Think about the bending of your story; the last sentence is just as crucial as the first and will need to ‘hook’ the reader. Move on from the last sentence and develop the last 100 words to deliver the impact of the story.
Objectives
- (All) Research the last lines (Spoiler Alert!) of famous novels. Compare and contrast – add notes to Blog
Writing an ending line is just as important as the opening but for quite a different reason. When writing an opening it is your job to entice the reader to keep reading, but when writing a closing line you have to make sure that it ends your story with a flourish and does not ruin the work before it. It is important to keep it short whilst tying up loose ends so your story does not outstay its welcome. Here are some examples of famous closing 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
“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
“Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger.”
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
(All) Look at the story of a peer and supply feedback on their final line
I read Shona’s final line to provide my feedback and this is how it reads,” As I geared up to take my leap for freedom, I decided not to aim for the bins, and jumped.”
The feedback I gave her is that it was a very dark and fitting ending for her short story but I encouraged her to re-word it and to be careful of grammatical errors.
Angel Creative Writing 