The excitement in the plot is magnifying as the story reaches its climax. You’re at the pinnacle of your latest achievement. Now you have to resolve the story without letting it fall flat or, worse, carry on with additional tangents and innumerable epilogues. Face it, a good story needs a good ending, not a ‘to be continued’.

Throughout the story, the protagonist and antagonist (and all the other characters for that matter) have evolved. The events within the plot are bound to change each character. In real life, wouldn’t it change you or me? Realizing this is essential for the author so the story can come to a satisfying conclusion. The reader must see how the main character behaves at the start of the novel, how his/her nature is challenged by the plot, how the climax affects the main character, how the character reacts to the resolution, and finally, the outcome of the story.

In order to reveal these changes effectively, the author must consider the conflicts existing within the development. After all, the resolution resolves the conflict that existed throughout the story, both the apparent conflict and the underlying conflict.

So, what are these two conflicts? Well, the apparent conflict is the one that stands out, the one that presumably (and hopefully) starts your story with a big bang. The apparent conflict appears unsolvable at the beginning, but, through the development of the plot, it may eventually be resolvable, depending on the control of the protagonist (the main character). This may happen through a battle or a natural disaster or any other imaginable dramatic event.

Now the underlying conflict is something that gradually develops, revealing itself through the unfolding, developing plot. This underlying conflict is really what makes your story evolve, makes the development tense, and full of excitement and suspense. It’s the underlying conflict that must be resolved.

Hopefully, you have made notes on possible climaxes and endings. This is always a good idea. As you work through your plot, you’re bound to be thinking of various climax scenarios: write them down so you don’t forget them and so you can choose which one works best when you actually do reach the climax.

Since the plot is seen as the skeleton that holds the story together, it must be presented as not only what happened, but also as why it happened. The structure of a good story has been established for centuries. After all, it was Aristotle who said, “plot is character revealed by action” and “a complex plot should have a proper beginning, middle, and end.” He also listed the basic elements of a complex plot: “reversals, discoveries, complications, catastrophe, and resolution.” You need to ask yourself if your plot has a good beginning, middle, and end. And, does it have the conflict and other basic elements that Aristotle lists?

Remember, you don’t have to resolve all the issues in order to have a great ending. If your main characters have the fortitude and leadership to be worthy of their parts in your novel, then don’t disappoint your readers. Make them a vital part of the plot resolution.