I Hereby Resolve

 

From an author event a while back

John Clark contemplating this month’s topic, resolution. The first thing that came to mind was that poor Greek dude who got stuck pushing a rock up the hill over and over..Resolution, or sheer stupidity? How about Aesop’s fox and the grapes? Was the critter smart to bag the gig, or a sore loser?

I tend to play around with words and their meanings a lot. Just ask my long suffering wife how often I start breakfast with something like “Why is (fill in the blank) spelled/defined/pronounced that way? Let’s take resolution for example. As a computer geek, I might think of screen definition/size when resolution is mentioned. Were I more into political formality, I might envision a portly southern senator banging a gavel while uttering in a pompous tone of voice, “The resolution passes.”

Still others, myself included, desperately wish for resolutions in the Ukraine and Palestine conflicts.

When it comes to writing, I think of resolution as one of two things. It’s either the type and level of determination one of the characters exhibits, or how the story is concluded. Both allow for plenty of leeway. For example, it doesn’t necessarily have to be your main character who is filled with resolve. Sometimes, a minor character suddenly decides that there’s something they desperately need to do/fix/avoid, and the ensuing ripples force everyone else to change their behavior (not to mention the course of the plot)

Likewise, resolution of a story can be tricky. I’ve read several in the past year that were diminished by a resolution that dragged on too long. The opposite is also When writers are so intent upon finishing the story that the final chapter or two feels like you’re watching a movie that used time-lapse photography.

One resolution skill I admire greatly is endings in series books. Writers who resolve just enough to avoid frustrating readers, while dangling what’s coming in the next book are people I greatly admire. That’s my take on this month’s theme. What do you think?

 Is reaching the peak a resolution?