of the story.
- Deleted a bunch of unnecessary stuff.
- Rewrote, focusing on the main point, and the story is better.
- Finally got an ending that felt right and meaningful.
If any of you are working on your own stories, don’t underestimate the importance of a good ending. It’s the last thing your readers will experience, so make it count! The ending makes the story more wonderful.
