Conclusion
IN THIS LESSON
The reason why your story should be told
Nothing influences the audience experience quite like the conclusion. The message you leave your audience with is what they will take with them after the story is told.
You have the power to leave your audience feeling hopeful, worried, relieved, stressed, inspired, amused, disgusted, or whatever you want!
Think of every time you tell a story in conversation. There’s always a reason you tell it. Maybe it’s because you relate to something someone just said and you want to reinforce their sentiment. Maybe you disagree with someone and offer a different perspective. Maybe you want to impress someone, or just make them laugh. There’s always a goal in mind. You want to convey something to the listener(s) through a story.
The Conclusion of your story is not just the “ending”. It’s the culmination of the entire story. It’s the idea/message/moral/point that you as a storyteller are conveying. Art is a means of communication. We as humans find innovative ways to express ourselves and share thoughts, feelings, and ideas with each other. Stories are one of the oldest and most effective forms of communication. Ancient stories are still told to this day because the Conclusion still means something to us.
Control Your Narrative
The Conclusion may be the single most important tool you have as a storyteller for influencing the audience experience. It’s not just how the story ends, it’s the feeling the audience is left with after following the entire story.
Craft your conclusion to leave your audience feeling the way you want them to.
If you want to leave your audience feeling terrified after your horror story, conclude your story with a hopeless dreadfulness. No character was spared, no matter who they were or what they did.
If you want to leave your audience weary, conclude with a cautionary moral. One character got away, but only because they followed the rules.
If you want to leave your audience inspired, conclude with an unlikely success. A ragtag group of misfits banded together to pull out off a big success.
If you want to leave your audience laughing, conclude by defying expectations.
If you want to leave your audience angry, conclude with an injustice.
Your Conclusion is a powerful tool, so use it effectively!
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