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Last updated on Mar 08, 2024

How to End a Story: The 6 Ways All Stories End

When we first start to read books, we quickly understand that books have two types of ending: happy and sad. But as we develop our literary palate and read deeper, it soon becomes apparent that endings are somewhat more nuanced than that.

In the first part of this post, we will dive into the many types of endings that novelists have at their disposal — and reveal the impact they can have on the reader. In the second part, we'll give you some tried-and-true tips for writing an impactful ending for your own book.

The 6 types of story endings (with examples)

Let's dive into the most common types of story endings that you'll see over and over again in storytelling. Note that, as we provide some examples from novel endings, there will be... spoilers!

1. Resolved Ending

Wrap it up and put a bow on it. A resolved ending answers all the questions and ties up any loose plot threads. There is nothing more to tell because the characters’ fates are clearly presented to the reader.

Example: Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude provides a great example of a resolved ending. In his Nobel Prize-winning book, García Márquez intertwines the tale of the Buendia family and the small town where they live, from its creation until its destruction.

Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth.

With this ending, García Márquez effectively ends all hope of a sequel by destroying the entire town and killing off all the characters. Unlike a Deus Ex Machina ending, where everything is suddenly and abruptly resolved , this is an ending that fits with the themes and plot of this book. Though not exactly expected, it brings an appropriate closure to the Buendia family and the town of Macondo.

Why might you use a resolved ending? This sort of conclusion is common to standalone books — especially romance novels, which thrive on ‘happily ever afters’ — or the final installment in a series.

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2. Unresolved Ending

This type of ending asks more questions than answers and, ideally, leaves the reader wanting to know how the story will continue. It lets them reflect on what the hero has been through and pushes them to imagine what is still to happen. There will be some resolution, but it will, most likely, pose questions at the end and leave some doors open.

Example: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince does exactly that. After years of confronting Voldemort, Harry finally knows the secret to bring him down once and for all. However, the road will only become more dangerous and will require more sacrifices than anybody thought.

His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.

Like Harry, readers know that a final meeting between him and Voldemort is coming and that everything will change for him and his friends. As a stand-alone book, this ending would probably be unsatisfactory. But as the penultimate book in the series, it leaves the readers wanting more.

The main characters of Harry Potter, staring into the horizon

Why might you use an unresolved ending? Because it can create anticipation and excitement for what comes next, you may want to use an unresolved ending if you are writing a series of books . Who doesn’t love (and hate) a good cliffhanger?

3. Ambiguous Ending

An ambiguous ending leaves the reader wondering about the “what ifs.” Instead of directly stating what happens to the characters after the book ends, it allows the reader to speculate about what might come next — without establishing a right or wrong answer. Things don't feel quite unresolved , more just open to interpretation.

Example: The first installment of The Giver series, by Lois Lowry, uses this ending. The Giver focuses on Jonas, a teenager living in a colorless yet seemingly ideal society, and on the way he uses his newly assigned position as the Receiver of Memories to unravel the truth about his community and forge a new path for himself.

Downward, downward, faster, faster. Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too, for the baby. For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo.

Readers will wonder what happens to Jonas once he finishes his journey and what happens to the town and people he left behind. There are three more companion books with more plot points , but the story centering on Jonas is finished. Readers will see him again, but only as a side character, and will neither find out how he rebuilt his life nor how his old community fared. There might be speculation, but an answer is never clearly given: that is left to the imagination.

When might you use an ambiguous ending? If you want your readers to reflect on the meaning of your book, then this is the ending for you. While a resolved ending may satisfy readers, it probably won’t give them much pause at all. However, by trying to unpick an ambiguous ending, they get closer to what you, as the author, are trying to say.

4. Unexpected Ending

If you have led your readers to believe that your book will end one way, but at the last possible moment, you add a plot twist that they didn’t see coming, you’ve got yourself an unexpected ending! For an author, this type of ending can be a thrill to write, but it must be handled with care. Handled poorly, it will frustrate and infuriate your reader.

An unexpected ending must be done so that, while surprising, still makes sense and brings a satisfactory conclusion.

Example: A popular novel that makes use of this ending is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie , where she tells the tale of ten murders without an obvious culprit that took place in an isolated island mansion. [Spoilers coming!] The last lines of the novel read:

When the sea goes down, there will come from the mainland boats and men. And they will find ten dead bodies and an unsolved problem on Soldier Island. Signed: Lawrence Wargrave

The ways in which the murders occur let the reader suspect the guilt of just about every character — and then, in an epic twist, they all die, leaving the murders unexplained. It is not until the message in the bottle arrives that the true culprit is revealed, as one of the victims no less! The ending is satisfactory to the reader because it brings the plot to a close in a way that, though surprising, invites them to think back on how the murderer set things up for the remaining deaths, and ultimately makes sense.

the cast of 2015's and then there were none

Why might you use an unexpected ending? These ‘twist endings’ are the bread and butter of mystery novels . Just be aware that while fans of the genre will expect a twist — they won't want one that comes entirely out of nowhere. To execute a flawless unexpected ending, you must lay groundwork throughout your book so that the reader can reflect on the plot and go, “ah, but of course!”

5. Tied Ending

Much of storytelling is cyclical. Sometimes it’s a metaphorical return home, such as in The Hero’s Journey . In other cases, the cycle is quite literal — the story ends where it began.

Example: Erin Morgenstern uses this ending in her book The Night Circus , where she tells of a duel between two magicians that takes place within Le Cirque des Rêves , a traveling circus and, arguably, a character on its own.

Widget takes a sip of his wine and puts his glass down on the table. He sits back in his chair and steadily return the stare at him. Taking his time as though he has all of it in the world, in the universe, from the days when tales meant more than they do now, but perhaps less than they will someday, he draws a breath that releases the tangled knot of words in his heart, and they fall from his lips effortlessly. ‘The circus arrives without warning.’

With what may be the most famous lines of the book, “The circus arrives without warning,” this novel closes the characters’ storylines the same way the book begins. In both cases, the words are used to start telling a story; in the beginning, it serves as an introduction to the book, the words filled with wonder and expectation. In the end, it serves as a resolution, the words filled with hope for those who remain. Additionally, Morgenstern later uses a few more pages to finish the second-person narrative of the reader’s own visit to the circus, effectively ending the novel with the same point of view that it began.

Why might you use a tied ending? More common in literary fiction, a tied ending can help give you a sense of direction when writing your book — after all, you are ending the same way you began. But don’t think that this makes writing your ending easier. On the contrary, it is up to you to give greater depth to those repeated actions and events so that, by the end, they have a completely different feel.

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6. Expanded Ending

Also known as an epilogue , this type of ending describes what happens to the world of the story afterward in a way that hints at the characters' fates at some point in the future.

Example: In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief , Death himself narrates the story of a young girl living in Nazi Germany. In his four-part epilogue, Zusak gives the reader an insight into what happened to Liesel after the bombing, her adult life, and even her death.

All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said to the book thief and I say it now to you. *** A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR*** I am hunted by humans.

Instead of going into great detail, Zusak uses short chapters that feel more like sneak peeks into her life. Additionally, it serves the purpose of joining Liesel, the main character, with the narrator, Death, and allowing them to converse on more equal terms.

Why might you use an expanded ending? If you need to tie up loose ends but could not do it within the actual story, then this is the ending for you. However, it should not replace a traditional ending or be used to compensate for a weak ending. Instead, it should give further insight into the characters and give a resolution to the readers.

Now that you understand what kind of endings there are, let’s start thinking about how to create them for yourself.

How to end a story in 7 steps

To help you create a story ending that is unexpected and satisfying, we've turned to the professional editors on Reedsy and asked for their top tips on wrapping up your book.

How to end a story:

Find your ending in the beginning
Completion goes hand-in-hand with hope
Keep things fresh
Make sure it’s really finished
Last impressions matter
Come full circle
Leave some things unsaid

1. Find your ending in the beginning

While your story may contain several different threads and subplots, all books are going to have a central question that’s raised by the opener. Who killed the boss? Will our star-crossed lovers end up together? Can a rag-tag group of heroes really save the world? Is there meaning to a middle-class existence? Can this family’s relationship be saved?

Your central question is the driving force of what will happen in the plot, so make sure you settle it by the time the book ends. Even if your hero's story continues in a sequel, you’ll want each book to have a central question and a resolution for them to feel complete.

2. Completion goes hand-in-hand with hope

Literary agent Estelle Laure explains that a great ending is one that gives the reader both a feeling of completion and hope.

“You have to assume the character has gone through hell, so let them see something beautiful about the world that allows them to take a breath and step into the next adventure. Even your ending should leave your reader dying for more. They should close the book with a sigh, and that’s the best way I know how to get there. This is, after all, a cruel but wondrous life.”

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3. Keep things fresh

This is good advice for every stage of writing, but perhaps nowhere is it more important than the ending. While there are certain genres where a type of ending is expected (romances should end with a happily ever after, mysteries with identifying the killer), you don’t want people to be able to see everything coming from miles off. So even if the payoff from the big resolution is expected, as the writer, you’ll want to think hard to find ways to keep things fresh and interesting. To achieve this, try to dig deeper than your first impulse because chances are, that’s also going to be your audience’s first impulse as well. You don’t necessarily need to subvert that expectation, but it will give you some hints as to what most people think will happen.

4. Make sure it’s really finished

To create a satisfying ending, close your book with purpose.

As Publishing Director of Endeavor Media, Jasmin Kirkbride’s biggest tip is to make sure you follow the rule of Chekhov’s Gun.

“Every subplot and all the different strands of your main plot should reach satisfying, clear conclusions. If they are meant to be left ambiguously, ensure your reader knows this, and create something out of that uncertainty.”

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5. Last impressions matter

In some ways, the final line of a story is even more important than the first one. It’s the last impression you’ll make in your reader’s mind, and the final takeaway of the whole book. Hone in on what kind of emotions you’d like your reader to feel as they close the book, and ask yourself what kind of image or concluding thought would best convey that. Not sure what that should be? Try looking at your book’s theme! Often the final image is the summation of everything your theme has been building.

6. Come full circle

Editor Jenn Bailey says that a good ending brings the book’s internal and external story arcs to a rational conclusion.

“You need to come full circle. You need to end where you began. You need to take the truth your main character believed in at the beginning of the story and expose it as the lie that it is by the end. In your ending, the main character doesn’t have to get what they want, but they do have to get what they need.”

For more about character arcs, check out this post !

