Perhaps it’s because I moved, or Leonard Nimoy died, or the rejection letter I just got, but lately I’ve been thinking of endings. As to the latter, it said this (and please don’t think I’m terribly torn up about it- it’s all part of the gig):
We were left wanting to know what happens next, and that is difficult to do in flash fiction. We think your story would be better suited as a short story, or even a novel.
Which is probably true and all, but it’s a fairly common comment about my short work. In fact, it’s something I think about every time I come up with a story idea. “This would be a great novel,” I think. But it’s the leaving the reader wanting more that sticks out to me- to me, that’s part of the story, or at least the appeal. I love movies, books and stories that leave something unsaid or open to interpretation. For me, at least, those are the stories which are memorable and stick with you. That’s what I want to write- memorable stories, that stick with the reader long after they have been read.
Thus, I tend to write endings, at least in the short medium, which leave the ending subject to interpretation or ambiguous. Or, in the case of this story, strongly implied.
Or I just can’t write a proper ending.
–DESR
deanfortythree 