If you want to write successful short stories or novels, you must create satisfying endings. Why? Because the end of your story is the moment before they decide whether to read your next one 
If your ending is flat or the reader feels cheated (it was a dream) then it is more likely that the reader will look elsewhere next time.
Your ending need not be a happy one, after all life is not always a bunch of cherries (is it ever, you ask!). Sometimes it is more important to be true to life and the reader will say :
‘I’m sad that’s the way it is but I feel something has been provided that is worthwhile.’
Often your ending can contain a note of hope as well as a truth about the world, life or relationships. This may be more than enough to make the ending satisfying.
A twist in the tail is a very satisfying way to end. It’s my favourite. The element of surprise rounds a story off really nicely. It provides a full stop to the story and the reader knows that the author has done the job well.
So how does one find this Holy Grail of a good satisfying ending? I confess that can’t guarantee this next tip. All I can say is that it works for me most of the time and it has worked for others where I have recommended it!
The secret is in where and for how long you focus your attention!
A writer friend of mine said she had loads of stories written but hardly any of them had endings.
I said (being a bit blunt) “Well finish them then!â€
She said “I can’t think of an ending.â€
I said “Pretend your ending is a beginning where you already know the characters and background. You are used to manipulating characters and situations, just manipulate them at the end not the beginning.â€
She tried it and it worked!
The problem was that she was not focussing on the ending for more than a few minutes whereas she would spend hours trying to think up a good beginning. All she had to do was consciously change her focus of attention until she had achieved a result.
When I am working on an ending to a short story, I can spend days mulling over different options. I ask myself how the characters feel about the situation. What would they really like to do. What would make them feel great as an outcome to their circumstances.
So get your story started and don’t worry about how it will end until you get there. After all, If you don’t know how it will end, probably the reader won’t know either.
Then focus hard for a couple of days and carry the story around with you, relating it all the time to real life, and you’ll probably be surprised at the satisfying endings you can find.
