Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms. She writes weird books in lots of weird genres like fantasy (Blood of Kings and Kinsman Chronicles), science fiction (Replication), and dystopian (The Safe Lands trilogy). She has a podcast/vlog at www.StoryworldFirst.com. You can also find Jill on InstagramFacebookTwitterPinterest, or on her author website. Tagboth (Tag for short) is a goldhorn dragon from Belfaylinn, a hidden fantasy realm on the western end of the Sargasso Sea. Jill is working on the first book of this tale for this year’s Grow an Author series.

As I’ve been plotting out the second half of Onyx Eyes, I’ve struggled a bit with act three. What needs to happen in that final act? How can I plot that in advance if I’m not really certain how act two is going to play out?

Well, I’ve found a trick that helped me make that plan. I might not fully stick to it. In fact, I’m sure I won’t. Things always change, either when I’m writing the first draft or editing. But this trick helped me plot out a series of events that I know will work—at least in theory. It was enough to help me finish storyboarding my novel to the end, which gave me a strong map to use when I write my first draft.

This little trick came from Blake Snyder—the genius who wrote Save the Cat, a screenwriting book I have raved about here on Go Teen Writers many times before. He suggests you think of your big act-three ending in the terms of your hero “storming the castle.” This might look a little different depending on your hero’s goal. Your hero might be “storming the castle” to rescue someone or to stop the bad guy. Either way, this trick can help you.

Here’s how it works:

1. You write a scene where the hero comes up with a plan (either on his own or with his cohorts) to “storm the castle” and rescue someone who’s trapped or stop the bad guy who’s in hiding or do whatever is necessary to complete the overarching story goal.

2. You write a scene where the hero begins his plan. He (maybe with the help of his team, maybe on his own) breaches the castle walls. All is going perfectly, according to the plan made in the previous scene.

3. You then write a scene where the hero (and company?) arrive in the place where their friend is being held or where the bad guy is hiding or wherever they need to be to enact their final plan, only to discover . . . their friend (or the bad guy) is not there! And that’s not all. It’s also a trap! Your readers believe the story is over. Your hero has lost. The bad guys have won.

4. But wait. You write another scene. In this scene, the hero comes up with a new plan. And you connect this plan to the hero’s emotional story. He has to dig down deep and believe in himself or in the impossible, or he will trust others—or whatever lie it is that he needs to overcome. He will overcome it. And in doing so he will find that last bit of strength that will fuel him in one more, heroic attempt to win or save the world or stop evil or make that rescue.

5. Finally, you write a scene in which your hero has discovered the truth and overcome the lie that once kept him paralyzed. Now, as his very best self, he is able to execute a new plan and win. His friend is rescued. The bad guy is defeated. The world has been saved. Your hero has triumphed.

The end.

And the reader is satisfied.

Hooray!

So I used these five steps to storyboard the ending of Onyx Eyes. It gave me a structure where I previously had very little. Now I’m excited to write it and see how much it changes and how much it remains true to Snyder’s five scenes.

I’ll let you know once I write them. 😉

How do you write your endings? I’m curious if you create them as you go, surprising yourself? Or if you plot them out in advance so that you know exactly where you’re taking the story. Share in the comments.