Open Endings

“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” —Frank Herbert, author of Dune.

Because real life is often messy, without structure, we often look to story endings that put everything in its place. However, endings in and of themselves can also be complex; not every book ends with a neat and tidy bow, nor should they. Leaving something up to the imagination invites participation from the reader and defies tropes of a too-perfect conclusion. Yet how do you walk the line between tying up all the meaningful threads in your story and also leaving something open for the reader’s imagination or even for a sequel?

Here we’ll look at ways to do this in contemporary literature and explore how to create satisfying but open endings.

NECESSARY CLOSURE

Before we talk about what can be left open, we need to first discuss what must be concluded at the end of a story. A novel or memoir follows a protagonist or narrator on a path toward a compelling goal. The goal stated in the inciting incident must come to fruition and conclusion by the story’s end, or the reader will feel that the story has not yet ended. The final scenes after the story’s climax must:

Answer Any Outstanding Questions

Think of this as the game of “Clue” formula: Whodunit, what did they do, how did they do it, and where? Professor Plum murdered the maid in the ballroom with the candlestick. You’ll also want to tie up the “why” if you haven’t already—because she was blackmailing him over their affair. The reader needs to know these essentials before you can leave any questions floating in the air.

Conclude the Main Action and Drama

At the end of a story,