The ending is one of the most crucial parts of story writing. It shows the author's creativity and also determines the reader's reaction. See, the thing with endings is that they leave a lasting impression on the reader. Do you want the reader to feel bittersweet, or ecstatic, or just plain miserable after reading your story? Do you want to leave a bad taste in their mouth, or have them skipping with joy because Character 1 ended up with Character 2? The ending determines that. Here are 6 different types of endings.
1. The Resolved Ending
A resolved ending is an ending where the reader fully understands the story and is left with no confusion. Most of the time, the resolved ending can be joyful, for example, in classic fairy tales where the main characters live 'happily ever after'. However, a resolved ending is not always joyful. And example of a resolved ending that would be agonizing to readers would be one where the serial killer is incarcerated, but at the cost of the love interest's (or even the main character's) life.
2. The Epilogue Ending
An epilogue ending is an ending where events that take place after the main story plot are explained or narrated. It can be used to show the readers how the characters lived on after the story, and sometimes a change in the point-of-view of the story. In the epilogue ending, the writer can address any questions the reader might have had throughout the course of the story.
3. The Unexpected Ending
The unexpected ending is the ending that literally no one saw coming. This, if executed properly, can be one of the best ways to end a story. It can even make the reader frustrated, but it certain cases, that frustration might be satisfying depending on how the ending has been carried out. This ending especially takes a lot of work, so here are a few tips on how to create a jaw-dropping plot twist.
a. Leave clues for the plot twist throughout the story. As much as you might want to make the ending very unexpected, it's extremely satisfying if you give the reader little clues, so that when they reach the ending, they'll say something like, 'Wait, what?! Oh no, but it makes so much sense now!"
b. Do not make your plot twist so abrupt and completely unexpected that it throws the reader off course. The problem with this is, if the reader was following the story, and you throw in a 'plot twist' that immediately resolves the issues in the story, the reader will most probably be confused, and the ending will be unsatisfying.
4. The Ambiguous Ending
An ambiguous ending is an ending that can have different interpretations. In an ambiguous ending, the reader is left with an unresolved ending, but they have enough information to come up with various conclusions. The ambiguous ending utilizes the readers' involvement most since it requires the reader to think further and come up with their own ending in order for them to be satisfied.
5. The Cycle Ending
A cycle ending is an ending that ends the way it begins. An example would be if a story began with a main character who had powers, they would defeat the villain, then the story would end when the main character returns home and is victorious. The ending needs you as the writer to make the characters' journeys worthwhile until the end, because if they weren't meaningful, then the ending is pointless.
6. The Unresolved Ending
An unresolved ending is an ending that leaves the reader with many questions as to what happens next. This type of ending utilizes cliffhangers, and it is normally used to show that there shall be a continuation of the story. The unresolved ending is mostly used in novels in a series where there is plot that is spaced out among different books or sections.
And that's it for now! I hope this post showed you all the unique and creative ways to end your story with a bang! Good luck, and happy writing!
- Jade