Wrapping up can be any writer’s problem, whether the text is a college dissertation, a novel, a non-fiction work, or merely an email to a friend. How to end it properly? Everyone has read articles, letters or stories that seem to go on much longer than necessary. How to wrap it up is often not as easy as it appears. Here are some suggestions.
• Tie up loose ends. This is helpful whether your document is a story with characters and situations, or technical writing for your employer. Finish with some completeness of the loose ends. What was important from your outline? Did you address it properly? Did you answer your reader’s questions? Did you make your points? All of these are good questions to ask your self when wrapping up.
• Summarize your arguments. If you are writing an opinion piece, a documentary, a work of fiction, or any document for any purpose, summarize what pertinent points you wished to defend or present through your writing. A corollary to this quite often is less is more. Long and rambling defenses, or summaries often lose the reader’s interest. Usually the reader is much smarter than you think, so it is important to lead them to form their conclusions and then exit without belaboring the points.
• Resolve conflicts. The key is to leave the reader satisfied. This often is a challenge for even great writers. We are not saying leave the reader happy, or end it the way the reader might like it to end. Quite often we read something and are not pleased with the way it ended, but upon reflection we understand the writer’s craft and purpose. Which leads to,
• Make it believable. Don’t play games with the reader (and yourself as the author) just so you can make an exit. Whatever your ending, it has to ring true with the reader, otherwise they will not like you for the deception. The ending has to be credible – not emotionally satisfying necessarily, but believable. Even in fairly tales, the ending needs to be believable, even if a small stretch of the imagination helps. Respect your reader – give them something they can accept.
Most importantly though, give the reader something that is polished and well written. If your skills in grammar, writing style and punctuation are superb, that’s fine. But for the rest of us, an English writing software program that can instantly check grammar, polish text and enhance the overall presentation of our document, with one simple click of our mouse, is a most valuable tool. Your writing leaves an impression – make it positive!