7. Leave some things unsaid

There’s a balance to endings — too little resolution and your book will feel rushed and unsatisfying, but too much and the denouement starts to drag. In general, though, you want to keep things brief, especially if you want room for an epilogue. It’s okay to trust your readers to reach some conclusions on their own, rather than spending whole chapters making sure every question you raised is answered. But, if do you really want everything tied off, consider moving the resolution of some of your subplots to just before the climax. This avoids jamming everything into the last five pages, allowing your subplots space to breathe.

As we have seen, there are many methods for ending stories! However you decide to finish your novel, there is one thing that you should always keep in mind: take account of the story that came before and give it the ending that it needs, not the one you think readers want, and it will be satisfactory for all.

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Table of Contents

What a Good Ending Should Do

What the end of the book should not do, how to end a book (and get readers talking about it), great conclusion examples, how to write a book conclusion (& end your story the right way).

Here’s the thing about ending your book the right way:

If the reader got all the way to the conclusion, that means they read the whole book , they liked it, and now they want to wrap this up.

So don’t ramble on and on. Give them what they want.

The goal of a great ending is to tie everything together, neatly summarize your book, and then provide a specific call or calls to action for your reader.

Don’t overcomplicate the conclusion—just let it do its job, and it’ll work great.

Clearly summarize the book: That’s the best thing you can do, not only to deliver value to the reader but also to make the book memorable (and recommendable).
Address any lingering issues and close any open loops: The reader should feel like everything is wrapped up in a bow.
Provide a call to action: In essence, tell the reader what to do.
Give even more: Point them to any additional resources you have that could help them.
A conclusion should NOT introduce any new content: This should only be a summarization of what’s in the book. You can have new stories or anecdotes, of course.
A conclusion should not be too long: The rule of thumb is that it should be the shortest chapter in your book.
A conclusion should not break faith with the reader: Don’t tell them “operators are standing by” or try to sell them in a preposterous way that turns them off.

At Scribe, we like to outline the conclusion using this template:

Grab the reader with a great hook
Restate the book’s thesis
Summarize the chapters
Call to action: what should the reader do when they finish the book?

This is one of the most important writing tips for any Author:

Every chapter should start with a hook. Even the last one.

This can be a story that summarizes the book, or you can close a loop from earlier in the book. But the point is, the reader should feel like they do at the end of a good movie, where everything feels nicely summarized with a satisfying ending.

By this time, you’ve mentioned a lot of different topics. Usually, the easiest and most compelling way to begin the conclusion is by referring back to one (or more) of them. Or you can add another dimension to a story you already told or tie up loose ends.

2. Restate the book’s mission/thesis

This is pretty simple, but make sure you restate the book’s thesis. From the first chapter to the final chapter, your book’s primary message should be consistent.

3. Summarize chapters

This is optional, but most good nonfiction books do this. They summarize the key points so succinctly and clearly that the reader can’t help but understand your lessons the same way that you do.

You want the reader to think about and talk about your book to their friends the same way you would if you could be there yourself. The best way to make sure they do that is to tell them exactly what to say.

That’s what this section is for.

Specifically, it’s about nailing whatever you want your readers to remember about your book. What are the takeaways that really matter? How do you want them to talk about them?

If your book is a memoir, your conclusion also needs to complete your story arc, tying up any plot threads and subplots in your storyline so you don’t leave any cliffhangers.

You might not summarize the plot points of each chapter literally, but you still want to remind your readers of the journey.

4. Call to action

What’s the first thing you want your reader to do when they finish the last word and put the book down? This is usually the final word, and it’s what you should leave them with on the final page.

Note on the call to action

A call to action (CTA) is not required in a conclusion, but most nonfiction books have them. It’s usually the very last bit of the conclusion, the final word to readers, and it ensures they know what you want them to do.

Authors generally adopt a different tone with the CTA—one that’s not just more explicitly inspirational but that’s also framed as an imperative. The underlying message of the call to action is straightforward and empowering: now that you have all the tools, go out there and use them.

This is good, and readers tend to like it. Some authors feel uncomfortable including such a direct appeal to readers because they may feel it’s unprofessional, and they can be right (sometimes).

Authors often want to be too inspirational in the introduction, and not enough in the conclusion. But this is when you can really tell your reader what to do, and be very direct.

What you do not want to do is write a glorified sales brochure. The last thing you want to do here is try to pitch them something of yours to buy.

Think about it—you’ve spent the whole book earning their trust, and now you ruin it with a bad ending that tries to sell them?

Don’t do that. Most importantly because it doesn’t work very well.

Readers are smart. They’re interested in your topic because they’ve picked up your book. If they’ve made it this far, then they’ve already read an entire book’s worth of your knowledge and expertise.

They can form their own conclusions when it comes to contacting you.

That said, if you do want to suggest they contact you, do so authentically—from a place of trying to help them , not yourself. Tell them you want to hear from them, or that you want to help them move forward.

If your website or the name of your firm is in your bio or About the Author page , that’s sufficient. Give them your email in the conclusion if you like—but only if you’re sincere about responding to them.

Ultimately, your goal is to provide so much value to them that they respect and admire you and your work, and choose to contact you because they have sold themselves on wanting to, not because you sold them.

Some authors want a more explicit CTA, such as directing readers of the book to a specific landing page. This can work, as long as the page you’re directing them to gives the reader something.

But it has to be something they’ll see as extra, not something they’ll feel should have been in the book. For example, a map or chart that is additive, but not crucial, to the content is great.

What you don’t want to do is give them something on a landing page that makes them think, “Why isn’t this in the book?” That just breaks faith with the reader.

1. Syndicating is a B*tch, by Bruce Petersen

“The most tangible stress of managing a syndication deal happens prior to close. You’re taking care of a lot of moving pieces and are responsible for a lot of money for a lot of people, and that’s a lot. Once the deal closes, that’s it. There’s not a lot happening at that point.

That doesn’t mean the stress has ended. The more experience you gain doing deals, the more prepared you’re going to be for the weird things that come up—and something will always come up. Remember when I lost $5.2 million to OFAC? I was completely blindsided that first time, and as I’m writing this book, it happened again. Yep.”

This is a fantastic example of how to start a well-structured conclusion. The author leads by talking about closing a deal, just as he’s closing his book. There’s a parallel structure there that orients the reader to the end of the book.

He also refers back to something that happened earlier in the book, then leads into a story about the same thing happening again. The new story hooks the reader while reminding them of an important point he made earlier.

2. Breakthrough Leadership Team, by Mike Goldman

“You’ve just finished reading this book, and your head is swimming with ideas. You’re probably wondering, Where do I begin?

I suggest you start by measuring where you are in your journey toward becoming a Breakthrough Leadership Team …”

Here, again, the opening lines of the conclusion orient the reader, signaling to them that they have reached the final chapter. In this case, the Author jumps immediately into helping the reader figure out what to do next.

The title of this final chapter, by the way, is “Call to Action.” It’s the theme of the whole chapter, reminding the reader of their journey throughout the book and suggesting what to do next.

3. Beyond Wins, by Mala Subramaniam

“Did the book address questions posed in the OpeningThoughts?

Why do I feel like I am on a seesaw of wins and losses in my business negotiations? Even when I win, I sometimes feel like I lost something. Tools and techniques I picked up in books and training are not foreign, so what am I missing? What will put me on the path to success? What Is the yardstick for success?

It did for Paula of the Adrift Website Case, which is a real success story.”

This Author begins her conclusion by returning to and listing the questions she asked at the beginning. As the book ends, she reminds the reader of where the journey started, then immediately leads into a new story.

While you shouldn’t introduce new concepts in a conclusion, new stories that drive key concepts home are a great way to leave the reader with a memorable application of what they’ve learned.

The Scribe Crew

How to End a Short Story: Crafting A Satisfying Conclusion

For some writers, starting a short story is usually easier than writing the ending. For others, it’s the end that falls into place quite easily.

But with fiction writing, every part of the story takes huge amounts of creativity and effort, so I wouldn’t conclude that the ending of a short story ought to be the easier part.

As a matter of fact, we―more often than not―write the ending to our short story lastly. By this time, we are probably tired, have exhausted a lot of time trying to approach the conclusion, and are likely out of ideas.

So it’s okay if you usually don’t have the littlest ideas of how to end a short story.

Don’t sweat it though, I have you covered. In this post, I have included the best and worst ways to end a short story. And… I have also added some examples of short story endings, among other tips.

Let’s get started.

The best Ways To End A Short Story

1. a cliffhanger.

A cliffhanger ending leaves the story unresolved, the end still leaves an aura of suspense, and it is said to be cliff-hanging. This plot device is used to compel the readers to anxiously wait for or, if it’s already published, rush for the story’s next installment.

A cliffhanger can end the short story with a main character facing peril, or it can end the short story with a very shocking revelation.

2. Resolved Ending

This is the “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” type of ending. A resolved ending packages the whole story in one read, and everything is concluded once the reader finishes reading it.

A resolved ending leaves no speculations or questions; all the plotlines and character stories are closed with the ending.

3. Twist ending

Writers can introduce an exciting surprise at the end of a short story, a set of unexpected events that catch the reader off-guard.

This type of ending can turn the narrative on its head and reveal the mirage in the story. In some stories, a twist may involve a villain turning out to be the hero (or vice versa), or a character being someone else who had disappeared in the early stages of the story.

A twist ending can either disappoint the reader or offer them relief from a tragic scene (in which a character ‘died’ but wasn’t dead). Either way, this type of ending evokes an emotional response from the reader.

4. Implied ending

An implied ending involves some sort of explicitness in the way the story is concluded or ended.

This type of ending can frustrate the reader or get them in all sorts of conversations with other readers, trying to figure out what really happened.

Authors hold back some of the details or intentionally cut out bits of logical explanations, leaving the readers some clues to piece the ending together on their own.

With no clear ending, readers usually end up with a blizzard of questions.

An ending like this works effectively for the story and author because it leaves the readers talking and thinking about the story longer than they would if the story just ended normally. This means that the author can reap some rewards because the story solicits engagement long after it has been read, and that may lead to an increase in the number of people looking at your work.

5. A Bare Ending

The writer reveals the ending at the beginning of the story. Although the reader is robbed of the suspense that comes with an unknown ending, the writer can still throw in lots of twists and turns as the story fleshes out.

A bare ending provides the writer with a clear direction of the story, and they can enjoy writing it, knowing where exactly the story is headed. Any event added to the story is intended to counterpoise anything that might have seemed to steer the story in a different direction, thereby leading it toward the known ending of the short story.

How to Write Great Closing Lines

Closing lines are important in short stories because they complement the perfectness of the delicious story you’ve just dished to the reader.

