• stack of books with plant as bookend and in front of white wall; Do I Need an Epilogue?

    Do I Need an Epilogue?

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    If you read a lot of novels, you’ve seen that some authors will use an epilogue at the end of their books. The sole purpose is to tie up loose ends from your story — or potentially set the readers up to expect a sequel. An epilogue has to be strong if it’s going to make it through a round of professional editing. If it’s not, you may get a note back from your editor that it needs to be incorporated into the actual ending of your novel. That’s the tricky part about epilogues — it can’t be used to hide the fact…

  • woman holding green hardcover book; what you need to know about the epilogue

    What You Need to Know about the Epilogue

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    There you are, finishing up the last chapter of your story. However, the work doesn’t feel quite done yet. Somehow, there’s still more to be said beyond the falling actions of your story. Enter the epilogue. All great stories require a great conclusion that leaves readers stirring on the implications of the narrative and feeling fulfilled with their time spent reading. No one likes to be left hanging! What Is an Epilogue? An epilogue is “a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work.”1 In layman’s terms, it’s a section separate from the final chapter of a fiction book that helps…