How To Write An Emotionally Satisfying Resolution For Your Novel
Deep Dive on Four-Act Story Structure Part 10 of 10
We have arrived at the resolution, the final image, or the denouement.
Whatever you want to call it—for simplicity, we will stick with resolution—we’re talking about tackling the end of the story!
Of course, nothing excites most writers more than typing “THE END!”
The end of the story has one seemingly simple job–to satisfy the reader. Let them say, ah, now that was worth it.
The key to a great resolution is to allow for emotional resonance between the story, the main character or characters, and the reader.
So how do we do that?
First, let’s remember where we’ve been to better understand where we’re going. And keep in mind that a story is about one thing: showing an irreversible change in the main character, the situation, or both.
The story’s resolution begins right after the last climactic event and continues to the final page.
The peak climactic moment answers the overarching story question, which is some version of will they or won’t they succeed? It ends the protagonist’s external plight, so essentially, the story is over. But if you want to emotionally satisfy the reader, don’t let their experience end there!
The climax was the highest moment of tension in the book. The writer has just delivered the killing blow, and the protagonist has won or lost.
Readers want to unclench their fists and have a moment for everything to come full circle so they can appreciate the story’s scope.
A good resolution does this in three ways:
It allows the reader to relax by decreasing the tension and providing emotional closure.
It shores up loose ends that cannot be left to the reader’s imagination.
It creates a sense of meaningful finality. Finally, it’s over and mattered because of x,y, or z.
We provide closure and thematic resonance (it meant something) by expanding on the emotional journey of our protagonist. We allow the reader to see the internal change because of the story’s events.
The resolution is the eventual result of the novel’s entire cause-and-effect trajectory.
Because of everything that happened, which led to the climax, the main character and likely all other characters have been permanently affected. So the job of the resolution is to show the effect of the climax. It’s the last piece of the “because of that, then this” logic of the story.
As a result, we will see a changed person navigate a familiar situation differently or embrace a new situation with a fresh outlook. Alternatively, the person remains the same, but the situation changes because of their actions in the story. The protagonist’s arc determines the change we see.
The most important aspect of the resolution is that it leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind that the main character has permanently changed.
And if the character didn’t change because you were writing a static or flat arc, then we need to see them living in a changed situation or setting.
Showing your character has changed and giving the reader the feeling that they will live on guided by a new internal compass will satisfy the reader’s curiosity (how will the character live now?) and give emotional closure to the character’s inner experience.
Takeaways:
The resolution begins immediately after the climax.
It’s usually a single scene or chapter showing the main character living a changed internal and possibly external life.
It provides emotional resonance because the character’s internal journey speaks to the story’s point or theme.
It answers niggling questions about any subplots or story loops that must be closed to satisfy the reader. Though you don’t need to tie things with a perfect bow. You can leave room for the imagination; the tone you’ve set over the book often determines how much you leave open for interpretation.
Questions to help you craft a strong resolution.
Think through the natural cause and effect of the story’s climax.
How will your cast of characters live differently now?
Would they make the same choices they did at the story’s onset?
What situation would best show the change and tone you want to present and the feeling you want to leave with the reader?
