• About Me
  • Writer’s Corner

Elizabeth Fais

~ Where awesome begins…

Elizabeth Fais

Tag Archives: NYC

Secret Ingredients of a Satisfying Ending

03 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in New York City, Story, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Elizabeth Burke, Elizabeth Fais, endings, FBI, Mozzie, Neil Caffrey, New York City, NYC, Peter Burke, Story, story elements, White Collar, Writing

A great beginning keeps readers turning the pages. A great ending builds a fan base, because readers will be thinking about the book long after turning the last page. We’ve all experienced the satisfaction of a perfect ending to a book, movie, or television series. But what’s the secret?

What makes the ending of one story great, while another story’s ending leaves us unfulfilled?

The finale of the TV series WHITE COLLAR helped solve this mystery for me. The series ending was so perfect, I couldn’t help breaking it down, analyzing the elements that lead up to a culmination of satisfaction.

But first, an overview of the series for those who may not be familiar with the main characters and premise of the series.

White Collar ~ The Series

Cast of White Collar

The third time turns out to be the charm for criminal Neal Caffrey. He has been eluding FBI agent Peter Burke for years, a run that finally comes to an end with his capture. But after the resourceful prisoner escapes from a maximum-security facility, then is nabbed once again by Burke, Caffrey suggests a different end-game: In return for freedom, he’ll help the Feds catch long-sought criminals. Though skeptical, Burke soon realizes that Caffrey’s instincts and insight are a rare commodity. Caffrey’s trusted friend and co-conspirator with ties to the criminal underworld, Mozzie, also becomes a useful source for Burke and the FBI. [Series Synopsis]

The series was well written with engaging characters and story lines, and plot threads with enough twists to keep the most agile guessing. Mozzie, Neil’s sidekick, added a delightful streak of rebellious quirkiness for comic relief.

Ingredients of a Great Ending

*** SPOILER ALERT ***
If you don’t want to know how White Collar ends, STOP now.

Ingredients for a satisfying ending, with examples from White Collar:

  1. The promise of the premise for the story and the genre is paid off. The FBI promised Neil Caffrey his freedom if he was instrumental in helping them solve their toughest ‘white collar’ cases. To satisfy the promise for this genre, justice had to be served to this end. Neil does go free after making the ultimate sacrifice when pulling off a sting on a treacherous ring of international thieves.
  2. The main character’s arc (Neil Caffrey) is completed in a believable fashion. Neil’s loyalty to Peter (as an FBI representative) and his wife Elizabeth becomes true, when he realizes his freedom ultimately threatens the lives of the couple and their unborn child. Neil also shows deep remorse when his actions hurt an innocent young woman he’s forced to befriend to bring down the thieves. For the first time he questions his life and the role he plays with the FBI. The completion of the character arcs for Peter and Elizabeth Burke, and of course, Mozzie, though less dramatic, are equally rewarding. It would take too long to explain them all here in detail. Trust me. Better yet, watch the series.
  3. The main character earns the payoff, internally as well as externally. In the end, Neil overcomes his inability to trust Peter (as an FBI representative), and puts the safety and well-being of his friends before his own. To ensure their safety, Neil secretly masterminds the final phase of the sting. His selfless actions earn him his freedom and happiness.
  4. There’s a significant sacrifice for the pay off. For Neil to earn his freedom (payoff), he made the ultimate sacrifice. He fakes his own death to ensure the lifelong safety of his friends—sparing them from retaliation by the gang members caught in the sting. Neil can never talk to or see the people who mean the most to him again. The ingenious method he uses to fake his death added to the overall satisfaction.
  5. Enough is left to the imagination without leaving unanswered questions. Everything isn’t tied up neatly, leaving “what happens next” up to the audience’s imagination. In the final scenes, Peter Burke discovers clues leading to the storage locker Neil secretly rented during the initial planning of the sting. What Peter finds gives him insights into how Neil faked his death, thus assuaging his remorse over the loss of his friend. In the final shot, we see Neil strolling down a Parisian side street wearing his fedora, a satisfied smile on his face and a carefree spring in his step.

 

If you have an a Perfect ending Element to add to the list, Please do!

