Writing the Believable Ending
One of the most common complaints from judges of short story competitions is that authors turn in stories that are well-written and have great ideas, right up until the end, where they simply fizzle out. So if you make sure your story comes with a developed, believable ending, you’re well on your way to moving to the top of the judges’ list!
How do you go about writing that believable ending? Here are 10 tips to keep in mind:
1. First and foremost, read stories with strong endings and try out some of the authors’ techniques. Pay special attention to stories that have won contests similar to the one you’ve entered: does this publication seem to like stories with a victorious feel at the end? Then write one!
2. Make sure you’ve spent just as much time working on the end of your story as you did on the beginning and middle. It’s your last chance to communicate with your readers, so make the most of it.
3. Do your homework. Know your characters inside and out, know about their back stories (who they are outside of what you’ve written), and know their dreams. The ending has to be true to who your characters are, so if Tom is a devout Muslim, you probably wouldn’t want your story to end with him deciding to become a drug dealer.
4. Know your audience. If you’re writing for children, for example, realize that they don’t usually appreciate endings that are left open to interpretation.
5. Resist the urge to be cagey and mysterious. Be certain readers leave your story feeling satisfied, not puzzled.
6. On the other side of the coin, don’t beat your readers over the head with your point. If you’ve done your job correctly, there’s no need to point out the moral of your story. Trust your instincts and your readers.
7. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to tidy up every single issue and conflict you’ve introduced. It’s enough to suggest that the main character is starting to change or see things in a new light.
8. Never, never, never end a very dramatic story with "and then she woke up." It’s been done countless times before and it screams of laziness and unprofessionalism.
9. Don’t try to cover too much time from beginning to end. Flashbacks are fine if used sparingly, but don’t start your story in 1954 and end it in 2200.
10. It’s okay to use the ending to move into an area you didn’t explore in the story, but only do this if the new topics are relevant to those you’ve already covered. A science fiction tale where trees were the main characters could successfully end with a flock of birds nesting in the branches, for instance.
|
