Ending short stories

Hi gettingby -

I relate to a lot of stuff you have brought up. In terms of short stories, I think in terms of the ending before I start writing. I'll think of a character (something abstract like man, middle-aged) and an event, again, abstract, 'finds object' then I think of a purpose/ending in terms of something it could mean to such a person - if the person is, say, socially isolated, he'll have to do something to or with the object that will make him confront that isolation. So I start kind of formulaicly. I make lists of possible characters, possible events and possible implications. I approach every short story as an exercise in learning to write a short story. A good piece of insight from James A Ritchie is that in the beginning of every story, the ending is (sorry, paraphrasing from memory here) implicit, contained, hidden - something like that. I found this insight very helpful in setting up the short stories I have written.

I tend to have trouble with endings myself. However, a lot of the time, it does tend to resolve itself, and I find myself with an "okay" ending I guess. Sometimes I do get the ending that's really, really good.

I try to start with a premise, like "How far is too far" or "Is there too much truth" or "When the line between honor and treason fade." I wrap the narrative around a spiraling funnel until at the end the readed condenses to their own answer or accepts there is no one true answer, only more ponderous questions. At that point I end the story. Course, thats just my style but its the kind of story I love to read. Like in my favorite, "Blade Runner" as the Nexus six comes to realize all life is sacred and fragile when the moment before his death he observes, "All the things I've seen will disappear like tears in rain when I'm gone." Perfect place to end the story.

I think of short stories as having the same structure as a joke. I always try to end with a punchline. It might be something the reader didn't expect, or a revelation of some sort or just a snappy last line...I think it's really important to finish very strongly with short stories.

If you are having problems ending yours it might mean you need to plot them out more thoroughly before you begin. Ask yourself exactly what you're trying to achieve with your story - what is the theme / message you are trying to get across and how can you best convey this. Also decide how you are going to avoid cliches and surprise your reader before you start writing. When I do this I find my writing flows much better.

Good luck!

JustJas said:

I think of short stories as having the same structure as a joke. I always try to end with a punchline. It might be something the reader didn't expect, or a revelation of some sort or just a snappy last line...I think it's really important to finish very strongly with short stories.

Click to expand...

I very often do that too. It doesn't always work, some punchlines are better than others, and you don't always come up with the perfect one. But I've found this technique very useful to end stories.

gettingby said:

I write as I go and never plan or outline the story ahead of time. I find it exciting and honest to do things that way. Also, I would be bored if I knew how things were going to turn out before I even started. That's not going to change.

Click to expand...

I used to feel the same way until I started plotting and found it made a big difference, but eveyone has their own approach. Whatever works for you.

First, a good ending is always inherent in the opening. A predictable or cliched ending just means you didn't take the hard left turn a good short story needs. It's good to see a predictable or cliched ending coming, and then turn it on its head. This is what separates a story that sells from one that doesn't.



There are many ways to write a short story, and many structures to use, but I think all short stories are circular in nature. Whatever type of short story it is, the ending is built into the opening, and comes when the story circles back on itself, much like a snake biting its own tail.

Trouble ending a story usually means it didn't open properly.

The best way to know how to end a story is to know where to end it, and when to end it.

The simple version of this is to understand that a short story opens with a premise, a problem, and/or a question. It ends when the premise has been fulfilled, and when the problem has been solved, and/or the question answered.

The difficult part about the ending is that the reader should see it coming, but only after he's read it. It should catch the reader by surprise, but once surprised, the reader must be able to think back over the story, see the foreshadowing, and say, "Of course! How else could it end? Why didn't I see that coming?"

Two, somewhat extreme, examples of this are Gift of the Magi, and The Lottery.

These extremes are often called "twist" endings, but they still circle around and meet the beginning of the story, they're still the snake biting its own tail, and you should see both endings coming after you've read them.

As for punchlines, a strong last line is as important as a strong first line, but a punchline is rarely an actual ending. If it is, the story had better be short, and must be a setup for the punchline from word one. Any type of surprise ending is tricky, and if it isn't foreshadowed, it usually won't work.

First, a good ending is always inherent in the opening. A predictable or cliched ending just means you didn't take the hard left turn a good short story needs. It's good to see a predictable or cliched ending coming, and then turn it on its head. This is what separates a story that sells from one that doesn't.

Look for that predictable, cliched ending, and turn it upside down. Stand it on its head, but with foreshadowing a reader can see after the fact.

A surprise ending with no foreshadowing, that isn't inherent in the opening, isn't a surprise at all, it's a disappointment.

I always fight with the endings of my shorts stories... In art because I seem to have this inbuilt obsession with bringing my shorts full-circle, and ending them off in a somewhat similar manner to how they began. So much so that they come across as somewhat contrived.
Also, there's another problem I run into over and over again, where the story ending reads as though it's been rushed out, and that leaves the story as a whole feeling incomplete.

I have no advice, as I'm still fighting with myself over these issues.

I'd need to ask - When you are rewriting your ending, are you adjusting the rest of the story accordingly?

Sometimes, what might seem like a cliche ending just doesn't offer enough push from earlier in the story.

I've also found that a story doesn't always need that sharp twist for an ending. Sometimes, the story does run straight.

I like to end my stories at exactly the point in time where the future is wide open for the characters. I don't like happily-ever-after, but I do enjoy and-then-they-had-a-chance. It can be cliche if you can't pull it off right, and depending on the reader that's always a risk you take.

Still, I don't think it's fair to my characters for me to dictate their lives. I like there to be a hidden story after the story, eluded to but never spoken. This may change over time as my writing style evolves, but for now it's suited me just fine. If I can leave a story at the next What-if, I feel like I've done my job as a writer. Your mileage may vary.

I won't start until I can think up at least one acceptable ending...

I've not had much trouble ending a story. I tend to start writing while already knowing the ending and as I write the story I'll add to this ending. I think this makes it easy to finish a story.