The end of a story brings the story to a conclusion.

 

Finito. End it. Done. -30-

 

The simplest way to end a story is just to stop writing once all the details discovered in the reporting process are exhausted  -  by presenting them in the inverted pyramid style of writing.

 

A common trend – also easy, but so-so boring – is to end the story with a quote. A majority of today’s news and copy editors look to trim stories after a quote because it’s simple and makes their job easier. This can be very frustrating to a reporter, but it’s a fact of life in this biz.

 

In breaking news stories (often on tight deadlines) writers shouldn’t worry about when or how a story ends. Just write what was discovered in the reporting process in proper journalistic fashion. In some cases reporters will be “on scene” filing notes to an editor or another reporter back in the office where the story will be compiled on deadline.

 

Feature stories of all types – those in which the writer has more time to develop the copy – those often beg for better endings. This is where thought and hard work comes in.

 

One way to end a story is to attempt to tie the last couple of graphs into the opening theme, or the main theme that runs throughout the story.

 

Another is to provide a scene that works with the theme or subject matter of the story.

 

In any event, endings are often passed over as an unimportant part of news reporting because they appear so low in the story; they’re the first target for the axe.

 

In practice, however, a quality ending can leave a lasting impression on the reader. Endings should never be discounted as a major part of the story-writing process.