Closure in Short Stories By Stephanie Campbell

Closure in Short Stories

By Stephanie Campbell

            We've got the perfect short story. The words are flowing, our blood is pumping, and everything is coming out oh-so-perfectly. Until we reach the very end. Suddenly, it's blank. The story itself is fantastic: there are twists and turns and back-story. The main character is wonderful and desirable. Yet, how do we top such a fantastic story with an ending? How do we leave the readers feeling appeased by what they read instead of cheated? That is why I think that short story endings are one of the hardest things in the world to write. I'd take a 75,000 word novel any day.

            But there are ways to give a short story a good ending, one that leaves the reader feeling excited instead of cheated. We can even do this without killing the protagonist, which seems to be a common approach to running away from the “short story” slump. One good way to do this is to have a set objective before the story starts. Do you want the main character to get the girl? Okay, you make sure that it happens. Do you want your person to walk away from a bad situation? Well, that's really great.

            Some general rules of short story endings that I follow:
            A) Have an ending prepared. Sometimes I'll even write the ending first and then write the rest. This is my method, so it may not work with everyone, but I call it “setting the marker.”

            B) Drama, drama, drama! For some reason, dramatic endings work really well in short stories, as far as I've seen. I always feel more appeased when the main character walks away from a bad situation than at any other time.

            C)Remember you audience. Just because you know what's going to happen to your characters after the ending doesn't mean that they do. Remember to remember your reader, and they will remember your story.

            D) Practice. Write the endings for a few short stories that you have no intention to write. The more you write them, the better you get.

            Examples are a good thing too. Read as many short stories as possible to help you further navigate the story. Think of a good short story ending as an ending to a relationship. If you leave a relationship feeling cheated, then you will be bitter and hateful toward the person. If you leave a relationship with good closure and understanding of the situation, then you leave the relationship feeling appeased. Give your readers something to feel good about.

            While I don't think that writing the ending to a short story will ever be a pain-free ordeal, I hope that I have given you some ways to at make your life easier. Short story endings can be fun with the right weapons at your disposal. Don't forget, that's what short stories are for the reader and writer: fun.

Stephanie Campbell is the author of Dragon Night, published by Musa's Urania Imprint. You can buy her book here