Narrative Story Ending

Narrative Story Ending "One stormy night, I decided to explore Bran Castle." "A few steps into the corridor, I started to smell a RANCID scent." "As I walked further, I heard laughter." "Oh no!" "Then,(...) suddenly,(...) I saw someone! THE END!" "What! Who did you see!? You can't just end it there!" Jane just told Ernie a scary story that had a beginning and a middle, but no end! A story ending that is abrupt, such as, "Then, suddenly, I saw someone! THE END!"... is not very satisfying for the reader or listener. Story endings should provide closure to the reader. When creating a story ending, it is important to think about how the character has grown or changed as a result of the main event in the story. There are many different types of story endings. A surprise ending, also known as a twist, is when the story takes an exciting and unexpected turn. Let's look at Ernie and Jane's version of the story Rapunzel with a surprise ending. Rapunzel was locked in a tower by an evil witch. One day, Princess Charming decided to climb the hair to the tower. She reached the top and said, "I'm here to rescue you!" Rapunzel replied, "Rescue? Excuse me? I don't need rescuing, I'm actually waiting for Prince Charming to bring me the dinner I ordered, and he should be here any minute." Rapunzel's reaction to Princess Charming may have been surprising to the reader, so this is a surprise ending. A cliffhanger ending is used by the author to excite the reader into reading more by leaving them hanging, or wanting to know more. Let's look at their version of Rapunzel with a cliffhanger ending. When she reached the top, she saw Rapunzel was dressed for battle. Rapunzel handed her a shield, and said, "I've been waiting for you, let's go defeat the witch!" This is a cliffhanger ending because this may excite the reader to read, or want to know more, about how they will defeat the witch. A resolved ending leaves the story with a resolution, or solution, to the main problem. Often times, this ending is seen in fairytales, using the line, 'and they lived happily ever after'. Let's look at their version of Rapunzel with a resolved ending. Princess Charming came to the top and Rapunzel threw open her arms and hugged her. Rapunzel was finally free, and they lived happily ever after. This is a resolved ending because it leaves the reader with no questions since it solves the main problem in the story. Before we see which type of story ending Jane will choose, let's summarize. Remember, story endings should provide a sense of closure to the reader. When creating a story ending, it is important to think about how the character has grown or changed as a result of the main event in the story. There are many different types of story endings. When choosing which type of ending to use, think about the main event in the story and which ending you want to use to reflect your own creative style! [Back to Jane's story taking place in the castle] "One stormy night, I decided to explore Bran Castle." "A few steps into the corridor, I started to smell a RANCID scent." "As I walked further, I heard laughter." "Then,(...) suddenly,(...) I saw someone! " "The lights flicked on, and the figure said, 'Oh, hi! I wasn't expecting anyone, but no matter! Do you want to stay for dinner? I'm just finishing up!'." "So I stayed for dinner and got to know Draculana, and realized she isn't so scary after all!"