They say the ending of a story is as important as the hook. Should a story leave the reader wanting more, or leave the reader satisfied?
Famous last lines: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald "After all, tomorrow is another day." Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell "He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning." To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee "The eyes and faces all turned themselves towards me, and guiding myself by them, as by a magical thread, I stepped into the room." The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." Animal Farm, George Orwell The 100 most powerful and poignant closing lines from literature
If it doesn't leave the reader satisfied, the ending has failed. It can also leave the reader wanting more.
I think it should do both. I think writers have a way of making readers fantasies more after the story, but realize the ending was just perfect. I love those kinds of endings.
There's more to an ending than the last line, but there's something to be sad about those famous last words.
I don't really do that. I mean, don't get me wrong. Sometimes those last few lines can fall like butter. But there's got to be a good set up. And it's got to feel like absolutely no other words can do. Sometimes the last line just comes to me. Other times I have a placeholder of sorts and take some time pondering what those ending words should be. It usually seems to click like magic either right away or after some time. But I can't say the most thought or effort goes into the last line for me. When I start a story I'm opening a situation. I feel competent enough as a writer that the right words will be there. But with the end of a story is where everything need to make sense. The conclusion is so as dictated by the story. Everything has been leading up to that. A last line is great, but it won't alone lead you to a satisfying ending.
If an ending stays with the reader, even from initial disappointment or even outrage, there's still a wake. Can any wake at all be worse than calm (aka forgotten faster than a Twitter post)? Generally, no. A lasting impression is what matters. It can also take a culture decades to realize a 'bad' ending was actually the perfect ending all along. For me, this happened with The Stand personally. Took me a long time to realize just how fitting it was. Easy pop culture example is John Carpenter's The Thing. People hated the ending when it came out, but now it's a regarded classic. Sue me, then drag me to the pillory and smear my face with marmalade: satisfaction is optional.
Oh yeah, the ambiguous endings. Some people reeeealllly can't handle them! Personally I like them when they're well done (as in The Thing). But there's a big difference between a well-done ambiguous ending and a confused mess of an ending that doesn't work.
