Irony is a powerful tool to have in your writer’s toolkit. It can make your writing a lot more interesting and entertaining for your readers, adding a wonderful new dimension to your fiction.

Now, there are several different types of irony that writers can use to great effect when crafting their stories. In this article we’ll talk about the seven types of irony that you can use to take your fiction to the next level.

What Is Irony?

Irony is a literary device that can be used very effectively to add humor and tension to your story, making it much more engaging for your readers.

Now, how do you define irony? It’s when something happens that seems like it should be the opposite of what your audience expects but in fact has a meaning that’s in line with their expectations. The end result is usually surprise and often delight!

Why Do Authors Use This Rhetorical Device?

Authors use this device because it can produce very interesting results by creating unique circumstances when your readers least expect it.

Irony can even open the doors to deeper insights by challenging your audience’s worldview.

In short, it’s a very versatile device that can be used to add an element of surprise not only to your dialogue but also to situations, places and circumstances throughout your plotline.

What Are the Different Types of Irony for Fiction Writers?

Here are 7 distinct types of irony that you can use in your fiction narrative:

1. Dramatic irony

Dramatic irony takes place when you make your audience aware of something that a key character in your story does not yet know.

With this type of irony your readers get to have an insider’s view of what’s about to happen to your character that’ll change their journey in an unexpected way.

2. Situational irony

Situational irony takes place when things turn out to be the opposite of what your audience expected.

This can be used to great effect, for example, when you want to throw your audience off the trail early on in your plot so you can surprise them at the end (think about the ending of the movie The Sixth Sense.)

3. Verbal irony

Verbal irony takes place when someone says one thing but means another. This is a commonly used device you can incorporate into your writing to spice up your dialogue with very humorous results.

The age-old technique of double entendre is a classic example of the use of verbal irony in dialogue.

4. Socratic irony

Socratic irony happens when someone pretends to know less than they actually do in order to teach someone else about an idea or situation.

This is less about humor and more about achieving an unexpected form of discovery or enlightened state (think about Al Pacino’s final monologue in the movie Scent of a Woman).

5. Irony of fate

Irony of fate takes place when events happen contrary to what is planned or expected by your audience.

This can be used to great effect to reach the climax of your story (like the unexpected ending of Thelma and Louise.)

6. Tragic irony

Tragic irony happens when actions lead to bad results despite good intentions.

This is a technique that’s often used as part of the hero’s journey, when the hero’s good intentions take them to a place where they hit rock bottom.

7. Sarcasm

Finally, sarcasm is an expression of scorn or disapproval often used as a form of verbal irony.

This device is often used to trigger a comedic effect out of a seemingly serious dialogue.

Some writers can craft sarcastic comments so well that they can unlock multiple layers of humor (Monty Python were famous for their use of multi-layered sarcasm in some of their skits.)

Wrapping Things Up

Irony is a powerful tool that will take your readers on an emotional roller coaster ride through twists and turns they didn’t see coming, often to very humorous effect and sometimes to a state of shock and surprise.

Use these rhetorical devices to take your dialogue writing skills to the next level by putting the rubber to the road and starting to incorporate them into your fiction!

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

 

The second person is a powerful and vulnerable way to build your narrative, and can be used to great effect in both fiction and non-fiction.

While using the second person in non-fiction is very common, in the world of fiction it’s one of the most difficult points of view to write from, requiring a lot of finesse when crafting your words.

In this article we’re going to discuss what the second person point of view is, why it’s so powerful and some common mistakes authors make when writing from this perspective.

What Is The Second-Person Point of View?

The second-person point of view is a writing technique where you address your readers directly, breaking the fourth wall between author and reader.

As a result, writing a second-person narrative offers a much more intimate relationship with your audience, which other narrative styles cannot easily achieve.

The use of the second-person point of view is quite common in non fiction writing, especially books in problem-solving subgenres (e.g. the “how to” type.)

Although less common in fiction, it can still be used to great literary effect provided you take the time to master it first because it’s not as easy to pull off.

In either case, when writing from the second person point of view, authors get to have complete control over their audience.

Having said that, these are waters that must be navigated very carefully so as not to make your readers feel manipulated or uncomfortable as you address them directly.

Why Use The Second-Person Point of View in Fiction?

The second-person narrative can be an effective tool in your author arsenal because it places your reader front and center in your story — not just as an observer but also as a co-participant with your protagonist.

By making your audience feel that they are themselves part of the scene, you can take them on an exciting journey filled with surprise twists, thus creating a much deeper level of reader engagement.

