Openings and Endings for Stories
A powerful beginning invites the reader in; a neat ending closes the door gently.
Ways to Start
- Action: The boat lurched as a wave crashed over the deck.
- Dialogue: “Run!” shouted Maya. “They’re coming!”
- Setting: Frost clung to the windows of the silent cottage.
- Question: Have you ever lost something important?
Ways to End
- Solution: The problem is fixed.
- Change: The character learns or grows.
- Full circle: Link back to the opening image or idea.
- Hint: A small twist or future hope.
Try It
- Write two different openings for the same idea.
- Write two endings: one solution, one character-change.
Step-by-step practice
- Choose a simple problem (lost toy, broken kite).
- Write an action opening that throws the reader straight into the problem.
- Write a short ending that shows how the character changes or solves it — avoid leaving questions unanswered unless it’s a cliff-hanger on purpose.
Model examples
Opening (action):
The kite snapped like a sail and spun into the clouds.
Ending (change):
Maya sat on the hill with a new spool of string and a smile — she knew how to mend broken things now.
Ending (full-circle):
Back at home, the very same kite hung on the wall where the family could see it every day.
Extension tasks
- Write three openings for one idea using action, dialogue and a question.
- Choose your favourite ending and rewrite the final paragraph to make the emotion stronger (show, don’t tell).
More hook ideas (with examples)
- Begin with movement: The door slammed so hard the pictures rattled.
- Begin with a strange fact: Everyone in town kept one secret in a jar.
- Begin with an unusual character action: Nora polished her boots at midnight.
Model answers — Try It
Idea: A lost kite
Opening (action): The kite snapped like a sail and spun into the clouds.
Opening (question): Have you ever watched something fly away and wished you could grab it back?
Ending (solution): They climbed the hill and found the kite caught in the old oak — they tugged it free and laughed.
Ending (change): Tom kept the spool on his desk to remind him not to give up next time his string snapped.
Ending checklist
- Does the ending answer the main question from the story?
- Does it show how the character has changed or what they learned?
- Is it the right length? (short & sharp or gently full-circle)