The LAST CHAPTER

“The problem with books is that they end,” Caroline Kepnes, author of You, has said. This is certainly true for the reader, so enthralled by a book that they don’t want the story to stop. For the writer, then, pulling off a successful ending is crucial in satisfying such an enthralled reader.

Endings are important in giving your reader a sense of closure – or at least a final look – from all that has come before. They’re also notoriously difficult to write. How much closure do you need? Are the guidelines the same for a short story and a novel? What makes a good ending? What causes a bad one? When should you write your ending? Should you at least plan it in advance, then focus on building up to it?

We asked several seasoned short story writers and novelists for their considered opinion on these questions – the kinds of questions you’re likely to face as you try to nail down your own finales.

Short story endings versus novel endings

The length of a fictional work isn’t just about word count – it’s integral to the scope of the work. A short story, a highly compressed form, has a much smaller canvas than a novel, which can have great breadth and range. What part does the form play in the ending?

According to Anthony Varallo, author of a novel, , as well as four short story collections, your choice of form will determine the kind of ending you write. In novels, you “witness time’s passage” on your characters and find out what happens to them in the end. Not so with shorter works: “In the short story, you get to follow one character through a narrow passage of time