# The End?



## duroc (May 7, 2009)

Endings.

What makes a good one?

This is something I've been pondering for the last couple of days, seeing as that I'm trying to figure out a way to wrap up my current story.  Okay, that's a lie.  I'm just plain horrible with endings.

Personally, I like an ending that puts the character on a journey, where the story ends, but the character's story is only just beginning.  I always feel that those are the most satisfying.

But there are all kinds of endings.  

The surprise ending.

The death of a character ending.

The ending that focuses on the story's theme.

The ending where the character has some "revelation" about the things he or someone else has done.

I know a lot of endings are very particular to the type of story you're writing, but it doesn't make them any less easier to write.  So, what's you're favorite type of ending?  And how do you determine which ending best fits your story?  I'm curious as to what sort of discussion this will start.

Yay.  I started my first thread.


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## Cryoforion (May 7, 2009)

Endings that I can't get out of my head, that leave me staring at the page for a long few minutes after finishing, unable to do anything else, endings that I lie awake thinking about...are good endings. 

When the reader beats his fists in victory with the hero, or hangs his head in shock at his loss, those are good endings. Tricky to pull off, to be sure, but worth it every time.


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## nybx4life (May 7, 2009)

The ending that best fits the story?

It all depends. If you're going for a surprise death, or a "this #%*$%$ needs to die, NOW!!", the death ending works.

Revelations are only for those "grand scheme" type of stories, where the main character realizes he got duped, or something else important.

The end of a story and the start of another character's is, of course, good for series stories. I'm not too sure how you make it work.


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## TShaw (May 7, 2009)

Quick answer; Any ending that satisfies the reader yet leaves them wanting just a bit more.

Actual answer; There are as many endings as there are stories. Finding the right ending? Iâ€™ll have to let you know when I figure that out myself.


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## Xadera (May 7, 2009)

Hmm... Of course, it depends on the story.

For the story in which you really get a feel for the character and even develop emotions for the character, it depends again. "Lives happily ever after" is nice, despite how many times people try to go against it. Killing the character is only good if it feels as though they "fulfilled their life". Otherwise, it's really disappointing because you invested so much feeling to know this character, only to have it wrenched away from you. The "and he was lost to obscurity" kind of ending is along the same lines, and even more disappointing (I'm looking at you {anime censored to avoid spoilers}). 

When the ending resolves as just another loop in an endless cycle, that pisses me off. However, when the ending breaks the cycle, I'm muuuuch more satisfied. Even if things end up "bad" for a while afterwards, it's still good to break the cycle. 

"Twist" endings are a bit difficult. In some cases, it leaves the reader wanting a little _too much_ more after finishing the story. Other times, it just sorta lingers in their mind like a nice little aftertaste. Good luck figuring out how to differentiate the two XD

Personally, overall, I like the 'epic' endings, where the entire world shifts. Massive change, essentially. Like, take the cycle I mentioned, make it on a grand scale, have the character suddenly discover all of it, and effectively break it, allowing life to actually grow in its own way afterwards. I'd mention some anime's or books, but I don't want to spoil anything XD For cases of stories without a cycle, as long as the ending leaves me feeling as though something from the story actually _changed _- i.e. there was some progress made - and the characters end up in a satisfactory way, then I'm happy. I hate investing my time in a story and finding it a complete waste in the end.


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## Psi Xen (May 7, 2009)

Those are some hard questions to answer.  Well, expect for the first question.

My favorite kind of ending is when the main character or characters return to normal life be it better or worse, but whether or not, he or she is more knowable about their world, inside and out.  

They've been through trails and tribulations and now understand life and/or themselves better.

Life moves on.

The second question is a little harder to answer.  I guess my answer that would determine an ending is the story's overall tone.

Ask yourself these questions:

-What ending do I want?- Good, bad, happy, sad, twist, or something else
-Have I tied up all the loose ends?- The process of tying up loose ends can result into some great endings.

I know you already know this, but it's all up to you.  TShaw is right about endings that satisfy the reader but keeps them asking questions like: Is that really the end?  Is there going to be a sequel? And so on...


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## foozzzball (May 7, 2009)

Everyone dies. It's the only ending humanity seems to really understand.

'Happily Ever After' is short hand for 'nothing of relevance to the story happened from now through to their inevitable demise'.


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## Xipoid (May 7, 2009)

A good ending is one that grips you. It's one you love or hate because a part of you was with them to fail or succeed either way.



