How should a story end?

The answer is going to depend largely on what type of story it was. In most cases, the end should wrap up the storyline. The exceptions would be if you have a two-part story or a trilogy planned. But, what of the final ending? Whether it’s a single story or a series of stories, how should the last one end?

Here again, you still need to wrap up the storyline. If you have a series of stories or novels with a story arc that spans them all, the last story or book in the series should conclude that arc.

But, what of series with standalone stories? Should you wrap up the main characters’ lives in the last story, or should you leave it open?

A more common example these days–since more people watch TV than read books–would be TV series. When they know the end is coming (as opposed to series that get cancelled before the writers have a chance to wrap up the story), how should it end?

For me, if it’s something that I’ve enjoyed watching, I have a tendency for the non-ending ending. In other words, the main story lines or arcs are wrapped up, but the final fate of the characters isn’t shown. By that I don’t mean that it ends on a cliffhanger, only that it doesn’t conclude with the characters’ funerals; it just ends in their present day, with room for more adventures the next day.

SPOILER WARNING: I am going to discuss the endings of some shows. They are old enough that most people probably already know them, but if you’re just getting started watching them on DVD or something and have not seen them before, you might want to skip ahead. I’ll bold the series’ name so you can skip to the next section if you want.

CHEERS

I think Cheers had a good ending. It wrapped up the some of the dangling storylines for some of the characters, but left things largely to continue on. It ended with a customer trying the locked door, and Sam Malone saying “We’re closed.” Of course, in its fictional world, the bar would be open again the next day, but it was a nice way to close out the show without really making it a finale. The bar didn’t close permanently. All the characters didn’t die. And, in your own imagination, you know that they’ll all be hanging out at Cheers the next day.

On top of that, when you watch reruns, except for unfortunate cases where the actors have passed away, you’re not sitting there thinking “Oh, he was hit by a car and died in the finale” or something.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

Star Trek: The Next Generation had a good ending with “All Good Things.” It concluded with Captain Picard (finally) playing poker with the rest of the crew. It’s unfortunate that the movies sort of undid that kind of camaraderie, but at least it was a good way to close out the series.

THE LONE GUNMEN

I didn’t like the ending to The Lone Gunmen (which wrapped up in an episode of The X-Files, as The Lone Gunmen series was cancelled). At the end, the three main characters–the “Lone Gunmen”–all die. I would have rather imagined them still being out there.

END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS.

Another factor is whether a series is ending on a bark or a whimper. If it’s going out good, the ending is much more important to leave the reader or viewer with a positive impression. If it’s going out badly (i.e., Andromeda), it’s a chance to redeem the series somewhat but there’s not as much pressure because few people care at that point. Of course, you’ve got to assume that people are enjoying your work (especially if it’s going to be a single story where you’re not going to have any feedback before the end is nigh) and try to make a strong ending.

So, what are some of your favorite and least favorite endings?

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 at 7:24 pm and is filed under Science Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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