Finishing Your Writing

Writing can often end but not feel finished.  It's important that writing comes to a conclusion that feels complete to the reader.  That means not ending a piece so abruptly that the reader feels like there should be something more, that not all the necessary information was provided or questions answered.  Your writing should not leave readers feeling like something is lacking in the piece.  Notice that the word "feeling" is being used to describe readers' reactions.  That's because an ending that is truly finished will evoke a sense of satisfaction in readers, a sense of accomplishment in having completed the reading process, and a sense of confidence that the subject or story was treated thoroughly.  Endings are more a feeling than a thought.  Readers will feel satisfied with the way your writing ends or they won't.  To help achieve that satisfaction, make sure your endings serve as a glue to pull all the elements of your writing together into a coherent whole.  Your ending sentences and paragraphs should reflect back on the rest of the piece in some kind of thoughtful way.  They can add new insight to what has already been said, add a new perspective not already given, inspire readers to see things differently, or deliver the most important nugget of meaning you really want readers to take away from the piece.  You want your ending words to provide a natural cascade downward, much like a musical piece de-crescendoing.  Your ending should bring your readers to a natural, comfortable conclusion and hopefully an "aha" moment as they reach the end and understand your meaning in its entirety.  Your readers should feel that there is nothing left to say, that you've said it well, left nothing hanging, and are giving them a fully wrapped package they can take with them to glean what they can from the gift of your words.  You should ask yourself at the end of a writing project what you are really trying to say with your essay, story, article or poem, and then make that message your ending.  Some writers hammer that message home with short, staccato, declarative sentences and others tease it out in long, luxurious prose that feels like being led home to the message.  Whatever your style, make sure your writing has a finished feel to it so that you can have the maximum impact on your readers and leave them with an impression they won't forget.

Writing With Intention

Writing students often confuse subject matter with purpose.  If asked the purpose of a piece of writing, they most often will respond by stating what the piece is about.  Subject matter is certainly important, but purpose is essential to good writing.  Writers need to have a clear purpose in mind, not just a clear subject.  It is not enough, for example, to say you are going to write an essay about climate change.  You must also be able to articulate what you intend to do with your subject - in other words, what your purpose is.  Are you writing about climate change to merely inform your readers or do you want to go further and inspire your readers to take the subject more seriously and perhaps change their behavior or engage in political action to further the cause?  Being clear on your purpose for writing about your subject is critical to being able to write about it effectively.  A useful tool in helping you clarify and articulate your purpose is a pre-writing technique called writing a purpose statement.  Generally, this involves a one sentence statement that accomplishes two things.  It clearly identifies your subject and indicates what you intend to do with that subject (i.e., inform, persuade, argue, entertain, etc.).  If you have trouble writing a purpose statement or if you can't write it in a single sentence, it is a sign that you might not yet be quite as focused as you need to be on your idea.  Having a clear sense of your purpose prior to writing, whether it is fiction, nonfiction or poetry, will help you achieve that purpose by selectively choosing the most effective language and the most effective techniques.  Without a clear sense of purpose, your writing will lack the tightness of focus and appropriate style needed to have maximum impact on readers.  Think of your writing as an intentional action with specific consequences.  When you are clear what your intentions are, you will be more able to control the consequences of your finished product and your readers will appreciate the results.