In a post on Killzone, James Scott Bell offers advice on ending scenes with a bang.
Bell breaks down each scene into three parts: Objective, Obstacles, and Outcome.
- The objective is what the character wants to attain. This goal supports the overall goal of your story or novel.
- The obstacles are what block your hero from achieving his goal. It’s what your character must overcome.
- The outcome is the resolution of the scene – success, failure, or further complications.
Bell identifies four types of endings: Yes, Yes But, No, No and Furthermore.
- A NO makes your hero’s situation worse.
- NO AND FURTHERMORE gives your hero a defeat and another complication. The second obstacle generally arises from the failure to overcome the first.
- A YES has to happen sometime. Usually, your hero will achieve small victories during the story and larger ones near the end.
- A YES BUT ending allows your hero to achieve a victory, but the resolution creates further complications. Your hero may reach a goal, but at the worst possible time. Sometimes, achieving a goal means dropping a ball somewhere else or hurting another character.
