When people talk about putting conflict in a story, they often discuss how to create it or intensify it. Hardly anyone addresses how to resolve it. I think most people just assume there is one option: the character overcomes it. Life isn’t that simple, and I don’t think stories should be either. Let’s look at three general ways you can end conflict in your book.
1. Overcome The Conflict
Here is the obvious answer. The character overcomes the conflict and lives happily ever after. There may be some lingering scars from it, but usually he finds a brilliant way around it and wins.
One example of this is every Sherlock Holmes story. Sherlock has a new case which causes massive problems, but in the end he overcomes and solves every case. There is nothing wrong with this ending, and it’s often the most satisfying for readers.
I don’t want to downplay how important it is for readers to feel a sense of fulfillment at the end of a book. Even if you choose one of the other options below for your main conflict ending, you should at least have some of your lesser conflicts resolved by the character overcoming them. Most readers need a happy ending in some form or another.
2. Destroyed By The Conflict
The second option for a conflict ending is the exact opposite: the character fails and is destroyed by the conflict. In the end, the character flaws are too great and the character succumbs to his own weakness.
Wuthering Heights is a good example of conflict destroying the main characters. Catherine doesn’t let go of her desire for wealth and prestige, and Heathcliff can’t let go of his pride. They both have tragic endings, though the author does hint at a promising afterlife for both as a happy ending. It’s a sad story, but some of the supporting characters have better endings to balance out the dark emotions. The balance was done so masterfully that it’s still popular and labeled a classic today. I think these endings are hard to do, but, if you can manage it, they make some of the loveliest books.
3. Learn To Live With The Conflict
The last option to end your story conflict is to basically not end it. The conflict still exists but the character has found a way to live with it. This ending is probably the least used, but it can be powerful.
Take a look at Gone Girl. Each character spends the book negatively manipulating the other, but in the end Nick and Amy choose to stay in their situation rather than leave it. The characters have grown and changed how they behave, but they don’t actually change the conflict. They still have issues; they just are more aware of how to live with them now. Considering how popular the book became, a non-ending of the main conflict can be a valid choice for a writer.
Final Thoughts
I hope seeing these options laid out helps you consider more closely how you choose to end your main story conflict. None of the options above are bad or better than the others. You need to look at your story and ask which would make the most powerful ending. Then, regardless of how difficult or odd it may seem, write that ending. No one can argue with your choice if it resonates with the readers.
Thanks for reading!
Write a tale
Leave a trail