6 Clever Ways To Achieve The Perfect Ending To Your Story

You've done all the hard work. The amazing story you've been writing is 99% finished;

now you just have to end it. Cue aimless staring at the computer screen, right?

There's nothing on Earth like really nailing the last line of a big book. You have 200 pages to tickle their fancy, and seven words to break their heart" - Alex de Campi

Ending a story can be an excruciating and frustrating experience. We all want that

perfect conclusion, one that complements and fulfils the purpose of the story. We

especially want an ending that leaves ourselves and our audience satisfied. Achieving

this is not as easy as it sounds; an ending takes on a lot of gravity when you realize

there's no coming back once it's done. Often, a reader's most long-lasting memory of

your story will be its ending, so it's important to agonize over it just as much as you did

your faultless first paragraph.

Thankfully, there's a limit to the numbers of ways you can tie up your tale. The way your

piece ends should largely be connected to how you've written the rest of the story. You

should know what you were trying to say when you set out to write, and thus have an

idea of the impression you want to leave when the story is over. There is a theory that

stories can only have five possible outcomes, but to make things even easier, here are

six specific types of endings you can consider to help you finish your masterpiece.

The end is in sight...or is it?

1. Resolved ending

A resolved ending is great if you want everything neatly packaged and put away. All the

plotlines and character threads are concluded. There's no conjecture and no questions

to be asked. The fate of everyone in the story is known and it is clear how the

characters might live on into the future. This is good if you are writing a singular novel or

concluding a series.

Examples that immediately come to mind are mysteries. Despite the bulk of a mystery

novel being clouded in suspense and confusion, everything is illuminated for the reader

at the climactic end of the story. Usually, one or more people unravel the mystery and

expose the culprit or cause of distress. A style that commonly employs this ending is the

'whodunnit' story; an awesome example to check out is Stephen Donaldson's The Man

Who Tried To Get Away.

Fairy-tales also use resolved endings, almost every time. Don't be tricked into thinking

this type of ending has to be all roses, though. A story can be resolved without being

happily resolved. Take a look at these original fairy-tales that aren't so

Hollywood-perfect.

2. Unresolved ending

This is basically the opposite to a resolved ending. The overarching plot is left

unfinished and the ultimate outcome of the characters' story arcs is unknown based on

the textual information. This might be used to entice readers to use their imagination

and create their own ending, satisfying themselves. More commonly, it's used to set up

for a sequel. References are usually made to tasks still to be done or conflicts still to be

determined, essentially making the book one big chapter of a larger story.

Obviously, this is one of the easiest endings to write. Readers understand nothing has

to be wrapped up here, but it's still vital to create a sense of excitement and anticipation

using an unresolved ending, otherwise people may not be interested in coming back for

the second instalment.

There are plenty of famous examples to pay heed to, such as Tolkien's Lord of the

Rings trilogy, Rowling's Harry Potter series, or The Chronicles of Narnia books written

by C. S. Lewis.

3. Implied ending

This is often the most tempting ending for an author and the most frustrating for a

reader. The conclusion, or 'what happens in the end', isn't explicitly stated or displayed.

This is achieved by holding back information or leaving multiple logical explanations up

in the air, allowing the reader to make up their own mind. The audience is refused a fully

informed outcome. They may be left thinking a range of questions:

● 'Did he or didn't he?'

● 'Is she alive or dead?'

● 'Is it that or is it this?'

● 'Is the narrator lying or telling the truth?'

This ending is very effective because it creates a talking point and keeps the reader

pondering long after they've put down the book. For an author, this is ideal; if readers

are thinking about you, they'll likely go looking for more of your work.

A terrific example of this type of ending is Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (also made

into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio). In this story, there are two explanations for the

reader to consider at the end. One is more implied than the other, but both are feasible.

Lehane has written so masterfully that he effectively teases the reader, leaving them

uncomfortably torn between the two. Personally, it took me a couple of months and a

conversation with my mother, who had also read the book, to settle on one ending over

the other.

4. Twist in the tail

In theory, a story that ends in this way catches the audience by surprise with a

completely unexpected turn of events. As a result, the whole story is usually turned

upside down, with a previously believed fact turning out to be false. This may involve a

character 'coming back' from the dead, a hero revealing themselves as a villain (or vice

versa), or a new and vital piece of information coming to light at the last minute.

A 'twist' ending is good for playing with readers' emotions. You can bring them up

quickly or send them crashing down, depending on what route you decide to take with

your story. Either way, you can cause a dramatic shift in a reader's attitude.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is a novel (and film) that quickly comes to mind here.

The revelation towards the end of the story will have you replaying every previous event

in your mind and will completely change your understanding of the novel. Here's a list,

topped by Fight Club, which includes six more of the best plot twists seen in literature.

5. Tie-back

To put it simply, a story written in this fashion will begin and end in the same way. The

ending is revealed first before the author fills in the details of how that ending came to

be. While this may take away some of the suspense for a reader, a clever author is still

able to introduce twists and surprises.

A tie-back ending also allows for a very focused method of writing – it's always easier to

navigate if you know where you're going, right? It also creates a feeling of balance and

equilibrium for the story. American author Kurt Vonnegut had many tips for writers,

including that they should 'start as close to the end as possible'.

The Star by Arthur C. Clarke is a nice short example of a tie-back ending; the beginning

shows a main character in pain, and the ending ties back to the cause of his pain.

6. Crystal ball

This conclusion goes 'beyond the ending' in a way, looking into the future. It explains

what happens to the characters years after the main events of the story. Authors and

readers alike may think they want this ending – understandably, they want to see more

of their favourite characters – but most of the time, it may not really be necessary.

A common way of writing a 'crystal ball' ending is with an epilogue. An example might

be a section in which the perspective is from the main character's child, who was absent

from the main story. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows fits nicely into this category,

rounding off the series with an epilogue set 19 years after the main story.

What sort of ending will you envision for your characters?

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So there you have it! Six endings to consider when finishing your story, novel, or script.

Always remember what you set out to achieve and consider the feelings you want to

leave with your audience. Last impressions are just as important as first impressions.