Fiction is all about creativity, and as such, there can be no rules on how to write final sentences, but there are tips that help you write good closing lines:

1. Be Poetic

Fiction doesn’t need to be overly flowery, but with the final sentence, you can unleash the poet in you and give the reader an aesthetic ending.

Don’t get carried away; maintain the simplicity. Do not stuff the ending with ineffectual decorative words that will leave the reader looking them up in a dictionary.

Simple words, if used creatively, can take on a poetic, symbolic form. It’s not a must that you end a short story poetically, so don’t try too hard. Sometimes, a poetic ending can happen by chance.

2. Use Impeccable Wording

It’s not that easy, but you have to make sure that you revise your last sentence over and over until every word in it sounds perfect, and every period, comma, or dash is in its place.

The truth of the matter is you are not a poet (well, some of you sure aren’t), and coming up with a poetic ending is a tough ask. But, you can still give your most important sentence—the closing line—some time and effort and keep housekeeping your ending until it’s just perfect.

Good Story Endings Examples

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which Animal Farm, George Orwell.

George Orwell’s conclusion of his novel Animal Farm is one delivered on a plate of parables, and it indirectly, cleverly, and touchingly remarks on human nature.

Charles Dickens created some of the best cliffhangers of all time. He gave both the readers and his fellow writers the allure of a cliffhanger. And he did this in the early nineteenth century when cliffhangers were really a thing.

He served his novel The Old Curiosity Shop in weekly installments. The most exciting, one that kept readers waiting for weeks, was about a character called Little Nell whose death was used by the author to play with the reader’s emotions—effectively, might I add.

The Worst Ways to End a Short Story

1. abruptly introduce a resolution.

You can easily ruin things when you suddenly introduce a resolution to a seemingly impossible situation. There should be no magic wand with the way your story is resolved; it doesn’t have to be realistic, but the way it is eased into the story has to have a logical connection with the rest of the story.

2. Have a predictable End

In an earlier section, I talked about a bare ending that involves the writer disclosing the ending before the story gets there. If you start that way, the end isn’t predictable but known.

However, if you haven’t disclosed the ending, it’s not going to do you any good if the average reader can predict the way the story is going to conclude. Your readers aren’t looking for a plainly realistic ending; they want you to surprise them.

3. Take too long to end the story

I always emphasize the importance of ending a story just after the climax. The story doesn’t have to die down completely; you have to end on a thrashing wave.

If your story takes longer to end, it might bore the reader and force them to leave the story before they get to the end.

4. End a story too soon

Ending a short story should neither take long nor be rushed. A good ending concludes naturally, following a logical sequence. Most often, a writer can feel when a story nears a logical conclusion (if you end it sooner, you’ll ruin it).

Of course, we all know that a short story has a small word count—usually not enough for an extensive plotline—but you have to compress the story in a way that ends it no sooner or later than natural.

5. Kill Favorite Characters

The worst psychotic murderers that I know are writers. It’s like they get intense pleasure from killing characters. They usually do it so masterfully that they get away with it most of the time, but if they kill favorite characters at the wrong time (like at the end), they might upset readers who are emotionally invested in the story.

Killing a favorite villain is more excusable (maybe because the story has to carry a moral element) but killing the hero’s baby right at the end does the writer no favors.

6. Tie Everything Up Too Neatly

Your readers aren’t dumb (well… at least not all of them). You can’t just give the end every detail there was, let them establish some things by deduction. This way, you let them feel clever and relate to the story more.

What Are Cliff Hangers and Why Are They Important?

As I introduced it, a cliffhanger is a plot device that ends the narrative without a definitive end (unresolved) and leaves the reader with a lot of suspense.

A cliffhanger can be used to end a short story , chapter of a novel, a movie episode, a movie scene, a play, et cetera.

Usually, cliffhangers are used to keep readers or audiences engaged in the story. If the story is delivered in installments, the prequel usually ends in an exciting cliffhanger so that the audience comes back for the next installment.

Cliff-hanger endings might come in the form of the main character facing peril or a shocking, narrative-changing revelation being introduced right before the story installment concludes.

Tips for Writing Cliffhangers

There are many tips for writing cliffhangers, but here are a few of them:

Move the resolution to the installment (quite obvious, right?).
Introduce an event or scene that the reader didn’t anticipate.
Employ the use of brusque sentences or phrases to cue in some perilous events/scenes.
Use flashbacks to introduce new bits to the narrative. These bits have to help you leave the reader on tenterhooks.

Ending the ‘How to End a Short Story’ Article

Short fiction doesn’t give you a wide ground to loosen up your writing; everything is in limited supply—character arcs, plotlines, action. Therefore, every sentence should prove to be effective.

Most importantly, the finale has to be some sort of big bang; you have to try your best to give your short story a killer ending. But, I also have to tell you that you don’t have to force lest you should ruin the short story.

Always craft a natural end; neither too realistic nor overly fantastical.

How to End a Short Story – Tips for a Compelling Conclusion

Last Updated on February 5, 2023 by Nathaniel Tower

One of the hardest things about writing a short story is figuring out the right way to bring it to a close. I’ve published over 200 short stories, but I have an equal number of unfinished short story ideas because I just couldn’t figure out how to end them.

It can be especially difficult to end a short story in a satisfying way because of the brevity of the work. Unlike novels where you have a lot of time to get to the ending, the conclusion of a short story has to be achieved quickly without feeling a sense of rush. Oftentimes, it feels like we’re just getting to know the character and their situation when it’s time for the story to come to a close.

Part of being a great writer is being able to craft a great ending. The ending of a short story is often what leaves a lasting impression on the reader. A great ending can elevate a story from good to unforgettable, while a weak ending can detract from even the strongest writing. Here are some tips on how to write compelling endings that leave a lasting impact.

Understanding the Purpose of Your Ending

The purpose of an ending is not to make the story stop. Rather, it’s to accomplish something specific for your characters and your readers. Before you can write a great ending, it’s important to understand the purpose of your story’s conclusion. Are you trying to provide resolution to your characters’ conflicts, offer a twist that changes the reader’s perception, or create a sense of open-endedness that encourages reflection? Each of these purposes can lead to different types of endings. Understanding the purpose of your ending will help guide your writing and ensure that your conclusion is effective.

Choosing the Right Type of Ending

Ultimately, you as the writer can end your short story however you want. That said, there are several types of endings that writers can choose from. Here are a few of the most common (note: I’m intentionally choosing very well-known stories to illustrate the common types of endings in order to make this piece as relatable as possible and so as not to give away endings of stories you probably haven’t read before):

Resolution: In this type of ending, the protagonist resolves the conflict or problem that has been driving the story. This type of ending can provide a sense of closure and satisfaction to the reader.

Example: In “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, the protagonist and her husband sacrifice their most valuable possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts, only to find that the gifts they purchased are now worthless. The resolution of the story is the realization that the love they have for each other is priceless, and the conclusion provides a satisfying resolution to the story’s central conflict.

Twist: This type of ending changes the reader’s perception of the story in a surprising way. A twist ending can leave the reader feeling shocked, satisfied, or frustrated, depending on how well it is executed.

Example: In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator lures his victim into a wine cellar and walls him up alive. The twist ending comes when the reader realizes that the narrator is recounting the events of the story from within the wine cellar, suggesting that he is the one who has been trapped.

Open-ended: This type of ending leaves the resolution of the story’s conflict unresolved. This type of ending can be effective in creating a sense of ambiguity or encouraging the reader to reflect on the story’s themes.

Example: In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the two characters argue over whether or not to have an abortion, but the story ends with them ordering drinks and avoiding the subject. The open-ended ending leaves the resolution of the story’s conflict unresolved, encouraging the reader to reflect on the larger issues at play in the story.

Crafting a Compelling Ending

Once you have chosen the type of ending you want to write, it’s time to craft the conclusion itself. Here are a few tips to help you write an ending that leaves a lasting impact:

Build tension: If you’re writing a resolution or twist ending, building tension in the final paragraphs can help heighten the impact of the conclusion.
Keep it concise: Avoid introducing new information or characters in the final paragraphs of your story. Stick to the themes and conflicts that have been established throughout the story, and let your conclusion flow naturally from the events that have come before.
End on an image or line of dialogue: A memorable image or line of dialogue can leave a lasting impression on the reader. Consider ending your story on a line of dialogue or an evocative image that encapsulates the story’s themes or provides a memorable conclusion to the narrative.
Create resonance: The best endings resonate with the reader long after they’ve finished the story. This can be achieved by echoing themes or motifs from earlier in the story, or by leaving a lasting impression on the reader through a memorable image or line of dialogue.

It’s okay if you don’t nail the ending on your first attempt. Good writers often draft several versions of the ending before they find the right way to wrap up their story.

If you are really struggling with your ending, ask a beta reader to help you get to the right conclusion.

Avoiding Bad Endings

While it’s possible to write great endings, it’s just as easy to write endings that detract from the story as a whole. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when writing your ending:

Providing a lackluster resolution: A weak or unsatisfying resolution can leave the reader feeling let down, regardless of how well the rest of the story was written.
Being too predictable: If the ending of your story is too predictable, it may fail to leave a lasting impression on the reader. Consider using a twist ending or open-ended conclusion to keep the reader guessing until the end.
Introducing new information: Avoid introducing new information or characters in the final paragraphs of your story. Stick to the themes and conflicts that have been established throughout the story, and let your conclusion flow naturally from the events that have come before.

One of the most common ways I see amateur short story authors attempt to end their story is with death . While there are certainly many great stories that end with death, it’s very difficult to pull it off effectively without frustrating the reader.

Examples of Great Endings in Short Stories

Here are a few examples of short stories with endings that leave a lasting impact (again, I’m using common examples, but this section obviously contains spoilers if you haven’t read these stories before):

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner: The story ends with the discovery of Emily’s dead body and the revelation that she had been keeping her lover’s corpse in her bedroom for years. The image of Emily’s dead body, combined with the line “For a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin,” leaves a lasting impression on the reader and encapsulates the themes of the story.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson: The story ends with the reveal that the lottery’s winner will be stoned to death. The sudden, shocking conclusion underscores the themes of conformity and the dangers of blindly following tradition.
“The Hitchhiker” by Roald Dahl: The story ends with the protagonist realizing that the hitchhiker he picked up was actually the ghost of a dead man. The twist ending leaves the reader feeling stunned and reinforces the themes of mortality and the unknown.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The story ends with the main character’s descent into madness, as she becomes completely consumed by her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her room. The haunting and powerful conclusion underscores the themes of mental illness, oppression, and the consequences of denying women agency.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates: The story ends with the main character being lured into a car by a dangerous man and never being seen again. The abrupt and frightening conclusion underscores the themes of innocence lost and the dangers that young women face in the world.

