Do You Suffer From Premature Resolution?

If you've ever written or read a story that kept your attention to the very end, but then seemed to finish too quickly, you need to read this post.

Trust me. It's a serious condition. (Note: I am not a doctor, but writers can be anything, right?)

You're experiencing Premature Resolution.

This condition can be brought on by two things:

1. (the most common) When the author doesn't allow the resolution of the conflict or story lines enough room to unfold, or doesn't slow the action down enough for the reader to feel a sense of completion. Without this, the reader is unable to contemplate the meaning of the ending while still engrossed in the story itself. It's the, "I loved the book, but the ending sucked," mentality.

2. (slightly less common, but still rampant) When the author attempts to wrap up the main plot line and the subplot lines too quickly or all in the same scene. This is found most often in rushed novel endings or in short stories, when the author is nearing his word count total.

It can be difficult to spot Premature Resolution and to pinpoint its direct causes. Most readers and writers feel nothing but a sense of loss or a feeling that things didn't finish up as they should.

To keep your writing from suffering from Premature Resolution, make sure you give the major moment of climax and ending action enough space to truly unfold and sink into the reader's mind. Also, make sure you stagger the resolutions of sub plots through your novel or story so that everything doesn't end, abruptly, at one time. Not only will you keep your reader interested by offering new plot points throughout the novel so they keep reading (because the end of one problem is always the start of another, am I right?) but they will be able to commit to the climax more readily when they aren't worrying about six different character problems.

For instance, if the main plot of your story is to catch the killer, you don't want your readers also wondering if the protagonist's relationship is going to fall apart after an affair, and if the alley cat he just hit in the high-speed chase is, in fact, his daughter's. Stagger your problems (subplots) and the major conflict resolution so readers stay engaged, active, and rearing for the major reveal.