Constructing a satisfying conclusion is likely the most challenging part of writing a novel. It’s where everything gets woven together: character development, plot and emotional resolutions, and theme. And despite the idea of a “satisfying” conclusion sounding like something that requires tying everything up with a bow at the end, that’s not the only way to make your ending stick.

Some of the best story endings leave just enough unresolved to feel real and earned.

1. Tie up Your Character Arcs Even If the Plot Isn’t Fully Resolved

Your readers don’t just read your tale for the plot; they’re here for your characters. A great ending often hinges on emotional resolution rather than resolving every loose thread.

Ask yourself:

• Does your protagonist change from where they began?
• Did they battle the source of fear, falsehood, or want that defined their journey?
• Is the reader left with an impression of how the journey changed them—for better or worse?

Example: Maybe your heroine doesn’t kill the villain. But she chooses mercy over revenge, breaking a family cycle. That decision is her arc fulfilled. That’s your genuine ending.

If you’re writing a series, that doesn’t mean you hold all resolutions to the last installment. Each book should have its own arcs and resolutions. This will help keep your reader satisfied but moving forward.

Remember, neat endings don’t always exist. But they need to have the feeling of your character ending up somewhere different from where they started physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

2. Echo the Beginning or Theme

A full-circle conclusion is one of the most emotionally resonant means of ending a story. This does not entail repeating your first scene, but contemplating how much the story and character have changed.

Techniques of achieving this resonance:

• Mirror the opening line or image in a new way.
• Draw a contrast between your protagonist’s first and last choices.
• Return to a symbolic object, place, or phrase with new meaning.

Example: If your tale started with your character fleeing responsibility, close it with them deciding to take the lead. If the opening scene was a garden falling into ruin, perhaps in the final scene they bury new seeds.

These call-backs may be subtle or overt, but they affirm your narrative’s theme and provide that perfect “ahhh, yes” ending.

3. Provide Emotional Closure Even in Open-Ended Plots

Plot can be ambiguous. Emotional resolution cannot. Even when your plot is ambiguous, maybe the villain lives, or the world hangs in the balance, the emotional arcs of your characters and their relationships to each other must be resolved.

Ask yourself:

• Have the key conversations taken place?
• Are key relationships acknowledged, repaired, or resolved in some way?
• Has your reader been given enough so that they can feel something intensely at the end?

Example: Maybe your epic fantasy ends with the hero bidding farewell to their surrogate family, never knowing when they will meet again. But they do have a sweet sendoff that honors all they’ve shared. That’s closure emotionally.

Leave your reader somewhere to catch their breath.

4. Avoid the “Everything Happens All at Once” Ending

Sometimes, especially in romance or fantasy novels, one tends to shoehorn all the climactic reveals, battles, and reunions into the final 10 pages. What’s the effect? A mad dash of a final section that reads like careening down a hill.

Rather:

• Space out emotional scenes following the climax
• Give time to let dust settle and show us the new normal.

Example: After the epic battle, show your heroine helping to rebuild the village she had previously fled from. Show her making amends with her mother. Show what’s next.

A satisfying ending leaves space for resonance.

5. Honour the Genre but Don’t Be Afraid to Subvert It

Romance readers expect a “Happily Ever After” or a “Happy for Now” ending.

Fantasy readers expect world-altering choices and consequences.

It’s helpful to know what your genre promises and when you can get away with not making good on that promise.

You can subvert expectations if you are emotionally honest and give the reader something satisfying to hold onto.

Example: In a fantasy-romance, maybe the lovers are parted. But if their parting is meaningful, earned, and emotionally resonant—it can still be satisfying.

It all comes down to intention. Your conclusion does not need to be traditional. But it needs to be genuine.

6. Offer a Glance at What’s Ahead

Not every story needs an epilogue, but there’s something reassuringly satisfying about knowing what comes next.

You may:

• Tease a new adventure.
• Show a small piece of a character’s new life.
• Leave a persistent question that is more tantalizing than infuriating.

Example: Your hero puts down their sword, picks up a quill, and begins to pen their story. We don’t know what will happen next, but they’ve earned it.

A glimpse into the future, even a whisper of it, adds weight and emotion to your conclusion.

7. Be Courageous Enough to Write It

Let’s face it. Sometimes we wait to write the ending because we’re scared.

Scared it won’t be as good as what we’ve written.

Scared of letting go.

Scared of ruining it.

But here’s something: you can’t revise an unwritten ending.

So write the messy draft first. Write the raw version. Have faith that your characters have a sense of direction. Then, go back and shape it into something tangible.

Because the only endings that work are those brave enough to tell the truth.

Final Thoughts

Endings aren’t just closing a door. They’re what we bring with us when we step through it.

A good ending leaves you wanting. It lingers with you. It makes you think. It gives resonance, not resolution.

Then be courageous. Be kind. Let your story do its thing with you.

And when you reach that final page, let it say only what you can tell.

Good luck, and don’t worry: your ending won’t be flawless, and it doesn’t need to be, but if you want to smooth out the edges, I’m here to help.