How To Use the Second-Person Narrative in Your Book

In order to use the second-person point of view effectively, you need to focus your narrative on the use of second-person pronouns (you, your, yours). Note that sometimes these pronouns can be implied and don’t always need to be present in the writing.

While you can mix points of view by adding first and third person references, you have to make sure that you never dilute the presence of your reader as a key player in your story. This is particularly true in the non-fiction genre.

When you write a non-fiction book to address an issue your audience is trying to resolve (e.g. losing weight, quitting smoking, improving their relationships, etc.), your readers expect you to make your book about them and not anybody else.

They expect to be front and center in your narrative and will also want to be addressed as an audience of one. If you make your nonfiction book about you instead you’ll lose their interest.

Readers don’t want to learn how you solved your own problem, they want you to teach them how to solve theirs.

Having said that, this direct connection could backfire if you accidentally hurt their sensibilities. So, always make sure to write in the second person from a foundation of empathy.

If you’re writing a fiction story from this point of view, a similar dynamic takes place in that you’re making your audience become a character in your story, so make sure that your readers never feel manipulated by your narrative.

5 Tips for Using the Second-Person Point of Voice Effectively

Below are some useful second-person narrative tips to set you on the right path:

1. Use the second-person point of view to create a more personal connection with your readers

If you’re writing fiction, keep in mind that by addressing your reader directly you’re breaking the 4th wall.

So, always be conscious that you’re bringing an actual human being with feelings and emotions into your fictional universe and always engage your readers with empathy and respect.

2. For problem-solving nonfiction, always make the second person point of view center stage

If you’re writing problem-solving non-fiction (e.g. health, psychology, self-help, fitness and money subgenres, among many others), make sure to minimize the use of the first person in your narrative — i.e. readers expect your book to be about them, not you.

Your role then is to become a facilitator for information, skills and solutions to help your audience get to where they want to go.

3. For fiction writing, experiment with second person narratives in short stories first

Since in the world of fiction you’ll be making your readers part of your protagonist’s journey, try first to incorporate the second person point of view as part of a short story.

This narrative is hard to pull off for the full length of a novel unless you’re very skilled, so short stories are a great training ground to cut your teeth with.

4. Use the second-person point of view to create suspense

By addressing your fiction reader directly with a second person narrative, you elevate their commitment to your story since you’re involving them directly in your protagonist’s choices and outcomes.

As a result, you get to design how you want your readers to feel by selectively disclosing or withholding important information, therefore allowing you to keep your readers on the edge of suspense.

5. Read a lot of second-person fiction before you attempt it

Here are some great examples of the use of the second person narrative in the fiction genre. I recommend you read and analyze some of these novels and short stories to learn how this style is used by the pros:

• The Sound of My Voice by Ron Butlin
• The Book of Rapture by Nikki Gemmell
• Damage By A.M. Jenkins
• The Fifth Season By N.K. Jemisin
• Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

Some Pitfalls And Challenges to Keep in Mind

• The second-person point of view is a difficult perspective to write fiction from. Make sure to read a lot of works from experienced authors before you attempt it
• If not done right, It can be hard for readers to understand who is being talked about
• The second-person point of view can be difficult to maintain for an entire novel. Begin practicing with short stories first and then build up your second-person writing muscle slowly
• Readers often find it hard to identify with the narrator unless they are clearly defined ahead of time, so don’t make your narrator unidimensional
• In order for your reader’s experience to be immersive, you must have a strong sense of who your audience is and what they’ll want to gain from your story. Don’t write for a generic reader, do your research

In Summary

If you’re looking for a new perspective to tell your fiction or create an engaging narrative, consider utilizing the second-person point of view. This is a sure way to make your reader feel as if they’re living through the same experience as your characters.

In the world of nonfiction, the second person narrative is a requirement for problem-solving books where readers expect to be addressed directly by the author.

In all cases, keep in mind that by using the second person point of view you’re engaging with living human beings with real feelings that can be hurt, so always approach your writing from a foundation of empathy.

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

Are you looking for character development tips? Do you need help creating deep, rich characters for your story? How can you make sure they are complex and yet relatable?

If you’re looking for answers you are not alone. Many fiction authors struggle with character development when they first start writing novels. But fear not!

This article will answer the above questions and more so you can develop dynamic characters that deepen the plot of your story and come alive in the minds of readers.

What Is Character Development?

Character development is the process of making a character compelling through backstory, personality traits, their actions in relation to other characters and the experiences that shape them.

