Figure out the end, before the beginning

SECTION: 1 Part 4

            Ok, you have hopefully now decided that there is an ultimate goal to your story besides sex, and you have decided whether this is going to be a joke, or something actually serious.  The next step IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) is to decide how your story will end. Yes that’s right, You see there are many paths to the end, and many detours you can take, FUN detours, things you didn’t think of when you started and knowing your ending, gives a place on the map that you and your characters will go to one day.

            I have been told that every story EVER written has one of 6 endings, with #6 almost NEVER written in mainstream writing (shameless plug)

1. Protagonist (the hero) wins, the Antagonist (Villain) loses- Done AD NAUSIUM (till I am sick) this is the classic mainstream Superman, Batman, The Lion King, My Little Pony.  It is by far the most written (and arguably most popular) out there.

2. The Protagonist loses, but in doing so, defeats the antagonist.  These are the classic tragedies.  (and by the way MUCH loved by the Japanese.  In fact, they love it SO much they will resurrect the hero 20 times JUST so he can die again saving everyone)   These are stories like the ORIGINAL “Hunchback of Notre Dame”, Old Yeller or Star Trek the Wrath of Khan.

3. The antagonist WINS, but it turns out he was ACTUALLY the PROTAGONIST the whole time.  These are stories like “The Punisher” or Treasure Island (Long John Silver) or Ender’s Game.

4. The Antagonist wins. But by virtue of the protagonist, returns to the side of right and good (reverse corruption) these are stories like “Titan A.E.” or “Return of the Jedi”.  Or Loki from Thor when the world is about to be destroyed.

5. The antagonist wins; protagonist loses but in doing so the antagonist ceases to find joy in what he wanted and again decides to turn to the side of the light: such as the Dragonlance books when Raistlin becomes a god, the movie “Megamind”, or “Beauty and the Beast”.

6. The Antagonist triumphs and goes on to live a happy joy filled life

I have NEVER seen #6 done in mainstream literature, to find an antagonist who reaches his goals and goes on with an epilogue, or heaven forbid new adventures with his former foes defeated or now minor secondary characters. Section 4 will deal with how we view our antagonist, but I will mention MOST authors make the antagonist so sadistically abhorrent most do not WANT to see #6 happen.  But if you make the Antagonist realistic and control the fantasy it can be a very powerful arousing ending. In any case KNOWING how this will end, will guide you to your writing.