Good Endings: ending your story
Suggestions:
- Make a list of each character and the situations they’ve faced throughout the story. This is a methodical way to avoid forgetting a loose end that you really should tie up at the end.
- Look at each of your main characters and decide how you want their story to end. A traditional ending is one where the conflicts are resolved and all misunderstandings are straightened out. Some endings simply imply what will happen. Other endings surprise the reader; however, they all provide at least a sense of resolution.
Kinds of Endings:
1. Circular Ending: tie the end to the beginning
- If using flashback, bring the character back to the present as mentioned at the beginning and bring resolution to the story
- Reference an image or situation or conversation from the beginning of the story to bring the story full circle.
EXAMPLE—Jean Stafford’s “A Country Love Story”:
Beginning line: “An antique sleigh stood in the yard, snow after snow banked up against its eroded runners.”
Ending: “She knew now that no change would come, and that she would never see her lover again. Confounded utterly, like an orphan in solitary confinement, she went outdoors and got into the sleigh. The blacksmith’s imperturbable cat stretched and rearranged his position, and May sat beside him with her hands locked tightly in her lap, rapidly wondering over and over again how she would live the rest of her life.”
This is a subtle reference to the image presented at the beginning of the story, but it brings the story full circle.
2. Surprise Ending: the ending is not what the reader expects
EXAMPLE—Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
A middle-class woman borrows a beautiful necklace from a wealthy friend to wear to a party. She loses the necklace and borrows money to buy a new necklace. She and her husband are forced to spend the next ten years working difficult jobs to pay off their debts. At the end of the story, the woman sees her wealthy friend and finds out that the necklace she replaced was ….. FAKE!
3. Open ending: exit the piece while the action is still going on, but do give some sense of resolution
4. Summary ending: summarize the outcome of the story; this works when you don’t want to drag out a story.
EXAMPLE— Guy de Maupassant’s “Mademoiselle Fifi”
“A short time afterward, a patriot who had no prejudices, who liked her because of her bold deed, and who afterward loved her for herself, married her, and made a lady of her.”