Writing a good conclusion to a story requires some skill. The ending is the final and most powerful point of a story. There, the struggle is resolved, and the meaning or central theme becomes clear to the reader. An effective ending or conclusion comes from the main character resolving the central problem or conflict. Ask yourself what you are trying to say in your story, then build the narrative around that thought. What is the central story question?
Every action the leading character takes must point toward a satisfying conclusion. The ending might be happy, sad, surprising, even ambiguous, or bittersweet. But it must feel logical. And the reader must care about whether the character succeeds or fails.
Someone on Quora suggests that you first, write the ending. Then write the rest. It should be easier because everything in your story should lead to that last chapter.
Even if you don’t write out the ending in advance, keep the final resolution or goal in sight throughout the whole story. The ending sentence or paragraph should echo back to–and in some manner resolve–the main story question you posed in the beginning. And remember, there should be no miracles or coincidences in the ending. The character’s actions must carry the tale to the end.
