You Can Write A
Short Story: Part 3
by Linda S. Dupie
You've worked hard on
your story, now it's time to round out the story with your
ending. This is the time to exit your story gracefully.
Once you've reached the
final climax of your story, you should end quickly. Your
reader's interest drops quickly from this point on. A brief
paragraph or two is all you'll need.
You'll need to exercise a
little restraint with the ending; you shouldn't have to spell
out the lesson learned. The reader should have come to that
conclusion from reading your beginning and middle.
For example, you've
written a story where your main character is trying out for the
school football team. He's small and doesn't know the other
kids. He has overcome his obstacles and made the team, making
the team is the final climax. Your reader should already see
from his actions he's elated, you need to wrap up the story
without summarizing.
Example Ending
Walking off the field
after the first practice, Ray joked with the other players and
made plans for the weekend.
You've now brought
closure to his other obstacle of not knowing the other kids and
you've placed him on the practice field without summarizing the
story.
Tips to Remember
- Your story should get
off to a quick start, with a hint of the conflict to come.
- "Show, don't
tell"
- Your story should
build to a climax that resolves your main conflict.
- Your main character is
the one resolving the main conflict.
- Avoid summarizing the
theme of the story and let your readers draw their own
conclusions.
- Finally, does your
title pique the reader's interest?
You've ended your story
and left the reader satisfied great job! Keep writing!
_____________________
Author Linda S. Dupie is
a freelance writer, she writes on a variety of subjects
including Travel, Kids and Family issues. Linda also publishes
and writes a web site and print magazine called Rainy Day
Corner for the Writing Family. |
