How to Write a Good Ending to a Story
Identify the parts of your story., Commit to the final event or actions of your story., Figure out the main conflict in your story.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify the parts of your story.
The beginning is that which precedes everything and before which there was nothing, the middle follows the beginning and precedes the end, and the end follows the middle and there is nothing afterwards.Your ending should probably come when the main character has either reached, or failed to reach, the goal they had wanted in the beginning.
For example, your character, who works in a sandwich shop, wants to be rich.
They go through various challenges in order to purchase a lottery ticket (and to keep the ticket from getting stolen).
Do they succeed? If so, then perhaps your ending is the moment they hear all the numbers on their ticket being announced. -
Step 2: Commit to the final event or actions of your story.
This approach is useful if you feel you have a story with so many events that all seem pretty major or exciting, making it hard to find a good ending.
You need to decide on an endpoint in your story, after which there will be no more major actions or events.
The number of actions or events you include in your story is only important in relation to the meaning you are trying to communicate.
Figure out what events make up the beginning, middle, and end of your story.
Once you decide where it ends, you can shape and polish your story's ending. , Are the characters in your story fighting against nature? Against each other? Against themselves (an internal or emotional battle)? Someone stumbles out of small plane crash in the woods, in the middle of winter.
They must find a place to get warm, out of the elements.
This is a "human-versus-nature" type of conflict.
Someone attempts to psyche out their competition at a talent show.
This is a human-versus-human conflict.
Most conflicts fall into one of a few categories, so figure out which one is at work in your story.
Depending on the kind of main conflict you have been exploring, the final events of your story will either support or not support the development (build up) and resolution of that conflict. -
Step 3: Figure out the main conflict in your story.
Detailed Guide
The beginning is that which precedes everything and before which there was nothing, the middle follows the beginning and precedes the end, and the end follows the middle and there is nothing afterwards.Your ending should probably come when the main character has either reached, or failed to reach, the goal they had wanted in the beginning.
For example, your character, who works in a sandwich shop, wants to be rich.
They go through various challenges in order to purchase a lottery ticket (and to keep the ticket from getting stolen).
Do they succeed? If so, then perhaps your ending is the moment they hear all the numbers on their ticket being announced.
This approach is useful if you feel you have a story with so many events that all seem pretty major or exciting, making it hard to find a good ending.
You need to decide on an endpoint in your story, after which there will be no more major actions or events.
The number of actions or events you include in your story is only important in relation to the meaning you are trying to communicate.
Figure out what events make up the beginning, middle, and end of your story.
Once you decide where it ends, you can shape and polish your story's ending. , Are the characters in your story fighting against nature? Against each other? Against themselves (an internal or emotional battle)? Someone stumbles out of small plane crash in the woods, in the middle of winter.
They must find a place to get warm, out of the elements.
This is a "human-versus-nature" type of conflict.
Someone attempts to psyche out their competition at a talent show.
This is a human-versus-human conflict.
Most conflicts fall into one of a few categories, so figure out which one is at work in your story.
Depending on the kind of main conflict you have been exploring, the final events of your story will either support or not support the development (build up) and resolution of that conflict.
About the Author
Debra Wells
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
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