It really depends on my mood. If I want to read something happy, I'll find a nice story and read looking for a happy ending. If I don't, I won't. Though, my favorite ending is the one where the main character's struggle ends in failure by death or otherwise. Just a big letdown after a nice buildup through the whole story. You could possibly leave it open-ended for a twist to come in and change the outcome, but the main idea would be they failed.


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## Tanzenlicht (May 7, 2009)

foozzzball said:


> Everyone dies. It's the only ending humanity seems to really understand.



That's my favorite.  Preferably this should involve an explosion of some kind, though dismemberment is also acceptable.


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## TakeWalker (May 7, 2009)

I hate endings. I mean, I can end a story, but I always want that last sentence that leaves a lasting impression. That last sentence is a shit. >:[ It is my mortal enemy.


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## Gavrill (May 7, 2009)

I always read the last sentence of a story before actually reading the story. If it's a "NOT DEAD YET BITCH" horror ending, I tend to put the book down, because I hate sequels.


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## duroc (May 7, 2009)

foozzzball said:


> Everyone dies. It's the only ending humanity seems to really understand.
> 
> 'Happily Ever After' is short hand for 'nothing of relevance to the story happened from now through to their inevitable demise'.



Is this that part where I'm not supposed to take everything you say too seriously?



TakeWalker said:


> I hate endings. I mean, I can end a story, but I always want that last sentence that leaves a lasting impression.



That's something I hadn't thought of, but it makes a lot of sense.  I mean, you still want the entire ending to be written so it closes out the story and presents everything in a nice little package, but I can see where those last few paragraphs need to be meaningful, especially the last sentence.  After all, it is the last thing the reader sees.


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## Rachez (May 7, 2009)

I like the kind of endings where you know the character is going to die in the beginning because you just cant see them living their lives after the things that have happened to them. It leaves me sort of satisfied with the book.
I hate unfinished endings. You know the kind where they say "and then he walked off into the distance" how unrealistic. Those leave me frustrated.
Have you read Firestarter by Stephen King. The ending for that was really good.


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## Rachez (May 7, 2009)

Although the end of Watership Down was good too =D


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## foozzzball (May 7, 2009)

duroc said:


> Is this that part where I'm not supposed to take everything you say too seriously?



Half and half.

Western culture doesn't deal very well with 'endings', and I don't think it ever has. I doubt any human culture ever has. Narratives, classically speaking, do not end - the heroes of myth and legend get stories told out of their long lives and it's generally assumed there's always another one, so the closest thing to an ending is an intermission between story-telling sessions.

Of course there's also the issue of equilibrium - if we view a story as being a period of time where an equilibrium is disturbed, the ending must then be a return to some form of equilibrium - either the earlier one, or a new one. You can't leave your story in an unbalanced state.


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## Yorokonde2 (May 7, 2009)

I would have to write a story long enough to really have an ending before I can chime in on this one, wouldn't I? Ah well. 

I like endings that show another adventure right on the horizon. That just because the writer has stopped telling the story, doesn't mean the character has stopped living. I also like endings that aren't quite traditional. I do love to see the bad guys win on occasion.


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## duroc (May 7, 2009)

foozzzball said:


> Of course there's also the issue of equilibrium - if we view a story as being a period of time where an equilibrium is disturbed, the ending must then be a return to some form of equilibrium - either the earlier one, or a new one. You can't leave your story in an unbalanced state.



I'm not sure if I follow what you're saying.  Do you know of a good example?  Or is creating equilibrium as simple as resolving a problem you created for your character?


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## foozzzball (May 8, 2009)

duroc said:


> I'm not sure if I follow what you're saying.  Do you know of a good example?  Or is creating equilibrium as simple as resolving a problem you created for your character?



Basically before the story starts, things remain balanced. During the story, they become unbalanced. Then, at the end, they become balanced again - not neccesarily in the same way.

Brief example:

Quiet day to day life - Equilibrium

Zombies emerge, characters run for safety in a mall. - Upheaval begins

Characters survive long enough to run away. - Upheaval ends

The world is swarmed by zombies and the characters continue to run away. - New equilibrium - day to day life is now _running away from zombies_, a valid story in the setting is no longer 'how I ran away from zombies today', it is something that disrupts this new equilibrium.


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## nybx4life (May 8, 2009)

foozzzball said:


> Basically before the story starts, things remain balanced. During the story, they become unbalanced. Then, at the end, they become balanced again - not neccesarily in the same way.
> 
> Brief example:
> 
> ...


 
I do get what he's saying. It's similar to a essay question I had to write today. Something's gotta break that monotone of what is the norm for it to be a story that's good. The ending sort of eases back into that monotone state, where everything is expected.

Though I think "expect the unexpected" is a cop-out of that one.


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