The ending?? (spoiler)

Also when he talks with Olivia Wilde for the first time in private room he says that last year he didn't go to the baseball game that he always go with his wife.
And said that he is broken with his wife
So looks like he lived with his wife for the last years except the last.
Seems that is related to this book that he wrote.

Another turn could be that the old man story is reflection of his life,
Maybe they couldn't have children... so on... you can figure out the relation between them

Sorry for my bad English

It can't be semi-autobiographical, because the story within the story then would be the story of his earlier supposed novel (Roy's novel that is). Then people would see the similarities too easily and some guilt issues, he would be too exposed to some suspicions about his earlir work. No, i think the twist is that Roy wrote The Words (an another writer, there are three writers). Which was an honest work of writing for the first time in his life. Because like the Old Man, this one now was something that he had experienced, he'd lived through, as the Old Man finally was able to write something when he really lived through some painful real life stuff. But now, he can't publish this by his name. He had to find himself a stand-in reverse ghost writer. Now, he has to suffer the same thing as the Old Man did with his novel being cherished with someone elses name on it. And in an another nice parallel, now Clay is feeling the same shame as Roy did.

Of course, I might be just better when it comes to endings than the original writers. Cause this ending rocks ass much better:)

Is this making sense? Please reply folks...

Here are my thoughts.

I was a little confused by the ending as well but after thinking about it (and rewinding and watching the ending again) I believe I figured it out.

Daniella is a very intelligent, avid fan. She likes the story but she is very curious about the ending but like most avid fans, she wants to know the ending as soon as possible or before the general public. But when she hears the ending, she doesn't buy it and is maybe even a little suspicious. Suspicious that it could be real.

She begins to question him and she hits a nerve. So he talks about is it real or fiction and that the two are very close. Then she asks him something like did you (Clay) choose real or fiction. That's when he has the flashback to Rory and Dora.

Reality was that Dora couldn't accept the lie (or his lack of true talent) and this ended the marriage. Fiction was that Dora told him how she fell in love with him. It was like a jolt when she first saw him on campus and she could see their future life together at that moment. That was what he had wished Dora would have said when he first asked her why she loved him. And fiction was what he chose.


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imo, the end shows exactly what you said. the book is autobiographical, he lost his wife in the process and in a way clay became the old man having to live upon his choice. "if you want the words (book), you take the pain with it" (or something like that)