Write a good ending

As the editor of an online Literary publication, Ramble Underground, I see way too many Fiction pieces fall short at the end. After writing a tight story with a clear and enticing beginning, most writers pull us through to the middle and then drop us flat on our faces. I have read several stories where I was looking for the next page, wishing they went that extra mile or minute. Those stories have not been published.
I am not advocating Disney endings or endless short fiction stories without direction. Your ending can be anything you want, but spend at least as much time on it as you did the beginning. Be sure that your ending serves the purpose of the story.
The most common ending pitfalls we see in short fiction writing:
Hurried endings (Big build-ups, epic tragedy, all resolved within a paragraph - ain't life grand)
Loose ends (You don't have to explain everything. Not everything has an answer, but don't leave key things out.)
Pointlessness (Many stories end where they began, nowhere and none the better for it. Have the reader be changed: give them a new prospective or understanding)
We all know the importance of the first sentence, but what about the last? Don't sell your work short and toss away countless hours, spend time on the ending. You'll never get published without one.
Joseph Thomas is the editor of Rambleunderground, a Quarterly online publication of Fiction, Poetry, Art, and Photography. Read his blog at What The H?

Stanley Williams

Stanley Williams is one of the founders of the Crips gang in LA. His execution is scheduled for December 13th 2005.

Read about his reform and his fight to redeem hisself and to save the lives of so many young gang members. See why he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year now since 2001.

Read his Petition for executive clemency

Read my email to Governer Schwarzenegger:
Send him your own (governor@governor.ca.gov)

Dear Governor,

I hope that you take a hard look at this case and decide to grant clemency to Stanley Williams. Clearly this is a case where the jail system worked to reform a citizen. This is the very purpose of the system in the first place, Redemption. If the state kills this man it sends a clear message that reform does not exist and is a worthless concept in our jail system.

Weigh the scale of good and evil. This man has done his share of evil, why cut him down now, when he is trying to re-balance that scale?

Best regards,

Joseph Thomas
editor@rambleunderground.org
Editor, Ramble Underground
Art begins beneath the surface...
Read my Blog

Impeach Bush Coalition

Check this out. Novel idea. I'm in!!!

Dick Cheney

I don't like his face. He looks like somebody you wouldn't trust if he came to your door in a suit. This is not based on facts, though I could muster up a few, it's more just a feeling of dislike.

No it's not that he's up to his eyeballs in blood money - nor is it the denial of his own lesbian daughter. Sorry he does not deny her, he forgives her and begs forgivness of his party for her girl on girl preference.

Really it is none of this. I wouldn't trust him if he worked for Green Peace and wore only hemp. He'd be the one filtching from the dime bag or replacing it with oregano.

Well what the hell? he's is a politician - a damn ugly one.

Fiction Contest

Our first ever Short Fiction Contest has reached its deadline. We raised $99 dollars for the first place prize. We are reading them now and will announce the winners in our Winter 06' issue - out December 21st.
Check back to see.

Ramble Underground - Fiction, Poetry, Art, and Photography

The forum for the Fiction contest was 2000 words or less. We think this is a good size. What says you? Too short, too long? Are we contributing to the ever shrinking face of Fiction???

How about the $6 entry fee, too much?

Let me know.

This fiction journal thing

LINK: Ramble Underground

It has really taken off. We are getting about 50 Fiction Submissions a month and 30 writers entered our Short Fiction Contest. The prize has risen to $90 US Cash and we have raised about $75 (After Paypal took theirs) for Site upkeep, etc. It is awesome to be able to pay writers for their work.

We have receieved some great stories and some not so great stories, but all in all, people are out there making art.

We are looking forward to our next Issue coming December 21st - Our first Fiction contest results, plus awesome Photographs and Art to post as well. Look for it!

All the Best,

Joseph

New Short Fiction

As editor of a literary journal I see that the face of short Fiction is shrinking: 2000 words or less, Flash Fiction, short short Fiction, Micro Fiction. What is next? Short Fiction Sentence Contests?

Is this good for Fiction? I do not know, new is good, but short is short. Is it enough?

Well, I confess, I have been lured in by the tight structure - the need for succinct description and movement. Hell it's easier and it is harder, but is it good?

Post your thoughts.

Health Care

How frustrating. Doctors can not administer good medicine because their hands are tied by Insurance companies. The docs are too damn busy anyway so mostly you are dealing with Nurses or less assistants, secretaries, phone answerers! Nightmare.
Soon I am told, from my doctor, they will have lists of approved doctors and ratings - not based on lives saved, don't be ridiculous. Based on average hospital stay lengths - Billing rates - frequency of testing. None of this is in our favor. all in favor of the CEO, CFO, VPS, Yada yadas at the top of the Health care industry. So my wife who has a history of Breast Cancer can not have a Mamogram every year so some fat head can buy his daughter another pony or a fancy bottle of grapes!
To End the health Care Crisis - And it is a crisis if you have someone you love who is unwell - To end it: Have the government impose salary Caps or Governize the whole damn thing. How un Capitalistic of me. How damn true of me.
Sorry did I just ask the governmen to protect the common man?
What an ass I am.