Epilogues have been used in books for quite a long time and have been great tools to show readers what happens after the ending of a story. It’s basically a sort of equivalent to the idea of a post-credits scene in a movie. An epilogue sometimes wraps up the story but also sometimes provides a basis for a sort of sequel showcasing the idea that not everything has been resolved just yet. For today’s post, I’m going to teach you what an epilogue is and how to write one.
What is an Epilogue?
An epilogue is essentially a section that comes at the end of the book that provides for the reader extra information about characters in a story and what their future looks like outside of the main plot and narrative. This sort of epilogue can jump ahead in time, potentially taking place years after the ending of a story.
An epilogue helps to wrap up loose ends from the main plot and gives the readers closure or leaves things open-ended for the next book or storyline. It can also foreshadow something about the future, conclude the main plotline, or set up new events that will become relevant in the next book.
Essentially, an epilogue is a way to give closure or to set the story up for the next book. My series, The Fallen Age Saga, employs epilogues in almost every book because it helps to create a basis for the beginning of the next book.
How to Write an Epilogue
When you go to write an epilogue, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. For the most part, an epilogue can be about anything you want that is relevant to your story or makes sense from a narrative and plot perspective. Seeing as it is either the end of the story or the beginning of the next one, it’s up to you what makes sense to talk about.
First, you should decide what the purpose of your epilogue is. What do you want your epilogue to achieve and what exactly does your epilogue need to include? Is it to end your story or set up the sequel? Is it to show the readers something about the world? What is the epilogue’s point for existing in the story?
The next thing you want to do is to choose the right time frame for your epilogue and decide when it’s supposed to be taking place. Is the epilogue going to be in the future by many years? Is it supposed to show something immediately after the last chapter? Why is this timeline relevant and how does it help the story?
You want to ensure that the epilogue remains consistent with your story, even if it’s supposed to be a happily ever after. It should still remain relevant from a writing perspective.
The epilogue should also be focused on the relevant characters in the story, but if you choose to make it about secondary characters, then there should be a reason why. If you’re going to be working on a sequel, then maybe that secondary character is important in the sequel. Otherwise, I would recommend the epilogue focus on the main characters and that you shouldn’t introduce new characters if that’s not relevant for the next book.
The epilogue can serve as a way to tie up plot points that you have not finished up in the main plotline that can be easily resolved. You don’t want to have any plot holes left behind in your story especially if it’s a standalone and you can’t resolve the plot points in another story.
An epilogue also shouldn’t be too long, as it’s not supposed to be a giant part of the story. It should serve its purpose and not drag on too much.
I personally make my epilogues set up something important for the next book in the series, as I find that this is the best use of it in my case. This is something you’ll see in my books throughout The Fallen Age Saga.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
When writing an epilogue, try not to be too vague and open-ended if it’s the resolution of your story because being too vague can be frustrating for readers looking for closure in a story. Additionally, it’ll give readers the impression that you aren’t sure how to end your own story, which is not a good impression to give.
If your epilogue is not a setup for the sequel, try not to introduce any new major events in the plotline. Resolve what’s there and give readers a tidbit about what’s happened after the story has ended.
Don’t overexplain though, as being too blunt is just as bad as being too vague. Give readers a concise and meaningful epilogue.
You also want to make sure that the tone of your epilogue is not too drastically different from the story. It will feel out of place and a bit jarring to readers if this happens.
How Many Words is an Epilogue Supposed to be?
Ultimately, the word count of your epilogue completely depends on the rest of your story. If your book tends to run on the longer side of things, then you’re going to probably need to reflect that in your epilogue too. If your average chapter is about 4,000 words, it’ll be weird if your epilogue is only 900 words–unless it’s a stylistic choice that can be justified.
Do All Books Need Epilogues?
No, not all books need an epilogue. An epilogue is something that an author can choose to add in a book if the authors wants, but if it doesn’t have a narrative function, it doesn’t really need to be there. It’s really like the idea of a prologue–it’s something that can help your story if it makes sense.
If a Book Has a Prologue, Does it Need an Epilogue?
Just because your book includes a prologue, it doesn’t mean that it needs an epilogue too. This ultimately depends on what works for your story and what will make sense for your goals. A prologue helps to set things up in the beginning but an epilogue helps to tie things up, so it might be good to include both if it works for your book.
Conclusion
An epilogue is a great way of providing a conclusion or a setup for a new book and is a powerful tool when done correctly. Epilogues provide for unique character moments, powerful and heartfelt endings, or vague and dark messages for what’s to come. Whatever your epilogue’s purpose is, using the tips I talked about in the post should help you craft an engaging and interesting one!
Before you head on out, be sure to check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get updates on my latest posts, WIPs, book releases and more!