Ending an Article

When it comes to writing, the end may be considered the hardest part of a story depending on who you talk to. To journalists, “it depends on the story” according to Joseph Gambardello from the Philadelphia Inquirer. He says that the end should be the end, and the end shouldn’t raise any questions for the reader. The ending of a story should sum it up and end it.

Susan Snyder of the Inquirer says that the ending isn’t too hard to write. “We call that the ‘kicker.’ And I tend to find that much easier to come up with than the first couple paragraphs,” says Snyder. “Perhaps that’s because at that point, you are at the end of the story and know all the material you have.”

There’s no secret technique to writing an ending. The endings found in news articles aren’t made in some special way that novice writers can’t figure out. “But there are sure fire endings,” says  Gambardello, “such as a quote that sums up the story in an emotional or  colorful way.”

Daniel Rubin from the Inquirer says that an ending should be memorable. It can be “a phrase that doubles back to something at the start of the piece” or “something ironic, a twist.”

Some say that the ending in a news article doesn’t matter as much as people may think, but it’s nice to have a good ending. Snyder says that “A lot of readers won’t get there. We’re in a real competition for the reader’s time,” but she also says that the ending should be nice for those who actually do many it to the end.

Gambardello agreed, saying that “The ending of the article is not as important as the contents of the article overall. The story must be clearly told, fair and factual. A good ending is always welcome, and an effort should be made to write one.”

“In all honesty, the only way to learn how to write a good ending is to keep trying and eventually it will come naturally, or not,” Gambardello says. “I know many reporters with years in the business who struggle with endings with little success.”

There is, however, one way that everyone knows how to end a story:

The end.