5 More Ways to End a Story

By georgelthomas on 27 Jul 2021 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well! Today I’m going to talk some more about different types of story endings. If you’re interested, you can find the first part here.

5 More Ways to End a Story

1 The Unresolved Ending
Unresolved endings are endings in which the story is left unfinished. One or two subplots may be fully resolved or even some minor character arcs, but for the most part, the main plot and main character arcs are left incomplete. These endings are common in stories likely to have a sequel or that are part of a series. They are used to entice a reader to pick up the next book and continue the story. If you are planning a series of books – or even a sequel to a short story – you may want to create an outline or even a brief timeline of events. Notes can be invaluable for keeping track of your overall plot trajectory and all your different character arcs linking through each book or story.

2 The Twist Ending
Twist Endings are unexpected endings, such as when a hero character is revealed to have been a villain all along or vice versa, or when a character who’d been thought deceased turns up alive. Often red herrings are left throughout the story, leading the reader in a specific direction while at the same time leaving enough clues along the way so that upon reflection, the reader can recognise key points they may have missed the first time around.

3 The Full Circle Ending
Stories that come full circle end in a way that links back in some way to the beginning, either by restating the story’s theme or by having the characters literally end up back where they started. Stories using the heroes journey plot structure often end in this way. For example, a hero must go on a journey to a magical kingdom on a mission to retrieve a magical potion and return home to use it to save his dying mother.

4 The Epilogue Ending
The Epilogue Ending is a sort of extra ending which occurs after the official conclusion of a story or after the final chapter of a novel. It can be used to show the reader a glimpse of the characters’ distant futures or to give hints of a potential sequel.

5 The Implied Ending
An implied ending is an ending with just enough information for the reader to assume what happens to the main characters at the story’s conclusion. Often these endings are obvious or ‘go without saying.’ For example, a character may be struggling with a terminal cancer diagnosis, leaving the ending implied – i.e. the character dies. This type of ending is common in shorter forms of fiction.

As always, thank you very much for reading my words, I really appreciate it and I hope you found today’s post informative!

Until next time,

George