Hi. So I've only been writing for a little bit, and my main problem is always they ending! How do you know when to stop? I always go way too far. Like. Just. How. Does. One. End. A. Story. When all stories can just go on forever?
First of all, thank you for a great question.
For me, I think an ideal ending should add a sense of closure, tying up lose ends and cutting off after everything has been said and done. In truth (and I know it’s the last thing anyone wants to hear) I think it’s a matter of practice. As you write more, you will get a better sense of what kind of writer you are and how your stories will end. You will get better the more you try. But a good rule of thumb is to keep it simple, short and sweet- it’s better to leave people wanting more than to spoil their appetites.
There’s a lot of contradictory advice about writing endings floating around out there. In truth, writing a good ending is one of the hardest things. It’s easy enough to write an interesting opening, since the main purpose of the beginning is to get the reader invested, and there are many ways to get a reader invested. On the other hand, endings determine what your reader will take away from the story.
One of the most helpful pieces of advice I’ve heard is to start as close to the ending as you can and end as close to the beginning as you can. After a certain point, everyone knows how the story is going to end, regardless of whether they actually read to the end or not. Having too much extra material after that might throw a reader off, making them think there’s some plot twist left to uncover, when really it’s just an extended resolution.
So, that’s my advice. Figure out where your ‘point of no return’ is — the point after which no major plot twists happen — and end your story not long after.
Knowing when to stop is tough! One thing I always try to remember when it comes to endings is this: How do I personally want the story to end? Keep in mind that the end is one of the most crucial points of the story; it’s the last thing your audience will read and most likely the thing they’ll dwell on the most for the longest, so it’s important to plan out how you want your ending to feel and be received.
So, what do you want out of your ending? Do you want a cliffhanger that will lead right into the next story? Do you want a story frustratingly open-ended, leaving your readers in an emotional turmoil (if you’ve seen it, the movie Inception comes to mind for this)? Do you want all the strings to be tied up nice and neat, or do you want to collect some strings, but not others (be careful with this since it can come off as unfinished in a bad (sloppy / poorly written/planned) way, even if being ‘unfinished’ was your intent)?
Honestly, I feel it’s better to write too much and then cut back instead of writing too little. Write as much as you feel you can, then go back and reread it. See if you can find a place you feel the story should end, or maybe something you want it to end on. Have that one really great scene you feel is a good crescendo? Pick that and make it a goal for the story to end right after that scene. It’s also good to have a friend or someone your trust read it for you and give you feedback. Where do they feel the story could or should have ended? Do they think everything is finished, or does it read unfinished to them? Try to see if you can be there while they read it (or have them ‘liveblog’ their responses to you somehow, if possible). Are they giving you the emotional feedback you wanted, where you wanted?
If not, I’d suggest go back to the story and edit it. Keep hammering away until you feel satisfied with their reaction and your own choices.