Not Every Ending Is Perfect

Sometimes an ending can create a lot of mixed emotion in readers. For example, the “Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe has a strong and memorable ending, which can be seen as both good and bad depending on perspective.

From a narrative perspective, the ending is fitting with the story’s themes of revenge and the macabre, and it leaves a lasting impression on the reader. However, from a reader’s perspective, the abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion, with the main character bricked up alive in a wine cellar, can be seen as unsatisfying and leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

So, while the conclusion of “The Cask of Amontillado” can be seen as both strong and memorable, it also has the potential to leave the reader feeling unsatisfied, and it is therefore a good example of the importance of crafting an ending that both fits the story and leaves the reader feeling satisfied.

Final Thoughts on Good Endings

While you don’t want to end your short too quickly, you also don’t want to let the ending drag out too long. Speaking of which, it’s probably time to wrap up this post before I lose my reader.

Crafting a great ending to a short story requires understanding the purpose of your conclusion, choosing the right type of ending, and writing a conclusion that leaves a lasting impact. By avoiding common mistakes and taking the time to craft a compelling ending, you can write stories that leave a lasting impression on your readers.

What are your secrets for creating great endings to your short stories? What are some of your favorite endings? Share your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to share this post on all your favorite channels.

2 thoughts on “ How to End a Short Story – Tips for a Compelling Conclusion ”

I have 9 unfinished short stories and one completed short story. After reading this post I see that in the story I completed, I used a part of dialogue and narration that I used at the beginning of the story. I think it made for a good ending even though I had no idea it was going to end that way. That’s my challenge: I never know what my characters are going to do to close the story. I just keep writing until the story is told.

Thank you for reading and commenting! It’s very common for a writer not to know how the story is going to end until the ending happens. We often need to let the characters go on their journey and tell us how it’s going to end. Forcing an ending often leads to an unsatisfying conclusion for the reader and the characters.

How to Come Up with a Great Ending for Your Story

Last Updated: February 27, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 325,858 times.

Stories present an event or series of events and have a beginning, middle, and end. A good story — one that causes a strong response in your reader — often has an ending that creates a significant impact on the reader. To write a good ending for your story, show the reader why your story is important.

Deciding the End

Step 1 Identify the parts of your story.

Your ending should come when the main character reaches or fails to reach their goal
For example, if your character wants to be rich, they could go through various challenges in order to buy a lottery ticket. Do they succeed? If so, end with the moment they hear all the numbers on their ticket being announced.

Step 2 Commit to one final event or action for your story.

For example, you might end your story with a scene that presents the aftermath of a major decision that resolved your story's conflict.

Step 3 Figure out the main conflict in your story.

Ask yourself these questions to figure out which type of conflict you're using: Are the characters in your story fighting against nature? Against each other? Against themselves (an internal or emotional battle)?
An example of human-versus-nature conflict would be someone stranded in the woods in the middle of winter. They must find a place to get warm, out of the elements.

Explaining the Journey

Step 1 Write out a reflection about the significance of the events of the story.

You might write, "My grandfather always made a point of expecting me to do the just and fair thing, in any situation. Now that I am a police officer I understand why he felt this was so important..."

For example: "Why should we care about Noni and his village?"
"Because the warming climate caused the sea levels to rise and flood his village. If we don't learn from his mistakes and act fast, we could suffer the same fate."

Step 3 Use 1st-person narrative voice to present ideas from the narrator's perspective.

For example: "I realized all my hard work and long rehearsals had led me to this moment, standing on this incredible stage..."

Step 4 Use the 3rd-person narrative voice to tell your story from a distance.

For example: "Denise folded the letter, kissed it, and set it down on the table, next to the money. They would have questions for her, she knew, but in time they would learn, as she had done, to find their own answers."

Step 5 Write a “conclusion” section for your story.

For a personal or academic essay, your conclusion could take the form of a final paragraph or set of paragraphs.
If you are working on a sci-fi novel, then the conclusion might be an entire chapter or two.
Don't end with common cliche endings, which will disappoint your reader. For example, don't end your story like this: "A blinding light pierced my eyes, so I lifted my hand to shield them. At that moment, I felt the cocoon of soft blankets around me and the comfort of my pillow. I opened my eyes, realizing it had all been a dream."

Step 6 Identify the larger connection or pattern to the events in your story.

Using Action and Images

Step 1 Use action to show (not tell) what is important.

For example, if your story ends with the heroine saving the village from the dragon, you could have a warrior giving over his prized sword to her. Without even having any dialogue, you still show the reader that this is significant.

Step 2 Build your ending with description and sensory images.

"Timmy knew the monster was defeated, sinking into the depths of the toilet bowl, but he stood and waited anyway, watching for every spot of brown to disappear, until nothing but a clear, blue calm remained. He did not move until his reflection returned to him in the surface of the bowl's water."

Step 3 Create metaphors for your characters and their goals.

"As Sam said goodbye and revved motorcycle, Joe could feel her becoming a memory--taking off in an explosion of sound, then stretching away, a rocket's arc down the street, until she was nothing more than the aftermath of a firework, a thrilling vision he would always feel lucky to have seen up close."

For example, if your story begins with a person looking at a leftover piece of cake, but refusing it, end it with the same person looking at the cake (or a different one). If they overcame anorexia, you could have them eat the cake.

Following Logic

Step 1 Review the events of your story to see how they connect.

For example, Homer's "The Odyssey” the main character Odysseus attempts to go home a number of times and fails, encountering monsters along the way. Each failure adds excitement to the story, but what he learns about himself ends up being more important. When he does eventually make it home, his accomplishment holds more meaning because of all his failures.

Endings should make sense based on what has happened earlier.

For example, if your characters come across a secret doorway to a fantasy land while looking for their lost dog, return to the dog at the end. Let them visit the fantasy land, then have them find their lost dog at the end.

Step 4 Imagine variations and surprises.

For example, your readers might be bored by a character who wakes up, goes to school, comes home, and goes to bed. Let something new and surprising happen. Have her come across a strange package on her doorstep with her name on it.

Step 5 Raise a question based on where the story has brought you.

What new conflicts, for example, now await your heroes now that the monster has been destroyed? How long will the kingdom remain at peace?

Expert Q&A

Outline! Before you start writing anything, write an outline. An outline is your map through your story. It tells you where you've been and where you're going. An outline is the only way to see the entire structure of the story at a glance, and thus it is a really effective way to see how your ending might work. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Ask someone else to read your story and give you feedback on your ending. Make sure that it is someone whose opinion you trust and respect. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Pay attention to the genre you are writing within. A story included as part of a history-based essay will have certain qualities that are different from a short horror story. A story told in a stand-up comedy routine will have different elements than a travel magazine story. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/essential-elements-of-story-writing.html
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/conclusions/
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/first-second-and-third-person/
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
↑ https://literarydevices.net/imagery/
↑ https://literarydevices.net/frame-story/
↑ https://www.creative-writing-now.com/story-endings.html

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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Conclusions

What this handout is about.

This handout will explain the functions of conclusions, offer strategies for writing effective ones, help you evaluate conclusions you’ve drafted, and suggest approaches to avoid.

About conclusions

Introductions and conclusions can be difficult to write, but they’re worth investing time in. They can have a significant influence on a reader’s experience of your paper.

Just as your introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives. Such a conclusion will help them see why all your analysis and information should matter to them after they put the paper down.

Your conclusion is your chance to have the last word on the subject. The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to synthesize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make a good final impression and to end on a positive note.

Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of the assignment. The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on the significance of your findings.

Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or appreciate your topic in personally relevant ways. It can suggest broader implications that will not only interest your reader, but also enrich your reader’s life in some way. It is your gift to the reader.

Strategies for writing an effective conclusion

One or more of the following strategies may help you write an effective conclusion:

Play the “So What” Game. If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion isn’t saying anything new or interesting, ask a friend to read it with you. Whenever you make a statement from your conclusion, ask the friend to say, “So what?” or “Why should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and answer it. Here’s how it might go: You: Basically, I’m just saying that education was important to Douglass. Friend: So what? You: Well, it was important because it was a key to him feeling like a free and equal citizen. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: That’s important because plantation owners tried to keep slaves from being educated so that they could maintain control. When Douglass obtained an education, he undermined that control personally. You can also use this strategy on your own, asking yourself “So What?” as you develop your ideas or your draft.
Return to the theme or themes in the introduction. This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example, if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in creating a new understanding. You may also refer to the introductory paragraph by using key words or parallel concepts and images that you also used in the introduction.
Synthesize, don’t summarize. Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your reader how the points you made and the support and examples you used fit together. Pull it all together.
Include a provocative insight or quotation from the research or reading you did for your paper.
Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study. This can redirect your reader’s thought process and help them to apply your info and ideas to their own life or to see the broader implications.
Point to broader implications. For example, if your paper examines the Greensboro sit-ins or another event in the Civil Rights Movement, you could point out its impact on the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. A paper about the style of writer Virginia Woolf could point to her influence on other writers or on later feminists.

Strategies to avoid

Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “in closing.” Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing.
Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion.
Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion.
Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes.
Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of an analytical paper.
Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper.

Four kinds of ineffective conclusions

The “That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It” Conclusion. This conclusion just restates the thesis and is usually painfully short. It does not push the ideas forward. People write this kind of conclusion when they can’t think of anything else to say. Example: In conclusion, Frederick Douglass was, as we have seen, a pioneer in American education, proving that education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.
The “Sherlock Holmes” Conclusion. Sometimes writers will state the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion. You might be tempted to use this strategy if you don’t want to give everything away too early in your paper. You may think it would be more dramatic to keep the reader in the dark until the end and then “wow” them with your main idea, as in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The reader, however, does not expect a mystery, but an analytical discussion of your topic in an academic style, with the main argument (thesis) stated up front. Example: (After a paper that lists numerous incidents from the book but never says what these incidents reveal about Douglass and his views on education): So, as the evidence above demonstrates, Douglass saw education as a way to undermine the slaveholders’ power and also an important step toward freedom.
The “America the Beautiful”/”I Am Woman”/”We Shall Overcome” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion usually draws on emotion to make its appeal, but while this emotion and even sentimentality may be very heartfelt, it is usually out of character with the rest of an analytical paper. A more sophisticated commentary, rather than emotional praise, would be a more fitting tribute to the topic. Example: Because of the efforts of fine Americans like Frederick Douglass, countless others have seen the shining beacon of light that is education. His example was a torch that lit the way for others. Frederick Douglass was truly an American hero.
The “Grab Bag” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion includes extra information that the writer found or thought of but couldn’t integrate into the main paper. You may find it hard to leave out details that you discovered after hours of research and thought, but adding random facts and bits of evidence at the end of an otherwise-well-organized essay can just create confusion. Example: In addition to being an educational pioneer, Frederick Douglass provides an interesting case study for masculinity in the American South. He also offers historians an interesting glimpse into slave resistance when he confronts Covey, the overseer. His relationships with female relatives reveal the importance of family in the slave community.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Douglass, Frederick. 1995. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. New York: Dover.

