I have been refurbishing my kitchen cabinets. No small feat, given they were built by hand in the 1940s by someone who apparently enjoyed eyeballing the measurements. One of the issues was the top facings that attach to the ceiling. For some reason the ends of these structures were not closed off.
Simultaneously, I have been teaching a flash fiction course to high school students. They were struggling with their endings. “Don’t we all?” I said, to which I received blank looks. I suggested that endings are over-rated. But most readers need some sense of landing or further direction.
The cats in my house love the open-ended nature of the empty cabinets. They had free range in the upper levels of the shelving, leaping from one gap to the next. The students, however, wanted better resolution. We all got back to work.
To solve my cabinet problem, I went to the hardware store and, without the proper vocabulary, described my problem. A solemn man in suspenders listened without blinking then said, “Soffits.” I said yes, knowing we weren’t talking about exactly the same thing, but did have the same concept. Endings are tricky like that: How to close off a running leap, a character on a trajectory. The answer is to not close off the story completely or maybe offer surprise. When the students read their endings, they all had breathing room, a bit of ventilation for the reader to consider. My cabinet ‘soffits’ are not airtight either. Their endings leave just a bit of mystery for the cats.
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Maud & Addie has been selected by the Children’s Book Council for inclusion in their upcoming Kids Choice Awards! If you know any kids who love to read adventure tales, please pass the word! Voting is open until August 22nd. Only kids can vote!
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