Adapted from my workshop on endings for Bath Spa Uni, this is an exercise to get you thinking about endings and what you want your reader to feel at the end of the book.
- Teen goes missing during game of hide-and-seek
- Ten-year-old wants to help single parent find a partner
- Child must restore magical ring to the dragon to save the kingdom
- Toddler elephant is always having tantrums
- Or your WIP
WRITE THIS
- Select one or more of the plots from the left and brainstorm as many possible endings as you can:
- Your endings could be
- all tied up,
- happy ever after,
- tragic or sad,
- hopeful,
- a surprising twist,
- a full-circle mirroring of the beginning,
- or an epilogue five years later.
- Circle the two brainstormed endings that appeal most, bearing in mind the age of your reader.
- Now write alternate final paragraphs trying out those different endings and consider the lasting feeling you’re creating in each.
This prompt is adapted from a workshop run by Tracy Darnton