Hamilton College. n.d. “Conclusions.” Writing Center. Accessed June 14, 2019. https://www.hamilton.edu//academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/conclusions .

Holewa, Randa. 2004. “Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. Last updated February 19, 2004. https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to End a Story

by The Magic Violinist | 26 comments

Endings are hard. Nobody likes to say goodbye, and saying goodbye in a story is especially hard. The pressure is on to get that last part just right and determine how to end a story well.

When there are so many possibilities for a conclusion, how do you know which one is right for your story?

4 Classic Possibilities for How to End a Story

Before you can choose an ending, you need to figure out what your choices are. Here are a few basic ones to get you started.

1. The “happily ever after” ending

The classic, feel-good ending. Disney is the master at this. Every character meets their goals (except for the villain, of course), the romantic couple gets together (they might even get married), and you finish the story feeling like you can accomplish anything.

This sort of ending goes along best with fairytales and most children’s stories. That’s not to say stories for adults can’t have this kind of ending, too, but it works to perfection when the story already has a light and happy quality to it. You don’t want to write a depressing plot only to wrap it all up in the last chapter. It’ll throw off your reader and make the conclusion seem far-fetched.

2. The tragic ending

The protagonist’s main goal doesn’t go as planned, curveballs are thrown, and tragedy strikes. These are tricky to write, because there’s a fine line between writing a tragic, artistic ending and a conclusion that will leave your reader in a hopeless slump.

If you’re planning on having an unhappy ending, you’ll need to foreshadow that throughout the story. Have a slightly gloomy, ominous tone from the very beginning. Your reader might not expect it, exactly, but it won’t come as a total shock, making it an easier ending to swallow.

But , remember to have some bright moments, little nuggets of happiness the reader can hang onto after the story is finished.

3. The ambiguous ending

This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s one of my favorites. The ambiguous ending goes well with an “indie” story. A simple plot—usually something contemporary, but not necessarily—works best, because it focuses most on the characters, leaving a lot up to the reader’s imagination when it comes to what happens after the story is finished.

If you do decide to go with this ending, remember that there’s a huge difference between ambiguity and unfinished business. If you drop the plot too suddenly, the reader wonders if there are pages missing from the end of the book, if something’s gone wrong. What you want to do is drop enough hints that someone can come close to determining what will happen, but they’ll never know for sure.

4. The bittersweet ending

Sometimes this can even pair with the ambiguous ending, but it doesn’t have to. This conclusion might look like the protagonist failing to meet their goal, but finding something else along the way. Maybe the main couple doesn’t get together, but they’ve found happiness apart from each other.

Make the ending unexpected, but hopeful. The reader will be pleasantly surprised and leave the story with a sense of calm and satisfaction.

End Your Story Well

Maybe you knew how your story would end when you started writing it. Maybe you're on the next-to-last page and you still don't know. Whatever the case, these four options for how to end a story can get your imagination flowing. How will your story end?

What’s your favorite ending in a story? Why do you like it? Let us know in the comments .

Choose an ending from above that’s out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s not your favorite or you’ve never written it before. Now, here's your story prompt:

The lizard was enormous, at least three feet long. It also wasn't in its tank.

Write the conclusion before you write anything else. Write for fifteen minutes . When you’re done, if you’d like, share your ending in the comments . Be sure to give your fellow writers some feedback, too. Have fun!

The Magic Violinist

The Magic Violinist is a young author who writes mostly fantasy stories. She loves to play with her dog and spend time with her family. Oh, and she's homeschooled. You can visit her blog at themagicviolinist.blogspot.com . You can also follow The Magic Violinist on Twitter (@Magic_Violinist).

26 Comments

What I have planed for one of my stories is the hero has a grad battle with the villain, while trying to get through them. But the villain “dies” and the hero is left wondering if their words had made a positive impact. Days later, the hero has trouble with a lesser villain (the battle with main villain has made an impact) but before the lesser villain can land a fatal blow, the villain who died comes to the rescue (very much injured, and with a missing arm and eye) and the good person they were once before.

My ending(?) __________ The files were gone but the memories were fresh. The office was dark, shying away from the light of the open door. Bruna gazed at the cleaned up room, as though there had never been any chief detective. She ignored the light switch as she strolled into the office, heels clicking against the tiled floor.

He was still here.

Here, where the scent of cigarettes and cheap cologne with fancy names clinged to the furniture. Where the walls were prickled with old tacks and tape.

He was with her. His detached voice ringed in her ears and shadowy eyes still piercing her.

He was here. Alive. Puzzled but questioning. Seeking. Discovering.

Even while his body laid cold.

_______________

Now THAT was clever! Closure never felt so good!

In both my books, Zombie Turkeys and My Undead Mother-in-law, I seemingly end happily, and then throw in an ambiguous twist.

Here’s part of the end of my WIP:

Smoke and dust filled the air with the crackle of flames. Lucas’s wild cackling cut across the roar of Angriz as he breathed fire at a pack of orcs. A gust of wind cut through the swirling maelstrom of the battlefield.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Dearbhaile? You can’t touch me.” The corpulent man chortled.

“Nae, but Ah can distract ye.”

A mace, the head glowing with a yellow tinge exploded through his skull, sending bloody bone fragments in a wide spray. “I touched you, mother fucker.” Adora’s triumphant voice was cold. The body of Lucas Rumpff collapsed with an odd purring sound. The women looked on, puzzled as it slowly faded from view. “What the hells?”

“I didnae know, Adora.” The half-elf Keeper stepped closer. “I had nae inkling anything like this would happen.”

The Queen knelt and touched the ground where the body had been. “Where did his body go?” A familiar bark of laughter brought both women around, hands raised defensively. Adora’s mace flared with the yellow light of holy fire and Dearbhaile’s hands were wreathed in red with black flames jumping and flickering.

Adora’s jaw dropped as she stared, incredulous, at the familiar, large, white-clad form of the Wizard they knew as Mordecai.

“What’s wrong, ladies? Never seen an illusion fade before your eyes?” Lucas threw his head back, roaring with laughter. “Oh, if only you could see your faces right now.” His kissed his fingertips. “Priceless.” The last was said with an exaggerated hoarseness.

A blue-colored crystalline blade flashed across his neck and nearly embedded itself in the wall. As the brown haired head of the Wizard toppled forward and then rolled down the body, blood fountaining into the air, Robilar stepped from the shadows.

“As priceless as that?” A sharp yank pulled the sword free of the wall with a shower of stone fragments. He looked at his friends. “Wizards never seem to know what to do with Chronomancers. They’re always running out of time.” He stepped down to the women. “Are you okay?”

As they nodded, hands clapped behind him. “Oh, that was just perfect timing with that pun!” Robilar spun, sword angled diagonally across his chest. He gaped as the headless body sat up and then rose to its feet. A head grew from the stump of the bloody neck.

Lucas shook his newly grown head hard. “Jeeze, don’t you know how much that stings?” He looked back and forth at the trio. “Men in Black?” They didn’t move. “Nothing? Sheesh.” He tugged his collar to the side. “Tough crowd.”

The unfinished business ending. What does that mean exactly? Imminent danger is over for the moment but there may be more coming in the future. I’m talking specifically when writing in the mystery/crime/thriller genre. The problem isn’t 100% solved but the protag can catch their breath, live their life (for now) and hopefully extricate themselves completely somewhere down the line. And it may be a satisfying enough ending for your readers but leave the door open in case you want to do another book.

Did you accidentally reply to the wrong person? Or, were you referring to my saying it is part of the ending?

Yes. Sorry. I meant to ask a question to the group.

That’s okay.

i am not sure how to end mine yet, Chris hasn’t decided what to do with his problem

I almost have to have a happy ending, since I write for small children, but sometimes I can’t figure out which ending to use.

Checking email tonight and saw the “How to End a Story” subject line in today’s Write Practice—a funny coincidence because my eleven year-old grandson was giving me advice on the same subject just this afternoon.

I’m writing stories for my grandchildren. While each child doesn’t know anything about the story I’m writing specifically for them, I do use the siblings and cousins as “mini” beta readers to get some kids’ feedback (they are all avid readers, so I trust them). I recently took a short-story course, and used one of these stories to work on for the class. Today I told my grandson about the class, and that while taking it I had finished one of the stories, but that I had had to quickly devise a new ending for it because I had a maximum word count. After agreeing to read the new version, he said, “Wanna know a fast way to end a story, Gram? Just have everyone die.” Gram: “What?!” Grandson: “You know. Like have everyone climb a mountain and after they get to the top, there’s an accident and they all fall off. If they were on a mountain and fell off, that would be realistic.” Gram: “I’m not going to have your cousin die! I couldn’t write something like that.” Grandson: “Why not? You’re just making it all up anyway.”

The past few months there have been many times when I’ve been stunned by how grown-up he’s becoming…and then there are times like today when I’m reminded of just how young he still is.

Advice from your grands? Priceless! Want to trade children’s stories. I am writing a middle grade mystery for a contest and my grandsons. The age group is 8-12, as you know. My critique groups are usually writing for the adult market. They say my precocious, book-reading ten year old girl does not talk like her age. Help. How can I get to the ending if the beginning is advised to be changed by my critics?? “I was a curious ten-year-old girl who wanted to know what all the adults around me knew. The year Nana came to live with us changed my life.” (The beginning of “Family Secrets”) One critique partner said the first line is too much “on the nose.” How do you hook the reader if you don’t have a great first line? Any comments about beginnings? And then I can focus on the middle and the end….

Tragic and Happy endings are my fave.

My fave endings are the happy and tragic endings.

The cell door opened. The broken wretch did not deign to raise his head. He resigned himself to yet another session of agony as the other advanced. A moment passed, then he felt the other’s hands remove the sack from his head. The man lifted his head, his eyes widening in shock. Caedis realized this was no jailer. The other studied his scarred face, so disfigured he was near unrecognizable. His gaunt frame bore lacerations and burns from long months of torture. “Kill…me.” Caedis rasped, the effort awakening pain from many areas of his body. The other retrieved a vial from within his garb. Removing the cork, he brought the green liquid to Caedis’ lips. “Rest, my lord.” he said, as Caedis drank, savoring each drop as if it were an elixir of the Fate’s making. “Thank…you.” He said, a faint smile on his lips even as the poison did its work. The man turned and left, his heart heavy with sorrow.

