9 ways to end a short story
How To Get From Here To There
Sometimes, writing a short story can be like going for a drive without a map: You start at a certain place, but then the highway has a lot of different places to go. Which way will get you to where you need to go? Take out your virtual writing GPS and check out these routes to a great ending for your short story. You might see your story through a new lens.
✍🏽 Short story ending: how to write a great ending
Actions can show how a person's personality changes. In a show-don't-tell story, ending your story with a clear choice or action can be a good way to show that your character has changed. Bonus points if your character doesn't make a decision or act that he or she could have made at the start of your story.
Show the character's stillness by not moving. If your character doesn't take action or make new kinds of decisions, it could mean that they haven't grown as a person, even though they had a lot of chances to do so.
Kill a person, then. Often, death can be the end of a short story. Keep in mind that if your story ends with a death, your readers might feel like they were taken advantage of if that death has no connection to everything that came before.
Welcome Births are very exciting events. Your story might end with a big, high-stress delivery if the themes and ideas in it are about waiting for something to happen and giving birth. So, of course, births that are "quiet" can also be very emotional.
Do a twist. It's hard to write a twist ending. But surprise endings that are well done aren't quickly forgotten.
Leave the questions that haven't been answered alone. Sometimes, you don't want to finish your story with a traditional ending like that. If you're more interested in the journey than the answers, there may not be a need for a traditional ending at all.
Let's be happy. In the world of literary fiction, simple happy endings are very rare. But if your short story leads to a good happy ending, then enjoy riding off into the sunset of your story.
Do crazy things with stories. One of the best things about being a writer is coming up with new ways to tell stories. Who says you have to do what everyone else does? Is it possible that your short story about a father thinking about time could turn into a wild alien invasion adventure? In the modern home, a deus ex machina could save the day. People will want to come along for the ride if you have fun and take risks.
Go to the source. Metafiction is hard to say what it is, but it is a type of fiction that shows the author's (or narrator's) knowledge of literary style and construction. People don't have to say that your short story has to end the same way they start. The ending of your work can make your point by pointing out that you're making it. This is how you make your point: by pointing out that you're making it.
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Thank you and happy writing