The better developed your character is, the more interesting they’ll come across to readers making your story much more memorable.

How Do You Develop a Character?

The first step to develop a character for your novel is to give them a backstory, as mentioned above. What is a backstory? It’s the narrative that provides your character with a past that makes them who they are and gives their motivations meaning and purpose.

Now, as you begin to communicate this backstory to your audience, you should strive to strike a balance between providing too much information about their past and just enough to support their actions at any given point in your story. You don’t want to reveal too much too soon.

Also, avoid confusing your readers with inconsistencies in your character’s backstory when transitioning from one scene to another. Make sure to carefully map out the timeline throughout your character’s history to their present moment before you start writing.

The second step is to establish the emotional journey your character will need to experience in order to transform from who they are at the beginning of the story to who they’ll become after the climax.

This emotional journey needs to be something that your readers can relate to. If they can’t then they won’t be able to willingly suspend their disbelief and get into your book.

The third step is to figure out the course of events that needs to transpire in your character’s story. This work will help you determine how many details from their past should come into play before you reach the climax of your movel.

Characteristics of a Well-Developed Character

You know you’ve created a character that’s real and believable when your audience can identify with them to the point they “jump” out of the page and into your readers’ minds.

In other words, when you’ve given your audience enough credible details throughout your narrative that it becomes plausible for them to believe that your character could actually exist somewhere out there, whether in the past, present or future.

If your readers find themselves thinking about your character’s traits and inner-workings after having put down your book, then you’ve done a great job!

Avoid Over-Complicating Your Characters

When you create a character, it’s important that they don’t become a caricature or two dimensional. Characters need depth and complexity in order to connect with your audience.

Having said that, you don’t want to create a character that’s so intricate that they become impossible to figure out.

Another pitfall is making your character too perfect or flawless (in other words, devoid of real humanity.)

While this may seem like an appealing or even a convenient idea at first blush — after all who doesn’t want their protagonist to be infallible — it’ll actually hurt your reader engagement because you’ll make it difficult for people to identify with them.

Examples of Different Types of Common Characters

Here are some examples of character archetypes to help you get your character development started:

Protagonist

The protagonist is the main character in your story who you want your audience to root for. They’re generally a well-intended person who in good faith wants to do everything in their power to solve whatever problem has been set before them.

Antagonist

The antagonist is your protagonist’s counterpoint. They have different goals or motivations from what’s going on and will do everything in their power to stop your protagonist from being able to accomplish their goals.

Sidekick

A sidekick helps out with tasks such as research or gathering information while acting under another character like a protagonist or an antagonist.

This type of character can often offer more insight into your protagonist or your antagonist by providing your readers a “fly on the wall” viewpoint that can add nuance to the story, for example, facts that your main characters may not be aware of at the time but that you want your audience to find out.

Ways to Ensure That Your Readers Can Connect With Your Characters

Make sure your characters are developed to be approachable and three-dimensional.

Your goal with character development is to create a protagonist your readers will embrace and root for, and an antagonist that although malicious in nature has a human side that’s relatable.

By adding flaws and weaknesses to your characters you’ll be eliciting empathy from your audience, and empathy is the glue that connects characters with readers.

But you don’t just want to create flaws for the sake of eliciting empathy alone. You also want to force your characters to actively and even perhaps reluctantly deal with those flaws in order to experience growth within their character arc.

It’s also a good idea to create situations where your character’s past makes it difficult for them to experience growth resulting in pain or suffering, which will also elicit empathy from your audience.

Questions to Help You in Your Character Development Process

Here are some useful questions to help you frame your character development process:

• What flaws do your characters have and how can they overcome them? (how will they experience growth?)
• What motivates your characters?
• Do their motivations change throughout the story or is there a main motivation that never changes?
• How does your main characters react when someone close to them dies, gets injured, etc.?
• What kind of impact does this leave on them as a character? (think: origin stories of superheroes)
• What would cause your protagonist to turn into an antagonist toward another character at some point during the plot line?

Wrapping Things Up

As a final note, keep in mind that not all stories need a strong character arc in order to work. Some books focus on the plot instead of the emotional journey of specific characters (e.g. novels about famous bank robberies.)

Others strictly focus on the emotional journey of the protagonist while the plot line takes a back seat. And yet others focus on both, giving you a lot of freedom of expression as an author (e.g. fantasy stories.)

But in the end, don’t be afraid to experiment. You never know what kind of amazing storyline may pop into your head as you go through your character development process!

