Writing to keep Afloat

I have been thinking about writing this book for years at this point. Like all of my books, I got the idea from a snippet of a scene that used to play in my head over and over. Two sisters, one who got pregnant too easily and one who could not get pregnant at all. This is a very real tension that happens in families all over the world, but I wanted to explore what it might look like in a fantasy setting.

From there, I developed the plot in my head. It went relatively smoothly. Children and husbands materialized from wherever characters are born, and I had a cast for the conflict that would drive these sisters to violence. I knew where the story had to go, but I struggled with the climax and resolution.

I have been working on this novel for years, and only over the last few days have I really worked out what the climax should look like. I wanted my climax to be a normal length at first, and I think that was the problem. For awhile, I was thinking there would have to be a second book because of how long the climax was dragging on, and then I heard Brandon Sanderson (a master of climax if there ever was one) talk about the extended climax.

He spoke about a very famous instance of the extended climax that many readers do not like but that I found particularly cathartic. In the ‘Return of the King’, the resolution happens with all of the main pieces of the larger plot. And then we return home to the Shire. You would expect the hobbits to be waiting eagerly for their missing comrades. In the movie that is just what happens. The hobbits are welcomed home with joy.

But in the book, Frodo returns from his perilous journey to a Shire that has been taken over by Saruman. They must fight this new foe on their own without the aid of men, elves, dwarves, and wizards.

Why did Tolkien decide that another conflict was necessary after our glorious ending?

I think it is compelling because our heroes get to keep being heroes even after their quest has finished. We see that their character is not dependent on the situation and they will be true to the end. It also emphasizes how the hobbits feel about their home and why that makes their journey so much harder for them. In other words, the extended climax drives home the themes that we want our readers to remember after they have closed the back cover. For Tolkien, some of those were friendship, bravery, and homecoming. For me, they are sisterhood, marriage, betrayal, and loss.

By adding an extended climax, I have the opportunity to reiterate the parts of my novel that I am most wanting to leave an impression on the reader and leave them with a deep sense of grief and catharsis.

Let me know what you think in the comments. Are you a fan of the multi-part ending?