How do I end my story?

Explain the result of the events or show how the problem was solved. (But don't end with everyone going home for tea or someone waking up to find it was all a dream - that's boring!)

Endings usually bring the story round 'full circle'.

 For example,

Start: Three scruffy pirates sat gloomily around a table in the Lord Nelson pub, staring down in to their empty beer glasses. One by one they emptied out their pockets. It seemed they had all run out of money.

Ending: The pirate gang made their way down the quay to their favourite pub to celebrate their success. They had earned enough money now to buy a year's worth of beer - and have change.

The final sentence is as important as the opening sentence. It usually sums up the story's theme or  message. It had been the best day of my life. I'll never forget her. If only he hadn't been so selfish. She realised taking part is much more important than winning. It just goes to show, crime really doesn't pay. They were richer than they could ever have dreamed. I still laugh when I think about it. For more ideas, look at some of your favourite stories and check out the very last sentence . http://www.storywrite.co.uk/writing-ending.htm SOME REASONS WHY ENDINGS DON’T WORK The story finishes too quickly It’s not a logical ending We don’t know what’s happened to some of the characters The ending isn’t believable The ending is too boring – it doesn’t have action or tension The ending is all telling and no showing – this is where the main character tells us what happens and we don’t actually see it happening to them The ending is too vague so the reader can’t really work out what’s going on. The writer has put in a twist that doesn’t fit with the rest of the story. The twist might be too sudden and unexpected. The ending is too complicated so the reader can’t work out what’s going on or how the story got to this point TIPS FOR STRONG STORY ENDINGS Keep it simple. Make the outcome for the main character clear. If you have plotted and planned your story and know exactly what’s going to happen in the end, then it will be clear for the reader too. Make the ending believable but interesting. It still has to have action. To make your ending unpredictable, add a twist, something that the reader won’t see coming at first, but when they think about it they will realise that there were clues throughout the story. A twist has to fit with the rest of the story and if you give hints in the rest of the story, the reader will find the twist believable but surprising. Don’t make the ending too sudden. Build up to it. Allow it to unfold for the reader. Look at how one of your favourite writers has ended their book/s or story/s. What do you like about the ending? Has the writer used techniques that you could use in your own story? Looking at how other authors work is a great way to learn what you like, and what will work for you. Tie up all the loose ends. Don’t leave the reader wondering what happened to the main character. You don’t have to state exactly what happened, but you have to give the reader enough information to work it out for themselves. Your story is finished when you and other readers feel satisfaction after reading the last word (and not just because you’ve finished writing it). There has to be satisfaction with the outcome for the main character, and a feeling that the story has reached a strong but believable conclusion. In many ways, the ending is just like the beginning of your story. You still want readers to keep reading. You want them to read your next story/book. . http://writingclassesforkids.com/writing-story-endings-is-hard/