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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/4021
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I have a hunch: The endings are not satisfying. When that's true, there's nothing for the second half of the novel to build toward.

If that's true, then perhaps the problem is not structure _per se_, but the ending. And if that's true, there's a good chance that the beginning somehow doesn't lend itself to a satisfying ending.

In my experience, three things make for a satisfying ending: A strong external conflict, a strong internal conflict, and an inextricable relationship between the two. The internal conflict makes the external conflict especially relevant and difficult for _this_ character. The external conflict exacerbates the internal one, or the internal conflict makes the external one irresolvable.

So: Look to the beginning. Is there a strong external conflict? Does the main character have a strong internal conflict? Are the internal and external conflicts inextricably related?

Then look to the ending: Does the ending resolve both the external and internal conflicts, in a way that gives strong meaning to the interplay between internal and external conflicts?

Original score: 11