Having taught creative writing to young people for years, I never got over the classic ending they all used for a story: “to be continued…” usually with more than the three recommended dots. The difficulty is that we all want a good story to carry on. Whether we’re the reader or the writer, we need to see more resolutions beyond the given ones. However, as the saying goes, or as Geoffrey Chaucer (author of Canterbury Tales) wrote in the fourteenth century, “all good things must come to an end.” Shakespeare added another note to this quote in the title of one of his plays, “All’s Well That Ends Well.” So, a good story must have a good ending, one that inspires readers to think beyond the last page and draw their own conclusions about what may or may not have happened in the story itself.

As writers, how do we know when the end is the end? Many authors know their story’s ending before they start writing the rest of the story. Stephen King claims that he believes he knows the ending until he gets to the end of the story, at which point, he discovers the ending he envisioned no longer works. I like to have a possible ending before I begin the story. After all, a good story, with a good conflict, will naturally end when the conflict is resolved. Like Stephen King, my possible ending will probably change when I reach my resolution, but at least I have a point to aim towards.

There are some things to consider when deciding on how and when to end a story. One is, of course, as mentioned above, when the conflict ends. You may also have a dramatic question that requires an answer within the story – this, too, makes a good ending. Or, consider your character’s goal in the story – has this been reached? And, if so, is there any point in prolonging the story? Consider also the climactic moment in the story – is there a need to carry on further?

Finally, have you fulfilled the structure of the story: Exposition (setting up the situation and introducing the characters; rising action (events that build up the tension); climax (the high point of the story where the outcome becomes clear, or at least clearer); falling action (events that follow the climax and help sum up and lead toward a sustainable ending); and, finally, the resolution (the outcome of the story with all the loose ends being tied up).

Of course, this all leads to the really big question: how long should your book be? That all depends on you and your overall plans and story structure. Some great stories are told in five words (flash fiction), while other stories fill 800 pages or more. As writers, we have to be careful not to give too much filler and not to leave out something essential so the bare bones are evident. Go with the flow and write your story. Have an ending roughly drafted and aim towards that concluding point – at least, until it changes.