How do you know when to end your stories/when your stories end?

[Mr. Anonymous]

I know my story is over when my protagonist is dead. What about you?

[aadams73]

Well, I'm not one to kill the protagonist because I'm a fan of happy endings, but...

...when the central question has been answered, the climax is over and done with, and all the loose ends are tied in a neat-ish bow, that's when I know it's over. And that's when I scramble for a snazzy last line.

[scarletpeaches]

When whatever section of the protagonists's life I'm writing about is resolved.

[icerose]

I'm a fan of happy endings too. My stories end when I find I have nothing else to say.

[kurzon]

There's a sense of 'rightness' to an end, for me. (Trilogies aside), your main plot is resolved, and any 'itching questions' have been answered, and hopefully I have some last paragraph or sentence which works as a strong final statement.

I will, for my own personal enjoyment, sometimes write a chapter or more past the end, in a 'what happens to them next' kind of way, but I don't consider that part of the novel, or a useful epilogue.

[Jamesaritchie]

I know my story is over when my protagonist is dead. What about you?

I tend to hate stories where the protagonist dies, so I can't go by that.

But it's pretty simple. I know my story ends when whatever problem I set up in the opening chapter has been solved, or when whatever question I asked in the opening chapter has been answered, or both.

[Becky Black]

It can be a going with the gut feeling kind of moment. Do I care what happens to the characters beyond this point? And if I do care, is that a whole new story or just some loose ends to tie up here? Do these specific loose ends actually need tied up?

[nitaworm]

I basically outline all the way to the end - and, my ending is always different than the outline. So, truth is, I don't know when it ends - until it does.

[IdiotsRUs]

To paraphrase Hitchcock, fiction is life with all the boring bits taken out. So it's simples.

My story ends when the exciting stuff stops.

[seun]

When the words run out.

[Monkey]

You know all those conflicts you set up? That main point of contention that everything in the book, in one way or another, points to?

Well, as soon as those are resolved, you've got a few pages to tie up any loose ends and then that's it. The End. :)

[Jamesaritchie]

You know all those conflicts you set up? That main point of contention that everything in the book, in one way or another, points to?

Well, as soon as those are resolved, you've got a few pages to tie up any loose ends and then that's it. The End. :)

That's it.

[tanglewoodtracey]

Well, I'm not one to kill the protagonist because I'm a fan of happy endings, but...

...when the central question has been answered, the climax is over and done with, and all the loose ends are tied in a neat-ish bow, that's when I know it's over. And that's when I scramble for a snazzy last line.


Me too :)

[Lady Ice]

You know all those conflicts you set up? That main point of contention that everything in the book, in one way or another, points to?

Well, as soon as those are resolved, you've got a few pages to tie up any loose ends and then that's it. The End. :)

Agreed :D If it's a tragedy, that probably will be the protagonist's death but otherwise...it tends to feel a bit forced.

[Stormhawk]

I'm still working it out - my first two books were easy, because I knew the "punchlines" that I wanted to end on. First was after the protagonist died to give people enough of an idea that she might not be dead, second was basically to make people go "WTF!?!?!?!" and go crazybananas.

Third...the two last chapters will be resolving a relationship, and finishing off a plot thread from earlier in the book. At least that's what I think, I'm nowhere near the end yet, so it may change.

[ChaosTitan]

You know all those conflicts you set up? That main point of contention that everything in the book, in one way or another, points to?

Well, as soon as those are resolved, you've got a few pages to tie up any loose ends and then that's it. The End. :)

Ditto.

[gothicangel]

When the Police arrest the baddie. :D

[shaldna]

I never know in advance of stating what my end is going to be.

However, as I write I get an idea of the end, and i sort of trail along after it.

[Margarita Skies]

My stories end when I have nothing to add. I just add a one or two page resolution when I feel that the journeys of the characters have come to an end, and then I write THE END, but of course that's only happened once, with my Out of Control series.

