Writing Prompt: Win or Lose

4/4 April Course: Story Core — Make it satisfying.

This week, we focus on: The Satisfying Ending

Depending on the genre and tone of your story, your character will either win or lose in the end. 

Set this result up early in your story, so the reader doesn’t feel robbed by an unjustified ending. Your ending can be surprising, but it should still be inevitable. A logical, if unexpected, result of cause and effect.

“Wow! I can’t believe it!

But yeah, that had to happen because…”

Even twist endings must be foreshadowed with hints. A tip is to write the ending first and work backwards. Or write the draft, then loop back and add in the hints. 

Always make the ending satisfying, tie up our loose ends, and ensure it fits within the context you set up with your story. 

Make it feel earned, e.g. the hero struggled, suffered and attempted at least three times, so winning feels fair. 

Help us learn more about your character with the ending, their reaction win or lose shows a lot about who they are and what they value.

Remember the guardrails of your genre, there are expectations bundled in that you must satisfy or smartly subvert. This helps create a cohesive and satisfying read, because we all want to feel like we cleverly know what should happen. 

And we subconsciously check elements off in our heads. I do it out loud during movies, but my wife still loves me.

Microfiction is the perfect, low-cost format to mess with people’s heads. But because of the tight word count, balance “show and tell”. You can tell to set up, doing it well, and then vividly show what matters. 

Showing is a zoom lense on the crucial information.

Lastly, remember a bittersweet ending, where the character achieves their goal but at a cost, can be a powerful way to end a story and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

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Ed: We love those tiny stories that linger like May More 💜 Tales’s story about Susie Baby giving away her love too easily, which, as a dad of girls, leaves me quite conflicted, torn between feminist freedom and protecting my girls.

Now, get writing!

A few Story core prompt options

Take your pick or come up with your own, it’s all good.

1. Maya is a ghost hunter who wants to capture proof of the supernatural on camera. But her investigation leads her to a haunted house that is more dangerous than she anticipated. She struggles to survive the night and document the paranormal activity, but will she be able to make it out alive?

2. David is a professional athlete who wants to win the championship game and secure his legacy as one of the greats. But his team is plagued by infighting and personal conflicts that threaten to tear them apart. He struggles to unite his teammates and lead them to victory, but will he be able to overcome the obstacles and achieve his ultimate goal?

3. Lily is a mermaid who wants to explore the human world and experience life on land. But she discovers that pollution and climate change are destroying the ocean and threatening the survival of her underwater community. She struggles to raise awareness and advocate for change, but will she be able to save her home and find a way to coexist with humans?

300 words for the story bits.

1. 300 words are tight, so focus on a single moment where the story turns. 

2. Get us in and out quickly, make us care, and surprise us in the end.

3. Tag your story as you like, e.g. Fiction or Flash Fiction
   But don’t use Writing Prompts please.

4. 🙏 link back to the prompt so others can find it too.

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