Awwww, man. More pressure. Who knows how to end a story? And, the beginning? Middle?

Bittersweet endings are my favorites, because most of the time they are unexpected. Ambiguous are very tricky, not everyone can do it in a satisfactory manner. It’s frustrating when you, as a reader, are expecting something more and the story suddenly ends with no explanations.

The lizard was enormous, at least three feet long. But it was also not in it’s tank.I grabbed Fomi’s hand firmly. “We’re in trouble”, he said in his shrill tone “Crocodile,crocodile”-outside,the children were screaming. We rushed outside through the other door and there it was,seemingly in hot pursuit of the children.It was useless trying to call them back.We stood petrified as they rushed towards the highway.The sound of screeching broke through the air.Fortunately, no one was hurt.We had nurtured this monitor lizard for months. Principal had warned us.”Don’t let that fellow grow too big before you dissect it.” Now he wore a much sterner look.”Who left the door open? “Fomi and I glanced at each other. “We have questions to answer at the police station”, he motioned to the waiting car.

Nice post! I tried my hand at the practice, but it seems I got a bit carried away. I’ll post it all the same. I wanted to attempt a happy ending, but it turned ambiguous instead, oops. _________

The lizard was enormous, at least three feet long. It also wasn’t in its tank.

Lisa looked down at the paperweight, as if surprised to find it in her hands. Like an onyx cat would make a big difference in front of that monster. She was quivering from head to toe, but worse yet, she had no idea on what to do. The thing was just a couple of feet away, and the door had slammed shut behind her. By the time she ran to it and typed the code, it would be too late.

She started backing off as fast as she dared, which really was creeping speed. TV shows about crocodiles, alligators and similar unpleasantness flashed across her mind. Lisa did her best to push away the unchecked information, not daring to trust it without further research. It was silly, perhaps, but she had been raised this way, and she had worked this way for years. Always double-check facts no matter the context. Do not assume anything.

A crazy idea came to her. The craziest, no doubt, she had ever had. It was based on nothing except maybe hope, but she might as well try, since the situation could hardly get any worse.

“Don’t come close,” she said, her voice quavering.

“Let me out,” the lizard said in a hiss that was pitched painfully high.

Stunned, Lisa nearly dropped the paperweight.

“You can talk,” the animal said in surprise.

“I should be saying this,” the human protested.

Then it hit her; the tank had been sound isolated. She considered the bright purple lizard, its hair-thin tail and the single, curled antenna between the amber eyes.

“You’re not from…” It was difficult to say. “You’re not from Earth, are you?”

“Most definitely not.” It had a British accent. She wasn’t imagining it, was she?

“Do you mean any harm to us?”

Suddenly Lisa was more than a researcher; more than a chemist, more than a human. She was an ambassador.

“No! All I want is to fly back home. I didn’t mean to crash here, precisely.”

She wanted to laugh, but wasn’t completely sure why. Could she let the lizard go? Was it telling the truth?

“Besides,” the lizard added, “if you try to bar my way, I’ll have to take you with me.”

There was a too-casual ring to this. What did space lizards eat?

“You may go.”

Luckily, she had managed to push the stutter out of her sentence before speaking, but she still sounded unsure. There was no other way, she told herself.

It walked in the awkward way large lizards do, feet flapping on the floor. Before Lisa knew it, it had climbed into the blue capsule and was muttering to itself, curiously in English, about the damage.

“Um… Can I help?” Lisa asked.

“No,” it said harshly. “Humans have helped enough.”

Its dry voice twisted around the words. Lisa felt guilty, even though she wasn’t the one who had given the orders. She tried to apologize, but only a squeak came out.

“Good. Just enough fuel to get back. Good.”

It looked back at Lisa with one of the two eyes, and the antenna tilted her way.

“This is goodbye, human. For now.”

And before Lisa could return the goodbye, exclaim an apology or demand clarification of the last two words, the capsule disappeared with no flash or fancy effect beyond a small popping noise.

My children’s stories have happing endings; novels are usually with a satisfactory ending, but the reader can draw his own conclusions for a scene beyond it; memoirs end with what actually took place, some are good and the one I’m editing at present has a tragic end, though not quite, because the reader has hope that it can be resolved with time.

The ending for my main project is somewhat bittersweet, but it’s also tragic. Most everyone gets a happy ending, but not everyone. That the ending won’t be super happy is foreshadowed at the climax, but I’ve known for a while. The story starts out light, mostly, with some dark tones from certain perspectives, but becomes a tale that is mostly dark with some light tones mixed in. The whole story is really rather bittersweet, because there is first excitement and dread for the coming events (inciting incident), then a long, slow fight towards the climax with mixed emotions, and then a mixed ending that is happy for most of the characters, mixed for a handful of others, and tragic for a few. The ending also has elements of ambiguity, because the reader might never know how things turn out for the characters after the fact, depending on if I decide to someday write a second book.

My ending for The Man in the Moon ——– The world was now in a harmonious state… The guy was dead, he left the world writhing in its horror, but at least he was dead, right? The world may be broken, but it wasn’t an oblivion just yet… It can still be fixed… Not, to be sappy or dramatic or anything, but my mind and heart wasn’t in peace. I wasn’t satisfied banishing the guy to an endless void of pain… No, I wasn’t delighted of it at all…

In the midst of the smoke, lay a body in a crater. A body that belonged to my brother… He was coughing blood, the air in his lungs seems to be stuck. He was choking, while coughing out blood. He was shaking too. I approached him, my grey eyes searching for a meaning; a meaning that was saying he could still live. I knelt by his side, a brandishing smile on my face, but it noticeably forced.

“Guess, I w-won’t be coming home, huh?” He coughed as he placed a hand on his heart, and his other on top of mine, “Please… Remove that ridiculous expression… You look like your the one dying, not me” “I am dying-” “Don’t even finish that…” He muttered, “Y

“I am so mad…” “Why are you crying then?” Jill said looking at Ronnie sat on the couch blowing his nose. He wadded the tissue and pointed to a large cardboard box. Jill peeked inside with a gasp, and said, “I understand your sadness,” she clasped her hand to her heart as a wave of dizziness swept through her, “Yet your anger puzzles me.” He punched the leather seat cushion and said, “I forgot to close the lid to tank after I fed him…I’m so stupid, I was in a hurry this morning…I left the sliding door to the balcony open as well.” While a picture of Harry falling 8 stories to his death brought tears of agony, Jill grabbed the box of tissue and sat beside Ronnie to mourn their baby, who they had nurtured from the time he was 13 inches to his now 3 feet long.

My favourite endings are ones that let the reader imagine what comes next.I have just started writing and would be grateful for any advice or comments. My two short stories are on my blog https://unpublishedyet.wordpress.com More on the way.Love the advice I receive here.

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How to End a Story: 7 Different Kinds of Endings

by Fija Callaghan

Imagine this: you’re reading a thrilling, breakneck story full of deep thematic resonance and memorable characters. The plot is powering towards its climax, and you’re clutching the pages as the clock beside your bed careens past one o’clock in the morning. And then—! The book suddenly grinds to a puzzling, disappointing, and ultimately unsatisfying halt because the writer didn’t know how to end a story the right way.

Don’t be that writer.

Knowing how to end a story is one of the most important, yet undervalued, skills in a writer’s toolbox. Let’s look at why a satisfactory ending matters and how to find the right ones for your own stories.

A great ending might be the key to elevating your story.

Why is the ending of a story important?

The ending of a story matters because it’s the final note that the reader will walk away with. Your story’s ending shows the reader what to feel as they leave your story world behind and return to the real one, what lessons to learn from and incorporate into their own lives, and what to expect from you, the author, as they wait impatiently for your next book.

Knowing how to nail that last sentence will leave a powerful impression on your reader.

Knowing how to write a good story ending is the key to “closing the deal” with your reader.

How are story endings connected to genre?

You might have noticed that some of your favourite books end in the same way. If you read a lot within the same genre, you might even be able to predict the ending before it happens! This is because certain literary genres come with predetermined expectations based on the patterns we see most often.

Many similar stories end the same way because of predetermined genre conventions.

You don’t have to use the classic ending for your own story, but it’s good to have an idea of what your readers will be expecting when they open your book. Familiarising yourself with their expectations will also help you subvert them in new, creative ways.

Here are some of the classic literary genres you’ll see most often, and the endings that usually go with them.

1. Romance endings

In romance novels, we’ve been conditioned to look for happy endings. From the opening scene through all the clever plot twists and machinations, everything in the book is working towards a happily ever after for the two romantic leads.

The protagonists go through their own character arcs as they discover more about themselves and their relationship with the world, but ultimately they’ll end up doing pretty okay by the story’s conclusion.

Romances are characterised by their neat, uplifting endings.

This doesn’t mean you can’t challenge genre norms and give your main characters a bittersweet ending or leave their love story unresolved; however, in this case you might end up moving away from writing a traditional romance and towards something more like literary fiction (we’ll look at that below too).

2. Mystery endings

The golden rule of mystery novels is “expect the unexpected.” If the story you’re writing follows a clear, logical path from start to finish and lays everything out for the reader, they may come away with a frustrating experience. Mysteries and thrillers will be filled with plot twists that keep readers turning pages to find out who done it, or why.

These types of stories aren’t a great match for open or unresolved endings. Even though the reader wants to be surprised, they also want to know exactly what happened and what’s going to happen next. Did the murderer go to prison, escape, or die trying? Did the protagonist uncover the truth and bring the criminal to justice?

Mysteries are one type of story that work best with a specific kind of ending.

There is no right or wrong answer, but the answer does need to be a definitive conclusion rather than something left to interpretation.

3. Horror endings

Horror novels are more flexible than mysteries. They might have a happy or unhappy ending; they might answer all the remaining questions, or they might leave some open to keep the reader mulling things over after the book is closed.

Horror stories are particularly well-suited to ambiguous or unresolved endings. You’ll probably recognise this in some of your favourite horror films or TV series finales:

The heroes finally defeat the monster and celebrate with an extra-cheesy pizza and plans for the future they now have. In the corner of the screen, the dirt where the monster was buried begins to shift ominously. Roll credits.

By leaving a few lingering questions, you make a lasting impression on your reader.

Horror stories have some of the most memorable endings in literature.

