F
3

I chose a prompt about a sentient coffee shop over one about a time-traveling librarian for my new project, and now I'm stuck on the ending.

I went with the coffee shop idea because my friend said 'a latte that gives people their lost memories sounds cooler,' but after 5,000 words, I can't figure out if the barista should keep the power or destroy the machine.
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
matthew_west
What if the ending isn't about the machine at all? The real story is probably about the barista and what they learned from serving those memories. Let that choice come from the character, not the plot.
8
kellyallen
kellyallen22d ago
Been there lol. The machine is just a tool. Ask what your barista wants after seeing all those memories. Maybe they're tired of being a memory dealer and pour the last latte down the drain. Or they realize someone needs one final memory to heal, so they serve it and then break the machine for good. The right ending feels true to how your character changed.
6
the_sage
the_sage22d ago
Totally agree... let the barista decide. The machine's just a prop in their story.
5