[ClaudiaGray]

They end with the resolution to the main character's central dilemma.

[M.Austin]

I knew the second I planned out the quartet. I knew I'd have four story arches because that's how long it's going to take to tell the story.

If I consider anything else, I don't think it's fair to the readers.

[Mr. Anonymous]

To paraphrase Hitchcock, fiction is life with all the boring bits taken out. So it's simples.

My story ends when the exciting stuff stops.

So you kill off your protagonists at the end too, huh? xP

A lot of people here mentioned when the main conflict/questions etc are answered. But what if you were writing something less plot-based and more literary? What if your point was that the questions that matter often remain unanswered, the things you may want to do, remain undone, the problems you want to solve, not really solved at all. In other words, how do you think you would you know when to end a story that challenges/defies your "typical" structure?

One example of what I mean might be Catcher in the Rye.

[Jamesaritchie]

So you kill off your protagonists at the end too, huh? xP

A lot of people here mentioned when the main conflict/questions etc are answered. But what if you were writing something less plot-based and more literary? What if your point was that the questions that matter often remain unanswered, the things you may want to do, remain undone, the problems you want to solve, not really solved at all. In other words, how do you think you would you know when to end a story that challenges/defies your "typical" structure?

One example of what I mean might be Catcher in the Rye.

Cather in the Rye isn't any more open-ended than any other novel, it merely puts in print what is assumed in other novels.

All stories are, by nature, incomplete, and life is always full of unanswered questions. Taken to the logical extreme, all stories, as Hemingway said, end in death.

Even if your question is "what are the answers", and if you answer is "There are no answers", you still must have a story between the two points, or all you really have is, as one editor put it, "A typical M.F.A reject." Catcher in teh Rye had a full, complete story, and a resolved plot, between question and answer.

[ClaudiaGray]

So you kill off your protagonists at the end too, huh? xP

A lot of people here mentioned when the main conflict/questions etc are answered. But what if you were writing something less plot-based and more literary? What if your point was that the questions that matter often remain unanswered, the things you may want to do, remain undone, the problems you want to solve, not really solved at all. In other words, how do you think you would you know when to end a story that challenges/defies your "typical" structure?

One example of what I mean might be Catcher in the Rye.

Plenty of literary works also end with the resolution of the main conflict. However, in the case you refer to, I would say it ends at the point we realize (and/or the character/s realize) that the problem will remain unsolved -- when a crisis that could have created resolution has failed to do so. THE SUN ALSO RISES is a pretty prime example of this.

[ishtar'sgate]

When whatever section of the protagonists's life I'm writing about is resolved.
Exactly. We know their life continues beyond the pages but unless you're writing a generational piece you will decide which part of their life you want to focus on and end it when a particular challenge, problem, period of danger, goal etc. is concluded.

[scarletpeaches]

Did you just agree with me? :D

You hit on something else I'm aware of while I write. I want to wrap up a section of my characters' lives, not their entire being. I want the reader to believe they have a life to live after they turn the last page - that way, they feel more 'real'.

[bois]

I feel I've reached the end of the story when what I'm writing sounds like diary entries for the protagonist (e.g.- "After defeating the Dark Lord on the Plain of Jars and subsequently saying goodbye to all my co-adventurers, I thought it might finally be high time to remove the rust ring on my porcelain bath tub and sweep the dust-bunnies from 'neath the radiator...."

[amora10]

I'm the exact opposite, my stories tend to end when the villain/antoganist dies... although the protagonist might not make it to the end either. It just usually feels 'right' at this point.

[MDei]

Oh wow. Great question... It depends. It might wrap up real nice on it's own or I have to force it. Usually by the time i get to about 50k I start saying I'll wrap it up in another 15k-20k words. Sometimes it ends that way and sometimes I end up with another 50k words. It's only when I have no more to tell for that story that pertains to the book I'm writing. There's usually a lot of stuff left unsaid in my universes and that leads to sequels.

