Resolution Podcast Episode

Podcast:

MAL Season 2, Episode 13 Podcast

Word of the Week: 

Resolve:

Find a solution to a problem; Firmly decide on a course of action

Reading: 

Tale of Two Cities, part of final Chapter

The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

Tips:

7 Tips for Writing a Resolution:

The ending of a story needs to leave the reader feeling as though the main problem of the story has been resolved, and the character has a firm course of action in where to go next.  Writing a great resolution can impact whether the reader will want to read another story by the same writer, or not.  Here are 7 Tips for Writing a Resolution: 

1. Be sure to wrap everything up.  Leave the reader with a sense that the main conflict has been resolved, answer any unanswered questions, and tie up loose ends.
2. Try out different endings.  Find the one that fits your story best.
3. Write an ending that matches the genre you are writing in.  Ending a romance like a horror novel will leave the reader feeling confused.  
4. Show how the main character has changed throughout the story.
5. Keep it real.  Avoid an ending that is too improbable, or something cliche that may confuse the reader.
6. Leave room for the imagination.  Allow for the reader to imagine some of what might happen next to the characters in the story.
7. Show the 5 Ws.  End with who, what, where, when and why, giving the reader a sense of an ultimate destination.  

Not sure how to end your story?  Here are five possible ways an author could wrap up a tale: 

Bonus: 5 Possible Ways to End a Story:

1. Repetition: End the story with the way it started.
2. Description: End the story by returning to the main theme of the story, and describing it.  
3. Question: Leave the reader with a question.
4. Cliffhanger: Leave the story wide open for another story.
5. Contrast: Compare two areas that are opposite, such as a character who has failed with a character that has succeeded.  

Prompt: 

Writing a great resolution is an important part of writing a story.  Give it a try!  Rewrite the ending of your favorite fairy tale.