Fiction Craft Essays

In her examination of endings, Jennifer Murvin provides a series of prompts that writers might try to create what John Gardner calls in The Art of Fiction the “resonant close.”

In his discussion of endings in flash fiction, Matthew Duffus cites Diane Williams who described one of her writing goals as “to provide some mystery, a place to meditate, where I might be nearing a new insight, if in fact I haven’t reached it.” In keeping with this, Williams aims to elicit emotional responses from readers at the same time that she refuses to provide easy solutions to her characters’ problems. This balancing act is evident in her endings, which risk abruptness in their desire “to provide some mystery.”

Elizabeth Mayer compares two Joy Williams' short stories to explore how she deals with the complicated nature of grief. Mayer concludes that "There is relief in the openness of the outside world. There is still beauty, as long as we are alive. This beauty is reflected, I think, in the beauty of the language. These are complex emotions to grapple with, but Williams does it with clear, exact, graceful language. The sound and rhythm create a sort of aching joy. Here, in these stories, is some of the beauty that exists in the face of death. Here is a little breath of pleasure to assuage the pain"