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

Every story requires six essential elements in order to be considered complete. In this article, we’ll talk about what these elements are, what they mean and how each play an important role in creating a compelling storyline.

What are the 6 Essential Elements of a Story?

The elements of a story are the building blocks that make up your fictional world. Each element needs to be planned in the correct sequence to make sure your book is well structured, cohesive and engaging for your readers.

These elements are the most important aspects that you need to consider when developing your plot. Without any one of them, you’d be missing a critical puzzle piece supporting what needs to happen for your novel to work.

The following six elements will allow you to create an engaging storyline with well-developed characters and interesting plot twists:

Element 1. Setting

The setting of your story is the time and location where your novel takes place.

It provides the backdrop for the action. This can be a realistic setting or a fictional universe, but either way, you need to have a clear understanding of the world you want your readers to inhabit as they read your novel.

For example, if you’re writing historical fiction, the setting needs to include elements like geography, period culture/society, language, fashion, etc.

The setting of your story will help immerse your readers into the events as they unfold.

Element 2. Characters

Your characters are what drive your storyline forward. You’ll obviously need to delineate who your main characters are but you may also want to develop secondary ones, especially if they can play an important role in advancing your plot.

Characters interact with each other to create conflict, which often leads to a buildup of action as you advance your story towards the climax of your book.

It also helps if their actions evoke some sort of emotion (positive or negative) as this makes them more compelling for your readers.

Element 3. Conflict

The conflict in your story is the most important element of your writing as it is what will make your novel an interesting read. Without it, you’re just writing a descriptive account of people or places without any sense of urgency, which is quite unappealing for fiction readers.

Imagine if someone made a movie similar to James Cameron’s Titanic, but instead about another luxury cruise trip embarking on an uneventful journey across the ocean, arriving in New York City with no conflict or drama of any kind.

Even if a studio spared no expense to perfectly recreate the detail of the period, it would have a very difficult time finding an audience — in other words, no conflict, no appeal.

Element 4. Rising Action

In order to arrive at the climax of your story, you must first build up to it slowly. This rising action is what makes your conflict come to life — your goal here is to build up the tension between your characters to keep your readers glued to the page.

Elements that influence the rising action in your story are mystery, anticipation, suspense, foreshadowing and so on, as you leave a trail of crumbs throughout your book with hints about what may happen later on in the story.

Depending on the genre, you could even use this buildup to take your readers down an unexpected path so that they are blown away when the climax of the story turns out to be the opposite of whey thought would happen (remember The Sixth Sense?)

If done correctly, you’ll be able to keep readers hooked on your every word for hours on end. They won’t even realize when one chapter ends and another begins!

Element 5. Climax

The climax of your story is the time when everything comes to a head. It’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for, where your protagonist overcomes their key obstacle and ultimately becomes a better person because of it.

The climax in your story needs to leave your readers feeling fulfilled. So always make sure your climax makes sense to them — your readers are expecting this to be the case and you don’t want to leave them confused.

For example, even though The Sixth Sense had a completely unexpected and shocking climax, it made perfect sense in the context of the story (in hindsight, of course.)

Also, make sure your climax achieves the level of intensity you’ve been building up to throughout your book — this is another area where you don’t want to disappoint your readers. If you’ve been building anticipation for a blast, don’t climax with a whimper.

Always give your readers what they want — if not more — in terms of energy and sparks flying, and try to surprise them with an outcome they’re not expecting. Consider that when your story reaches its climax, your readers’ emotional investment will climax too!

Element 6. Resolution

Now, it’s time to decompress, to provide an outlet to release the pent up energy that peaked during your story’s climax and bring your narrative to a close.

Your resolution is the element of your story when loose ends are tied and all conflicts resolved, but it’s also an opportunity for you to reinforce elements of theme and character development that have been threaded throughout your novel.

In a way, you’re not only wrapping things up for your characters, but also for your readers.

If elements such as theme, plot lines, characters or events were left hanging without resolution they would leave your readers without a sense of closure, leading to a lack of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Finally, your resolution can not just be used to bring your story to a close, but also as a springboard to a juicy sequel!

Wrapping Things Up

Fiction stories follow a clear formula that requires elements of setting, characters, conflict, rising action, climax and resolution in order to be complete.

You can’t have a story that’s missing any of these elements without creating gaping holes in your narrative that would utterly frustrate your readers. Your job is to create a story that will keep them interested and engaged page after page, from cover to cover.

Having said that, this is much easier said than done. Not only do these elements need to be present, but they have to be threaded in a well thought-out, clever and engaging way that creates a compelling reading experience.

