You’ve spent so much time building your world, raising the stakes, developing your characters. And now it’s time to craft the end of your story.
That can feel overwhelming, because a strong ending doesn’t just wrap things up, it resonates. It’s the culmination of all the tensions you’ve built. And it leaves the reader carrying something long after the final sentence.
But how do you do that without your ending feeling too neat, too vague, or too abrupt?
In this episode, you’ll learn 4 common mistakes writers make with their endings, 5 different types of story endings, plus tips to revise an ending that’s not quite landing.
If you’re stuck or second guessing how to close your story, this episode is for you.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
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Episode at a glance:
[04:00] 1. The Broken Victory
The character wins or gets what he wants, but at a cost. There’s both gain and loss, victory and sacrifice. The character is forced to make an impossible choice.
[06:43] 2. The Harsh Truth
The character doesn’t get what he wants, but gains painful self awareness or moral reckoning – a harsh truth the character spent the whole novel avoiding.
[08:39] 3. The Redemptive Ending
A flawed or wounded character finds a way back to integrity, healing or hope. The character may have stumbled morally, emotionally or relationally, and finds a path back to wholeness, self-forgiveness, or self-acceptance.
[12:10] 4. The Tragic Ending
The story ends in loss, failure or death, but what remains is meaning. In these endings, the protagonist might fail, they might die, a relationship may be destroyed, but the story leaves us with a deeper understanding of what was at stake all along.
[15:59] 5. The Cliffhanger
With this ending, the central conflict may not be fully resolved. Or a brand new twist might be introduced just before the final page. This type of ending leaves readers on the edge of their seats, eager or desperate to know what happens next.
Books Mentioned InThis Episode
Broken Victory Endings
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste NG
The Winter Father: Collected Stories and Novellas by Andre Debus
The Harsh Truth Ending
Little Children by Tom Perrotta
Redemptive Endings
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Tragic Endings
Romeo and Julet by William Shakespeare
One Day by David Nicholls
Cliffhanger Endings
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
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