Plot & structure · Tip 27 of 82 · 4 min read
Writing an Ending to Remember
Tie up your story in a way that leaves readers smiling, gasping or thinking.
You've written a brilliant beginning and an exciting middle. Now it's time for the ending! A good ending makes your reader feel like the whole journey was worth it.
Avoid the "it was all a dream" trap
Ending with "And then I woke up. It was all a dream!" can make readers feel tricked, because nothing that happened really mattered. Try to let your character solve the problem themselves instead.
Let your hero do the saving
It's much more satisfying when the main character solves the problem using their own courage, cleverness or kindness, not when a grown-up or a lucky accident fixes everything.
Okay 😐
Then a wizard appeared and made the dragon go away. The end.
Wow! 🤩
Rosa remembered the dragon was scared of mice. She opened her lunchbox and let out Pip, her pet mouse. The dragon squealed and flew away, and Pip got an extra piece of cheese that night.
Kinds of endings
- Happy ending: the problem is solved and everyone celebrates.
- Lesson ending: the character learns something important about themselves.
- Twist ending: a surprise the reader didn't see coming!
- Circle ending: the end links back to the very beginning.
Beginning: "Finn hated the ocean." ... Ending: "And every summer after that, Finn was the first one in the waves."
Circle endings are lovely because they show how much your character has changed from the beginning to the end.