The goal of good fiction is not just to tell a story, but to tell it in a way that entertains and captivates your audience, makes them root for your protagonist, and allows them to willingly suspend their disbelief as they immerse themselves in the world of fiction you’ve created.

Master these six elements and how they relate to one another and you’ll be laying a solid foundation for a good story.

But don’t rush this process, take your time and think every element through until your novel begins to unfold naturally into a great piece of fiction.

Best wishes!

If you are in the process of writing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

An epilogue is an additional chapter to a book, typically found at the end of a novel. This extra chapter may provide additional facts about characters or events not fully developed in the narrative proper.

This usually takes place after the timeline of the story. For example, it could detail what happened to the characters several years later.

If you’re looking for some guidelines on how to write an epilogue for your next novel, this article will teach you 5 tips that will help you check all the required boxes.

Why Use an Epilogue

Epilogues are often used to provide added weight to your main narrative. It’s a path that at its most basic provides a window into the future of your characters to bring a sense of closure for readers.

For example, they could be used to tie up loose ends in your story or you could leave them open ended for readers’ imaginations to fill in the gaps. You could also use them as a tool for added commentary.

Epilogues can also act as a bridge between your story and a sequel; it’s one way to give readers satisfaction for how the story ends while whetting their appetite for more.

And if there are unanswered questions left behind by events in the book or if something significant happened in your story without being explained properly, then the epilogue would be the appropriate place for these answers.

How To Write an Epilogue

The best way to write an epilogue is to make sure it’s an integral part of your novel and not an appendage that doesn’t fit into your plotline.

You can follow the three steps below as a guideline to create your epilogue:

Step 1:  Read your finished manuscript cover to cover, then reflect on your story and its conclusion. Is there something that would bring a better sense of closure for your readers?

Step 2: Now pick up where your story left off and continue forward in time, thinking about how things might play out for your main characters in line with the sense of closure mentioned above.

Step 3: Finally, imagine the future lives of any secondary characters you always wanted your readers to know more about and provide added context into their future as well.

When Not to Use an Epilogue

An epilogue should never be used to repeat or summarize what has already been written about, as this would only confuse your readers. It should also never introduce new plotlines that are not part of or related to your story in any way.

Lastly, if your conclusion already does a great job at providing closure for your readers, then you probably don’t need an epilogue. You might be better off leaving your readers thinking about what they just read without adding extra commentary.

5 Tips to Write Great Epilogues

If you do choose to go the epilogue route for your novel, here are five tips that’ll help make sure it satisfies what your readers will expect from you:

Tip 1. The epilogue should provide closure for your readers

Use your epilogue to give your readers what they need to feel a sense of closure with your story. Use it to provide closure with your main character plotlines as well as any secondary characters that were prominent throughout the book.

Tip 2. The epilogue should tie up loose ends

The goal of your epilogue is to tie up loose ends and answer any questions that might have been left unanswered, so make sure you don’t use it to introduce any new information that’s beyond the scope of your original story.

Tip 3. They can be used to introduce an alternative ending

An alternative ending is an option that can work well with certain types of stories, where you are addressing what might happen if events were different or speculating about what may have happened next.

Having said that, remember that your audience is always looking for closure, so don’t provide an alternative ending that leaves them hanging. They will not appreciate being left wondering what’ll happen next when they finish reading your new ending.

Tip 4. Epilogues are usually short

The goal of your epilogue is to sum up what happened to your characters after the story ends, not to become a mini sequel to your main story.

While it’s possible to write a long epilogue spanning many pages, for instance if you want your readers to have a more detailed understanding of how things turned out years down the road, make sure to never use it to upstage the actual ending of your book.

Tip 5. Epilogues are not necessary for every story

If your book’s conclusion is strong and brings clear closure in relation to all your characters’ journeys, then in all likelihood your epilogue won’t add much value to your book.

Also, depending on your circumstances, you may consider using an epilogue-less ending to leave your readers wondering about what happens next, as a sort of cliffhanger for your next novel.

In Summary

At the end of the day, whether you think you need an epilogue in your book or not, what matters most is that you feel confident in the way your story ends. If you feel that you already have a strong conclusion, then you won’t likely need to add anything to it.

But if your story ends after a very intense climax and you feel you need a little extra “something” to diffuse the tension and calm the waters, or if you feel certain characters require a happier ending for closure purposes, having an epilogue might be a good option.

Best wishes!

If you are in the process of writing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.