4. Tragic endings

Tragedies are defined by their sad ending. Unlike mysteries, which are filled with twists and turns, the tragic ending should feel inevitable; the hero, through their own weaknesses or choices, brought it on themself.

Tragedies have fallen somewhat out of fashion in contemporary literature (probably because they’re kind of a downer to read), but Shakespeare loved writing them. These types of stories are designed to teach us something about human nature and what happens when we let our weaknesses control us.

Tragedies might use a resolved ending or an implied ending, leaving the final conclusion of the story to happen off the page.

5. Literary endings

Really, all fiction is “literary.” But when we say “literary fiction,” we usually mean books that are marketed as “contemporary,” “women’s fiction,” or realistic historical fiction. This type of story tends to be introspective and thematic, and is suited to both long-form novels and short stories.

In a short story, you generally won’t have the space to flesh out an ambiguous or unresolved ending. These are best suited to a circular ending—for instance, if your story begins and ends in the same location (we’ll take a closer look at circular endings below!)—or a clear ending that show how your main character has undergone some personal transformation.

If you’re writing a novel of literary fiction, you have more room to play with ambiguous, unresolved, or extended endings—so long as they support the broader theme you’re trying to communicate through the work.

We’ll look at all of these types of endings in more detail below!

What about sci-fi and fantasy?!

We didn’t forget, don’t worry! But science fiction and fantasy are actually more marketing genres than literary genres—they tell a reader to expect elves, robots, sorcerers, portals to other worlds, etc, etc. But , they don’t tell you much about what to expect from the plot. You can have a fantasy novel that’s also a romance, mystery, horror, tragedy, or literary story.

Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes is a good example of a book that subverts expectations by cramming every possible high fantasy trope into a work of literary fiction.

This means that a sci-fi or fantasy book can comfortably close with any one of the seven story endings we’ll look at below.

Science fiction and fantasy can fit a whole range of different story endings.

7 different ways to end a story

When it comes to figuring out how to end your story and tie up its lingering loose ends, there are a few different paths you can take in your writing. Let’s look at the different types of endings in stories you’ll find throughout literature, so you can find the perfect ending that works best for you.

1. Circular ending

Sometimes called a tie-back ending or a full circle ending, a circular ending brings the story “full circle” back around to where it began—with subtle differences that show how your characters have grown within their world.

Most stories that follow the Hero’s Journey story archetype have a circular plot structure with a tied ending. The protagonist goes on a grand adventure, learns and experiences new things, and then returns to the life they once had, but changed.

A circular ending ties the beginning and the ending together in a creative way.

In larger works, such as a novel, your circular elements might be a place where your story starts and stops, a thematic idea that your protagonist was working to understand at the beginning of the story, or a metaphor that has taken on new meaning.

2. Resolved ending

Sometimes called a “tied ending,” a resolved ending ties up all the loose ends in your story. Shakespeare was a big fan of resolved story endings; so was Jane Austen. Romance readers have grown to expect a resolved ending, which usually involve everyone living happily ever after (except the villain, who slinks off into obscurity).

Your resolved ending doesn’t necessarily have to be a happily ever after, but it should give the reader a sense of conclusion and fulfillment. For now, at least, everyone’s story has reached its finish line and there’s nothing left to say.

This means tying off all your artfully crafted subplots, addressing all of the dramatic questions raised at the beginning of the story, and ensuring that any lingering secrets have been laid to rest. If your main characters deserve a happy ending, this is the moment they finally reach it.

A resolved ending is always satisfying for both characters and readers.

Giving your story a resolved ending doesn’t mean that your characters’ lives won’t go on beyond the last page in the book. It means that this particular chapter of their lives has come to a close, and now they can embrace a blank slate from which to begin a new one.

3. Unresolved ending

Unresolved story endings leaves loose threads so that the story can continue after the book is closed. This is especially popular with books in a longer series. When you end your story on a cliffhanger , your readers remain engaged with your story until they get a chance to read what happens in the next installment.

Even when you use an unresolved ending to close your story, it should still have that essential sense of completion by the end. You wouldn’t finish the whole story the way you’d finish a chapter. By the time you reach the ending to a story, the major, central conflicts of the plot should be resolved and your players should reach a resting place between battles.

However, an unresolved ending will leave some questions unanswered, and raise new ones about the future of your characters and their world. It’ll always give the reader the feeling that the story continues after the last page.

4. Ambiguous ending

The purpose of an ambiguous ending is to make your readers think. Like an unresolved ending, ambiguous story endings leaves some lingering questions at the end of the book.

The difference is that with an unresolved ending, the reader needs to wait to get the answers from the writer later on. With an ambiguous ending, the readers can reflect on the story and look for answers within themselves.

Ambiguous endings make readers think about what the story means for them.

The best ambiguous endings offer two or more equally conceivable possibilities. For example, your story may end with a separated couple agreeing to meet for coffee. The readers are left wondering: Do they get back together? Or do they get the closure they need so they can move on? Both are within range, and it’s up to the reader to decide what they believe the real truth to be.

Ending the story ambiguously is also a great way to bring your readers together. It will make them want to compare ideas in forums, discussion groups, or with friends. Ambiguous endings engage the reader in a creative and cognitive way.

5. Unexpected ending

Commonly known as the “twist ending,” this ending gives the story one dramatic, final turn as it reaches its close. This works like a literary sleight-of-hand—you tell the reader, “Look, here, at this perfectly incongruous hat!” while your story mechanics are working to create something much more powerful and surprising.

Even though your story ending may be unexpected, it still has to make sense within the world you’ve created. This means laying the groundwork in bits and pieces through plot, character, and setting in a way that slips beneath the reader’s notice, but that they can easily refer back to in their memory so that everything makes sense as they consider the unexpected ending of your story.

This type of ending is the cornerstone of mystery novels. Through genre convention, readers have grown to expect a twist ending that will shock and delight them, but in a way that feels like a natural progression of the story. Done skillfully, the unexpected ending can pack a huge emotional punch and secure you a fan for life.

6. Expanded ending

Also known as an epilogue, this is a second, smaller story built out of your story’s ending. This gives the writer space to explore what happens after the story’s close, and to address any last questions the readers may have.

Do the hero and heroine ever see each other again after they save the world? Does the little girl really grow up to be a doctor like she always wanted? Does the misogynistic young pilot ever grow out of his flaws and become a better person? These are all things that you may not have space for inside your story, but you still want to share with the reader to give them a fuller understanding of your story world. An expanded ending will give your readers the answers they’re craving.

The expanded story ending gives your readers a little more time with your characters before they have to say goodbye. As readers, we understand that their story goes on even after our role of observer has ended. The expanded ending isn’t meant to be a resolution to your plot, but rather a window into what the next chapter of life holds in store for the characters we’ve grown to love.

7. Reflective ending

A reflective ending happens when the protagonist is able to look back at their experiences and consider them through the lens of their growth over the course of the story. They may ask themselves, “Was it really worth it, in the end? Did I do the right thing? How different does the world appear, now that I know the things I do?”

This creates one final, intimate connection with the reader as they explore these ideas together.

A reflective ending examines the main events of the story through a new perspective.

This reflection might happen if the character is looking back at an event from their youth, or if their circumstances have changed dramatically through the events of the plot. This type of ending is popular in fantasy and science fiction—for instance, if the character returns to the “real world” after a period of intense fantastical experiences—as well as in creative nonfiction, where the author may be reflecting on some formative events in their real life.

How to find the ending to your story

Now that you know the seven major ways to end a story, how do you decide which one is right for you? Knowing how to end a story is one of the most important steps in finding your story’s trajectory . Let’s look at three ways to write a story ending as you work through your plot from its opening scene to its powerful last lines.

1. Start with the end in mind

Many writers begin with an idea of how their story ends, and build their plot around it. This is particularly true for murder mysteries, where many writers will identify the crime they want to write about, and then form the rest of the story around clues leading up to it.

In other genres such as romance you may have an idea of where you want your characters to end up, and then you’ll spend the rest of the time figuring out the best ways to bring them there.

Some writers like to plan their ending first, and then work backwards.

Starting with the end of your story already in mind is useful for keeping your writing on track and not getting pulled away from the story’s path. You already know that your characters are going to end up together, that they’re going to find the buried treasure in the end, or that they’re going to vanquish the forces of darkness that have risen up against them.

Knowing where your story is going to lead takes away some of the pressure, so that you can enjoy maneuvering your characters through obstacles and life lessons before they reach the finish line.

2. Match your ending to your character arc

Since all story is born out of character , part of your story planning will involve looking at the ways your character is going to learn and grow over time. Often, this will help you see where they need to end up.

For example, if your protagonist is avaricious and sacrifices his relationship with his family to excel at his job, you may decide that by the end he’ll need to have shuffled his priorities and learned the value of what really matters in life. This creates a natural character arc to carry your story from beginning to end.

In a romance, you may have a character who has spent their life disenchanted by love after watching their parents’ messy divorce. Therefore, a natural ending to their story may be that they learn how to avoid their parents’ mistakes and take a chance on a healthy, happy relationship.

Your main character may be able to give you hints about how their story should end.

By exploring what your character needs, the inevitable ending to their story will become clear.

3. Let the ending surprise you

Some writers find they work best if they explore their story as they write. As in life, the events of a great story may be things we could never have predicted.

As you move through the events of your plot, you may find that your characters take on a life of their own and pull you in directions you didn’t expect.

The great thing about this method is that you can be as fluid as you like; no one ever said you have to write every page in the proper order. As you discover new things about your story world and get a clearer and clearer idea of what the ending is going to look like, you can go back into the early stages of your story and lay the groundwork.

If your ending evolves organically, it will feel more authentic and real to your reader.

If you decide to incorporate an unexpected twist into your ending, or the people you had planned on ending up together wound up being completely wrong for each other after all, you can return to earlier scenes and gently shift things around so that your ending looks like a natural progression of everything that came before.

Neil Gaiman famously (and wisely) said, “The process of doing your second draft is a process of making it look like you knew what you were doing all along.”

Go out with a bang or a whisper, but go out the right way

With so many different ways to end a story, and so much riding on your story’s big finish, deciding how to end a narrative can be a little intimidating.

A powerful ending keeps your readers invested until the very last line.

Knowing how to write a good ending is essential in finding success as a storyteller, but fortunately, we’ve got your back. With these tips, tricks, and examples, you’ll find that figuring out how to end a story can be the most fun and rewarding part.

