Ending a Story Part 1

All things must end. One day, maybe years from now, Blizzard will shut down the last of the World Of Warcraft servers and we will be forced to move from one environment to another. While that does not mean the end of your character, it does mark the end of WoW itself. Between now and then, our characters will participate in thousands of stories: Some will be epic others will be small random RPs. Regardless, they will all end.

When it comes down to it, there are two ways to end a story: You start with then ending and build towards it or it organically develops. Both methods are acceptable. I tend toward the latter; however there appears to be a mystique about the former. “OMG The story was planned that way from the beginning! Genius!”

Ron Moore, discussing the end of Battlestar Galactica mentions it does not matter how the story ends: It will end. Letting a story develop, and the characters influence the story, was his method of choice. BSG wasn’t about the overarching plot: It was about the characters that the fans had a huge emotional investment in. Most of us will have an even greater level of emotional attachment to our WoW characters, therefore, we should allow them, and the stories they participate in, to work towards a satisfying end.

The more proficient writers on WTT:RP can go in-depth on the ideas of story creation. Here are a few ideas I have on ending a story.

1. It doesn’t mean “happily ever after” nor does it mean that everyone has to die either.
2. It sure as hell does not mean, “and it was all a dream.”
3. The ending should provide consequences of the characters actions.
4. Not everything plot point needs to be tied up perfectly.

Next week, I will go in depth with part one.  I’d like to hear from you:  What are some of the best and worst examples of endings you can think of?

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