The friend of my friend. . .

[rolanni]

Off on another part of Teh Intertubes, a colleague is writing the last book of a series, and is experiencing separation grief.

During our interview at ConQuesT, I made the comment in reply to. . .something, that readers and writers have a different relationship with the writer’s characters; with readers experiencing something like a traditional, real-world “friendship” with those characters they’ve come to like.  The relationship between an author and her characters is more nearly collaborative, and while I do love my children, I don’t worry about them to the extent that some readers report.

Back at. . . Duckon, I think it was, a few years ago, I happened to overhear a young lady in the hallway between panels who was being congratulated by her colleagues for having made an author on a previous panel (on what I suppose was fan fic) break down and cry.  “She had to be made to understand,” the young lady was saying, very sternly, “that she doesn’t own those characters just because she made them up.  They belong to us, because we give them life!”  (Yes, I did check.  No, I didn’t start in with the young lady then and there.  This is entirely due to the fact that Steve grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hall to our next event.)

All of these things, though, speak to the “reality” of fictional characters, and the hold they have over the minds and hearts of readers (and writers, too, if we do only make them up).  My colleague who is wrapping up the series wonders what will happen to their beloved characters in the minds of readers, once their story is told; and if readers will also experience grief, knowing that this is the last book.

I have my own opinions on this (quelle surprise!), but I’d like to hear yours:  How do you handle the ending of a series?  What’s your relationship with — and your responsibilities toward — people who live in books?

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[groblek.livejournal.com]

I nearly always approach the end of a series I really like with a little trepidation that the author will leave an ending that is in some way unsatisfying for me. That fear is usually wrong, but I read enough where that happens as a youth to leave me with that reaction. I particularly dislike it when an author kills the main character at the end to force an ending. The classic example being Sherlock Holmes, though Arthur Conan Doyle was forced to contrive a way around that one later.

For me as a reader, a series has ended well when I can tell that the story being told is finished, and when I still like the characters enough that I would enjoy hearing more about them and their lives. I like all the major questions to have been answered, but I don't think every little thing needs an explanation. Basically, I want an end to the story, but the ability to imagine the characters happily going on with their lives offstage in the future. As I just finished reading it, I find Seanan McGuire's Blackout to be a good example of a series end that works well for me. There are many unexplained things left in the setting, but the story is done and the questions that are core to the events of the story are answered.

SIDE QUERY

[margotinez.livejournal.com]

Where can I find Seanan McGuire's Blackout? It is not on Amazon. Thanks.

[irismoonlight.livejournal.com]

I think the reference might be to Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis.

Re: SIDE QUERY

[ebartley.livejournal.com]

It's on Amazon; I bought it there. It was written under the pen name of Mira Grant, since the publishers didn't want to conflate the urban fantasy with the zombie apocalypse horror. The first two books in the trilogy are Feed and Deadline, and there's also a prequel novella titled Countdown.

Re: SIDE QUERY

[groblek.livejournal.com]

Oh right, I forgot the pseudonym when I mentioned the book - ever since meeting Seanan, I tend to forget that she writes under multiple names.

Re: SIDE QUERY

[groblek.livejournal.com]

I had my local independent bookstore order it for me, but If I were ordering online, I'd go here: http://www.biblio.com/books/510014843.html. That's the page for the book in Borderlands Books' online catalog, though if you call them, they may have an autographed copy, since Seanan had an event there Saturday.