How did we end up here?

When I was younger, I would go to the end of a book and read the final sentence. I wanted to see if I could figure out the story by only knowing the beginning and the end. I'd stop when I found a book with an ending that made me ask, "Wait, so how did they end up there?" That's the one I'd read. You see, it isn't the plot that captured my attention, it was the journey. Maybe that's why I rarely read the anti-climax portion of the final book in the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings ("Return of the King") when Frodo and company return to the Shire and have one final adventure. I didn't like ending where I'd started.

It's still exciting today to find stories that have huge leaps in character development, especially when the ending makes you scratch your head and look back at all the events in retrospect. Those are really good stories, and I treasure them. They become fast classics to me. I think such stories are the biggest reason why I enjoy character driven stories the most, because the audience witnesses major changes and growth spurts. Those endings move me to deep emotion, and that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Professors always drummed into me the classical philosophies of writing, and I can see their points, but style is always changing. I'm glad we don't have many people putting out Shakespeare-like material, because people just don't think like that anymore (debatable if that's good or bad). Stories are meant to be understood and enjoyed, otherwise why tell them? There's a touch of magic in tales that touch the heart, stir the soul, and bring on flights of fancy. Give an audience something to believe in, for a little while, and leave them gasping for breath ... always wanting more.

- M