Guide for Concluding a Brief Narrative
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In a guest post for The Split Mind, a magazine dedicated to literature and culture, Sara Kopeczky, an English and Italian teacher living in Croatia, editor of The Split Mind, and an aspiring author who has published poetry and short fiction, offers insights on how to end a short story effectively.
To create a powerful ending for a short story, Kopeczky advises focusing on delivering emotional closure, surprise, or a thought-provoking twist that resonates with the story’s core theme.
One way to achieve emotional closure is by resolving the protagonist’s journey or central conflict in a satisfying way. A surprising or twist ending can introduce a revelation or unexpected event that recontextualizes the story or protagonist’s fate but remains plausible within the narrative.
Endings that echo motifs or key symbols throughout the story create resonance and depth. To leave a lasting impression, use powerful imagery, a memorable line, or an unresolved but compelling question to linger in readers’ minds.
Kopeczky cautions against overly convenient resolutions and warns against using deus ex machina unless carefully justified, as it may seem like lazy writing. Instead, endings driven by character choices typically feel more earned.
Showing what the protagonist has learned or how they’ve changed gives the ending emotional weight. Consider the tone you want—will the ending be hopeful, ambiguous, dark, or ironic? The tone affects how the ending “lands” with readers.
When it comes to open endings, Kopeczky notes that they allow readers to choose their preferred resolution.
Kopeczky, who has won several literary competitions in Croatia and Germany, emphasizes the importance of keeping the ending brief and avoiding over-explaining.
In summary, an effective short story ending is one that feels inevitable yet surprising, closes the story emotionally or thematically, and leaves readers with something to ponder or feel deeply.
A writer looking to infuse their home-and-garden blog with a touch of culture might find Sara Kopeczky's insights on ending short stories effectively inspiring for cultivating a thought-provoking and engaging lifestyle narrative. For instance, Kopeczky suggests using emotional closure or a surprise twist to end a captivating lifestyle piece, echoing the principle of creating a satisfying resolution while leaving readers pondering or feeling deeply.