[Dr.Gonzo]

When there's nothing relevent to say, which is normally a paragraph or two before the end of my first draft.

[Aggy B.]

I know my story is over when my protagonist is dead. What about you?

I've got a novel like that too. :)

Usually I figure if the MC has achieved whatever goal they had at the beginning of the story OR has failed to achieve the goal in a way that it can't be attempted a second time (i.e. MC fails to rescue her father and he dies) and whatever immediate complications from said success or failure have been resolved then my story is over.

[LadyMage]

When my characters finish evolving/growing as people. Since I'm writing a series, this might take a while.

[linfred4]

Well, when i start to write a story i mostly know what my ending is going to be. It's the middle stuff i just need to add. Mind ya, when i do start to write sometimes the ending i wanted changes, see i always like to say if you know how it begins then you will feel the ending coming. Sometimes when you have ghost or some unreal you can make it an open ending. Happy ending are nice too, but me myself I like a good what will she/he do next ending. Sort of like Alfred Hitchcock ending, i have three story's like that. I am just not sure where to send them.

[sunandshadow]

Well, I'm not one to kill the protagonist because I'm a fan of happy endings, but...

...when the central question has been answered, the climax is over and done with, and all the loose ends are tied in a neat-ish bow, that's when I know it's over. And that's when I scramble for a snazzy last line.
This. And also, the beginning of a story disrupts the normal order of the story world; the end returns the story world to stability.

[dgiharris]

I was always suspect of the traditional answers about ending the story as soon as the climax is done and all the major plot threads resolved.

If you look at a chart of story progression, rising action, climax, and resolution, most stories look like a mountain that suddenly becomes a cliff (end of story)

and then came the end of Lord of The Rings...

That was a great example of what happens when you fail to end the story nicely and neatly. THat ending dragged on for 15 minutes worth of epilogue that felt 'wrong' (at least to me).

Now, books have the benefit of separating out the epilogue (if you must) but stories need to end as soon as possible after the major plot resolutions, and you should be building the rising action in such a way that there is a near simultaniety with the endings of the various plots and sub plots while the main plot ending occurs last.

Mel...

[Lady Ice]

This. And also, the beginning of a story disrupts the normal order of the story world; the end returns the story world to stability.

I'd say that you should begin with stability on the verge of disruption (unless your story deals with the aftermath). Establish the stakes. And when it ends, it could be stable but there still might be some uncertainties.

[sunandshadow]

I'd say that you should begin with stability on the verge of disruption (unless your story deals with the aftermath). Establish the stakes. And when it ends, it could be stable but there still might be some uncertainties.
If you begin with stability it's not an In Medias Res beginning. I personally think it's okay to start either place, but some people think an In Medias Res beginning is the only good beginning.

One example: in the case where a significant amount of time passes between the disruption and the time the MC tries to do something about it, it's much more functional to start with the first exciting scene and include the disrupting incident as backstory. My WIP is sort of like this: the mess began 22 years for the present day of the story; the story is about the main character suddenly being reminded of this past they had all but forgotten about, and confronting, reinterpreting, and repairing what happened. It would be easy to annoy a lot of readers if I started with the first event, then after a chapter break said, "22 years later..."

[DeleyanLee]

I know my story is over when my protagonist is dead. What about you?

Hmmm. That so doesn't work with my present MIP. He's murdered at the end of Chapter 3. If he doesn't die, the story doesn't really kick into high gear.

For me, it's when the hero(es) soundly trounce evil in the big climax.

[Dilara89]

Since I'm a sucker for happy endings, I know my stories are over when the main character got a happy ending. I could never kill off my main character.

[dpaterso]

I start off by imagining/visualizing the story ending (probably the big exciting climax scene like in a James Bond movie), then rewind to the beginning and work towards this. So I know in advance when the story will end. Big finish or big drama resolution scene, followed by the denouement or whatever tying of loose ends is appropriate. When I get there, it's the end.

-Derek