You’ve just seen a new movie, and it was fantastic! As you sit watching the credits roll by, music filling the theater, what has left you feeling that the movie was so good? Chances are one of the things that satisfies you is the movie’s ending. When an ending disappoints us, it’s hard to give a movie our “two thumbs up.” The same goes for books we read. If the ending is a dud, the narrative can leave us feeling frustrated or wondering, “Why did I waste my time reading that?!” But when the ending makes sense, meets our expectations, and wraps the story up nicely, we are left feeling satisfied, maybe even energized or uplifted. A writer has many options for concluding a narrative. Here are some common types of endings: An epiphany—one of the characters makes a sudden realization about something. A happy ending—the conflict is resolved in a satisfying way and the characters are happy and looking forward to the future. A thoughtful ending—something serious or sad happens at the end of the story and the characters reflect on what this means for them going forward. Regardless of the type of ending you prefer, there are two main ways to reason effectively to make your conclusion satisfying for your audience: Make the conclusion follow logically from the rest of the plot, or the series of events that make up a story. Have the narrator or characters reflect on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. Make Your Conclusion Logical The conclusion, or resolution, of your narrative is where you reveal what happens to your characters, describe how they finally deal with their problems, and convey what they may have learned from their experiences. When a conclusion is logical, that means it’s believable, it makes sense, it follows from and fits seamlessly with the events that came before. These strategies can help a writer reason effectively as they craft a conclusion: Write an ending that resolves the main character’s conflict, as well as the conflicts of any other characters, by telling how they ultimately handled the problem. Wrap up loose ends by answering any questions readers may have about characters, events, and experiences in the story. Show your characters behaving in ways that are consistent with what they were like earlier in the story. If you have described a character as behaving a certain way or having specific preferences throughout the story, don’t lose sight of those characteristics at the end. If you want a character to undergo a major transformation by the end, you’ll need to go back and insert details into the middle of the narrative to show the character gradually changing and growing. Make your tone, or your attitude toward the characters and events, at the end of the narrative match the tone in the rest of the story. If your narrative has had a humorous tone through most of the story, don’t suddenly turn the story into a tragedy; keep the ending upbeat and funny too.

Question

You’ve just seen a new movie, and it was fantastic! As you sit watching the credits roll by, music filling the theater, what has left you feeling that the movie was so good? Chances are one of the things that satisfies you is the movie’s ending. When an ending disappoints us, it’s hard to give a movie our “two thumbs up.” The same goes for books we read. If the ending is a dud, the narrative can leave us feeling frustrated or wondering, “Why did I waste my time reading that?!” But when the ending makes sense, meets our expectations, and wraps the story up nicely, we are left feeling satisfied, maybe even energized or uplifted. A writer has many options for concluding a narrative. Here are some common types of endings: An epiphany—one of the characters makes a sudden realization about something. A happy ending—the conflict is resolved in a satisfying way and the characters are happy and looking forward to the future. A thoughtful ending—something serious or sad happens at the end of the story and the characters reflect on what this means for them going forward. Regardless of the type of ending you prefer, there are two main ways to reason effectively to make your conclusion satisfying for your audience: Make the conclusion follow logically from the rest of the plot, or the series of events that make up a story. Have the narrator or characters reflect on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. Make Your Conclusion Logical The conclusion, or resolution, of your narrative is where you reveal what happens to your characters, describe how they finally deal with their problems, and convey what they may have learned from their experiences. When a conclusion is logical, that means it’s believable, it makes sense, it follows from and fits seamlessly with the events that came before. These strategies can help a writer reason effectively as they craft a conclusion: Write an ending that resolves the main character’s conflict, as well as the conflicts of any other characters, by telling how they ultimately handled the problem. Wrap up loose ends by answering any questions readers may have about characters, events, and experiences in the story. Show your characters behaving in ways that are consistent with what they were like earlier in the story. If you have described a character as behaving a certain way or having specific preferences throughout the story, don’t lose sight of those characteristics at the end. If you want a character to undergo a major transformation by the end, you’ll need to go back and insert details into the middle of the narrative to show the character gradually changing and growing. Make your tone, or your attitude toward the characters and events, at the end of the narrative match the tone in the rest of the story. If your narrative has had a humorous tone through most of the story, don’t suddenly turn the story into a tragedy; keep the ending upbeat and funny too.

Answer 1

In order to reason effectively and make your conclusion satisfying for your audience, it is important to have the narrator or characters reflect on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. This reflection allows for a deeper understanding of the events and their significance.

Additionally, it is crucial to make the conclusion logical and believable. This means that it should follow logically from the plot and events that occurred throughout the story. The ending should resolve the main character's conflict and any other conflicts that were introduced. It should also tie up any loose ends and answer any lingering questions the reader may have.

Consistency in character development is another key aspect of a satisfying conclusion. Characters should behave in ways that are consistent with their established characteristics and preferences throughout the story. If a character undergoes a major transformation, it should be displayed gradually over the course of the narrative, with details inserted throughout to show the progression.

Finally, the tone of the conclusion should match the tone of the rest of the story. If the narrative has had a humorous tone, the ending should also be upbeat and funny. It is important to maintain consistency and coherence throughout the entire narrative to provide a satisfying conclusion for the audience.