I recently finished reading a fabulous book and was left with a mind-blowing question about the writing. How did the author write a plot that ended so badly but left me feeling satisfied? There was no doubt that what could go wrong did go wrong in this book, but I wasn’t upset about it. That puzzled me since I’m not the type to like books that end worse than I expect. After some thought and research, let me share the secret I believe makes a book satisfying—no matter the ending.
The answer is in the story plot verses the character arc. Since I don’t want to give away any spoilers for the book I read, I’m make up a generic story to use as an example.
Generic Story Plot
A man is forced to play a violent game. If he loses, he will be enslaved or die. This man is a hardened killer with skills that excel everyone else’s. It’s pretty much guaranteed he’ll win. However, not only does he not win, but the winner is the one contestant you hate the most. I will add that there is one redeeming plot point in the end, he manages to escape death and enslavement even though he lost.
Generic Character Arc
We already said our protagonist is a cold-blooded killer with exceptional skills, but let’s look at his internal mindset. He hates hurting others. He doesn’t like to follow bad orders or make people suffer, but his life has been chosen for him. During these games, he’s made to do things that slowly eat away at his humanity. The last few tasks in the competition are so heinous he has to make a decision. Will he do as he’s told and become a monster or forfeit the game to save his humanity? In the end, he chooses to not be a monster.
A Satisfying Ending
Having laid out the plot and character arc, you probably have already seen what I did. While plot is important, it’s the character arc that gives us a sense of satisfaction in the end. We are happy because he didn’t let the game take away his humanity, even if it meant the person we hate won.
After the devastating plot points the protagonist suffers through, he gains more of our sympathy by struggling with what he had to do. By the end of the book, we don’t care about the game as much as we care about him. Also, by including that he escaped death and enslavement, we have hope he can fix what’s broken in his world. Hope is a powerful ending.
Final Thoughts
If you want to write a book that isn’t the picture-perfect happy ending, then you need to have a strong and satisfying character arc. Make your readers invest in the protagonist so they aren’t just rooting for him to win, but for him to be better. I think it’s also important to have one redeeming plot point at the end that inspires hope of a better future. It can be for the protagonist, or, if he dies, a better future for those he left behind. If you can make the readers care more about the characters than the plot, you can have a successful book no matter the plot outcome. Just make the characters grow.
Thanks for reading!
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