 


Discovering Manhattan: A Pictorial Tour of My Protagonist’s World

12 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Central Park, New York City, Research, Story, Writing

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Belvedere Castle, Calvert Vaux, Central Park, Central Park Conservancy, Cleopatra's Needle, Elizabeth Fais, Ellen Gregory, Frozen Hot Chocolate, Manhattan, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY13SCBWI, NYC, SCBWI, Serendipity 3, Subway, The Met, The Plaza Hotel, Waldorf Astoria

Manual typewriterResearch is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. It’s an intriguing exploration into worlds-yet-unknown, where the story comes to life and becomes real.  I had a few final details to research in Manhattan for my project, which was major reason behind my coast hopping to New York City in early February. (pic by moi)

Yes, I went to NYC to attend the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference (NY13SCBWI), which was wonderful in all the ways such conferences are. But I had another agenda too… Research.

The Character of Central Park Landmarks…

My project takes place in and around New York City’s Central Park, and a couple of the landmarks played such an important role in the story that they became characters themselves…

Cleopatra’s Needle: The oldest man-made object in Central Park
Image by Central Park Conservancy, the organization responsible for restoring and maintaining Central Park’s historic beauty.

CentralPark_obelisk-l

Belvedere Castle: Built in 1869 by Calvert Vaux
Image by Central Park Conservancy

Belvedere Castle, Central Park NYC

Her Way is the Subway…

Most New Yorkers use public transportation to get around town. My protagonist is no different. She uses the subway, so I followed in her footsteps. There beneath the streets of Manhattan, I discovered the amazing signage from a bygone era (pic by moi)…

86th Street Subway Tile marker

Historical Ruins in the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is important to my protagonist and her story as well, so I had to experience the collection first-hand. What impressed me most (and I was an art major, so I’ve been to lots of art museums) is that The Met houses reconstructed historical rooms and ruins … not just the typical types of art (pics by moi)…

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Serendipity 3: Frozen Hot Chocolate

Like many teenagers, my protagonist loves coffee and chocolate. And what better place to meet her friends than Serendipity 3? While conspiring, they consume coffee drinks and Serendipity’s world-famous Frozen Hot Chocolate. Which is to die for, by the way (pics by moi)…

Serendipity 3, NYC

The Plaza … Of course!

My next stop was The Plaza Hotel, where my protagonist’s grandfather owns a private suite. Yes, on the top floor … one with a turret. Eloise does not have anything to do with my story, but I had to take this picture because nothing says “The Plaza” like Eloise. The photo on the right is of The Palm Court restaurant (pics by moi)…

The Plaza Hotel, NYC

Hiding Out at The Waldorf Astoria…

Last but not least was a visit to The Waldorf  Astoria, where my protagonist is forced to go into hiding. Yeah, I know. Tough break sistah. You might wish you had her financial backing … but you don’t want the problems tied to it. Trust me.

The lobby of The Waldorf Astoria is an architectural marvel…

NYC14

How do you discover your character’s world?

Ellen Gregory’s recent post on her “research” experience with beads and braids, inspired me to share this pictorial research tour.

What type of research helps you discover your character’s world?


Calendar

February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Jul    

Enter your email address to have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Join 236 other subscribers

It's really me!

  • Elizabeth Fais

Life is Tweet

Follow @elizabethfais

Recent Posts

  • Wisdom of Richard Peck ~ Writing for young readers
  • The Writer and Rabbit Who Saved the Countryside
  • 3 TREE-rific Informational Picture Books
  • Musings from the Writing Cave
  • MG Review ~ HOW I BECAME A SPY
  • The “Creative High” is real!
  • MG Review: Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Past Posts

Officially SCBWI


Member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Reading Fun

Advice for Writers

I Write for Apples

Author Photos


Categories

Adventure Amazing but true! Animals Animation Blake Snyder Book Reviews Books Cats Character Dancing Disneyland Elizabeth Fais Fiction Fun Facts Funny Videos Giveaway Giving Back Holiday Humor Inspiration Middle Grade Movies Music Mystery Nonfiction Paranormal Reading Romance SCBWI Shakespeare Story Supernatural Thriller Winner! Writing YA YAppiest Young Adult Zombies

Keeping It Real

wordpress analytics

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Elizabeth Fais
    • Join 236 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Elizabeth Fais
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...