The Clincher! Use those last moments to bring it home!

Endings are like great desserts! Are the reader’s last taste of a story. Leave a reader satisfied. Are the crowning touch Give the essay a sense of completion Are never abrupt (unless purposely so) Color reader’s perceptions of everything that came before The impression of your essay your reader walks away with

What NOT to do! AVOID ENDINGS THAT ◦Merely repeat something you have already said. ◦Summarize key points like you might do in a persuasive paper. This is NOT an argument. ◦Are abrupt and confuse the reader. ◦Are trite and generic. Be original!

Bring Essay “full circle” FULL CIRCLE ENDINGS ◦Loop back to the beginning, closing a circle, tying the whole story together and creating a sense of completion ◦Often deliver a punch that signals story’s end– “a kicker” of sorts

FULL CIRCLE techniques Revisit an image used earlier in the essay’s lead to being essay to closure. Begin and end in the same physical place or point in time. Respond to a question raised earlier in the essay. Return to an unresolved conflict mentioned at some earlier point in the writing.

Closed Cycle Technique Simply complete the arc that formed the basis for the essay’s underlying structure. The story of a life might end in death. The story of a journey might end at its destination. The story of a day might end at its closing

Closed Cycle/ Full Circle My daughter Madeleine is gathering strawberries from the mountains in France. She is placing them carefully into a basket that I fashioned out of leaves and Queen Anne’s Lace…….. And it leads to her. And it leads to this moment, this single moment on a foot trail, on a forested mountain side, where villages centuries old can be seen in the distance, where the sound of cow bells tells us the day is finishing, and where little girls can make strawberry baskets of Queen’s Lace.

Avoid those Lame Last Lines Good Writers Know When to Quit: For some princesses, the most magical moment will be boarding the float at the Grand Floral Parade. I’ve watched the parade since I was six. I remember watching the floats go by and wishing I could be on one some day. With a bit of magic, I will. Things happen as if by magic when you put a lot of work into them.

Final Words Dialogue can often make an ideal ending. The best examples are dramatic. Must be related to essay’s theme.

Placement of attribution matters. “You know,” said Bradley, bending close as if sharing a secret, “ I think I’ll be alright in the end.” Note how writer places attribution in middle of quote. “You know, I think I’ll be alright in the end, “ said Bradley, bending close as if sharing a secret. Attribution at the end not nearly as effective

Those Final Words The last impression you make on the reader is a powerful one. People tend to remember beginnings and endings the best. This is the image your readers walks away with. Make it good! Here’s where you “clinch” the deal with your reader.