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Writing a Good Story Conclusion

Posted by Doris Booth | May 1, 2022 | Writing Insights | 0 |

Writing a good conclusion to a story requires some skill. The ending is the final and most powerful point of a story. There, the struggle is resolved, and the meaning or central theme becomes clear to the reader. An effective ending or conclusion comes from the main character resolving the central problem or conflict. Ask yourself what you are trying to say in your story, then build the narrative around that thought. What is the central story question?

Every action the leading character takes must point toward a satisfying conclusion. The ending might be happy, sad, surprising, even ambiguous, or bittersweet. But it must feel logical. And the reader must care about whether the character succeeds or fails.

Someone on Quora suggests that you first, write the ending. Then write the rest. It should be easier because everything in your story should lead to that last chapter.

Even if you don’t write out the ending in advance, keep the final resolution or goal in sight throughout the whole story. The ending sentence or paragraph should echo back to–and in some manner resolve–the main story question you posed in the beginning. And remember, there should be no miracles or coincidences in the ending. The character’s actions must carry the tale to the end.

About The Columnist

Doris Booth

Doris Booth is founder and president of Authorlink®, the news and information magazine for editors, agents, writers, and readers, ranked among top websites for writers. The company’s separate literary agency represents some bestselling authors, both domestically and abroad. Doris has sold projects to St. Martin’s Press, Simon & Schuster, Sterling Publishing (Barnes and Noble), Berkley Books/Penguin, Farrar Straus Giroux and other dominant houses. She has also been involved in rights negotiations for two hit Netflix docuseries, as well as with other production studios. The agency is not accepting new authors at this time, but writers are encouraged to use Authorlink® as a comprehensive resource.

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So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is, after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they've finished the essay.

The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.

To establish a sense of closure, you might do one or more of the following:

Conclude by linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.
Conclude with a sentence composed mainly of one-syllable words. Simple language can help create an effect of understated drama.
Conclude with a sentence that's compound or parallel in structure; such sentences can establish a sense of balance or order that may feel just right at the end of a complex discussion.

To close the discussion without closing it off, you might do one or more of the following:

Conclude with a quotation from or reference to a primary or secondary source, one that amplifies your main point or puts it in a different perspective. A quotation from, say, the novel or poem you're writing about can add texture and specificity to your discussion; a critic or scholar can help confirm or complicate your final point. For example, you might conclude an essay on the idea of home in James Joyce's short story collection, Dubliners , with information about Joyce's own complex feelings towards Dublin, his home. Or you might end with a biographer's statement about Joyce's attitude toward Dublin, which could illuminate his characters' responses to the city. Just be cautious, especially about using secondary material: make sure that you get the last word.
Conclude by setting your discussion into a different, perhaps larger, context. For example, you might end an essay on nineteenth-century muckraking journalism by linking it to a current news magazine program like 60 Minutes .
Conclude by redefining one of the key terms of your argument. For example, an essay on Marx's treatment of the conflict between wage labor and capital might begin with Marx's claim that the "capitalist economy is . . . a gigantic enterprise of dehumanization "; the essay might end by suggesting that Marxist analysis is itself dehumanizing because it construes everything in economic -- rather than moral or ethical-- terms.
Conclude by considering the implications of your argument (or analysis or discussion). What does your argument imply, or involve, or suggest? For example, an essay on the novel Ambiguous Adventure , by the Senegalese writer Cheikh Hamidou Kane, might open with the idea that the protagonist's development suggests Kane's belief in the need to integrate Western materialism and Sufi spirituality in modern Senegal. The conclusion might make the new but related point that the novel on the whole suggests that such an integration is (or isn't) possible.

Finally, some advice on how not to end an essay:

Don't simply summarize your essay. A brief summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long--more than ten pages or so. But shorter essays tend not to require a restatement of your main ideas.
Avoid phrases like "in conclusion," "to conclude," "in summary," and "to sum up." These phrases can be useful--even welcome--in oral presentations. But readers can see, by the tell-tale compression of the pages, when an essay is about to end. You'll irritate your audience if you belabor the obvious.
Resist the urge to apologize. If you've immersed yourself in your subject, you now know a good deal more about it than you can possibly include in a five- or ten- or 20-page essay. As a result, by the time you've finished writing, you may be having some doubts about what you've produced. (And if you haven't immersed yourself in your subject, you may be feeling even more doubtful about your essay as you approach the conclusion.) Repress those doubts. Don't undercut your authority by saying things like, "this is just one approach to the subject; there may be other, better approaches. . ."

Definition of Conclusion / A Concluding Paragraph in Essay

A conclusion is the last paragraph of an essay . It occurs after the body paragraphs have said what they have to say. It is comprised of three important elements:

Rephrasing of the thesis statement
Summary of main ideas
Concluding Remarks

The first element, the rephrasing of the thesis statement , is to remind readers about the topic discussed in the essay. It usually breaks the thesis statement into three parts, and put it in two or three sentences.

The second element summarizes all of the main points of the essay. It usually contains three or more sentences. It could be that these main points are the same given in the thesis statement before it, repeating them for emphasis. However, mostly these main points are other than the ones given in the thesis statement.

The concluding remarks are the final remarks of the essay. These remarks could be a call to action, a suggestion, a recommendation, or a wakeup call. It could be a final question mark demanding further detailed response, or it could be an ending statement.

Difference Between a Body Paragraph and Conclusion

A body paragraph explains a claim made in its topic sentence . It then gives an example, and supporting details about the claim. However, a conclusion sums up the whole essay on a thoughtful response. Both have different elements and different structures.

Examples of Conclusion in Literature

Example #1: free-speech follies (by stanley fish).

“Are there then no free-speech issues on campuses? Sure there are; there just aren’t very many. When Toni Smith, a basketball player at Manhattanville College, turned her back to the flag during the playing of the national anthem in protest against her government’s policies, she was truly exercising her First Amendment rights, rights that ensure that she cannot be compelled to an affirmation she does not endorse … And as she stood by her principles in the face of hostility, she truly was (and is) a First Amendment hero , as the college newspaper editors, the members of the Harvard English department, and the head of the Emma Goldman Project are not. The category is a real one, and it would be good if it were occupied only by those who belong in it.”

Stanley Fish has given a beautiful turn to this conclusion in his essay. He has stated what he believes by the end about the “category” but with a leniency with the word “if,” making it conditional. He has also stated major points of his essay in the middle of the conclusion after restatement of the thesis.

Example #2: In Praise of The Word “F” Word (by Mary Sherry)

“Flunking as a regular policy has just as much merit today as it did two generations ago. We must review the threat of flunking and see it as it really is—a positive teaching tool. It is an expression of confidence by both teachers and parents that the students have the ability to learn the material presented to them. However, making it work again would take a dedicated, caring conspiracy between teachers and parents. It would mean facing the tough reality that passing kids who haven’t learned the material—while it might save them grief for the short term—dooms them to long-term illiteracy. It would mean that teachers would have to follow through on their threats, and parents would have to stand behind them, knowing their children’s best interests are indeed at stake. This means no more doing Scott’s assignments for him because he might fail. No more passing Jodi because she’s such a nice kid. This is a policy that worked in the past and can work today. A wise teacher, with the support of his parents, gave our son the opportunity to succeed—or fail. It’s time we return this choice to all students.”

Just check the concluding remarks of this conclusion. After giving a lot of major points, Mary Sherry has given her verdict about how the time has come to let the students choose what they want to do in their lives.

Example #3: Common Decency (by Susan Jacoby)

“Fortunately for everyone, neither the character of men nor the general quality of relations between the sexes is that crude. By censuring the minority of men who use ordinary socializing as an excuse for rape, feminists insist on sex as a source of pure pleasure rather than as a means of social control. Real men want an eager sexual partner—not a woman who is quaking with fear or even one who is ambivalent. Real men don’t rape.”

This conclusion comprises a very short rephrase of the thesis statement, main points, and a very short concluding remark.

Function of Conclusion

A conclusion means an end. The conclusion intends to end an idea in a meaningful way, in that the readers should feel that they have reached some decision. It helps readers to decide what they want to do next. They either implement suggestions, make recommendations, or urge the reader to think about it more to find out a resolution of the problem.

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100 Ways to End a Story (with examples)

But where do you stop? Which sentences are the last sentences?

In this post, we’ll look at 100 ending lines from a diverse group of authors, both novelists and short story writers. We’ll identify how different types of endings contribute to a story. And, ultimately, we’ll determine how the author crafts a sense of satisfaction in their closing phrases.

After collecting many, many endings, the following categories emerged:

Cliffhanger

Normally, writers think of using a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter. But they absolutely can be used at the end of a story or book, for a few reasons:

Pique the reader’s interest for the next book in the series
Uses the “in media res” technique to go out on a high point, rather than dribble to a conclusion
Extend the reader’s imagination beyond the story, so they finish hungry for more, and curious about the future of the storyline. It keeps the story alive, rather than closing it off.

“Lie back, Michael, my sweet.” She nodded briskly at Pauline. “If you’ll secure the strap, Nurse Shepherd, then I think we can begin.”

— Ian McEwan, “Pornography”

“I turned and looked past the neighborhood kids — my playmates — at the two men, the strangers. They were lean and seedy, unshaven, slouching behind the brims of their hats. One of them was chewing a toothpick. I caught their eyes: they’d seen it too.

I threw the first stone.”

— T. C. Boyle, “Rara Avis”

“Then his father walks toward the door stooping slightly and B stands aside to give him room to move. Tomorrow we’ll leave, tomorrow we’ll go back to Mexico City, thinks B joyfully. And then the fight begins.”

– Roberto Bolano, “Last Evenings on Earth”

Whatever you’re ending on, it’s something you want to emphasize, right? So heighten that emphasis with repetition.

Here’s an exercise: take all the examples below and try rewriting them without any repetition. Just say the key word once. Doesn’t have the same ring, does it? In fact, it makes it seem like the middle of the story, just another unremarkable line.

It takes two or three repetitions before there’s a finality to it, like a bell tolling for the conclusion of the story.

“His feet are light and nimble. He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.”

— Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian

“Big flakes not falling in orderly rows, a dervishing mob that swirls, lifts, goes limp, noiselessly spatters the glass. Snow obscuring the usual view greeting me when I’m up at crazy hours to relieve an old man’s panicked kidneys or just up, up and wondering why, staring at blank, black windows of a hulking building that mirrors the twenty-story bulk of ours, up prowling instead of asleep in the peace. I hope you’re still enjoying, peace I wish upon the entire world, peace I should know better by now than to look for through a window, the peace I listen for beside you in the whispering of our tangled breaths.”

— John Edgar Wideman, “Microstories”

“I imagined the story of a girl made human. I imagined Tallie’s grave, forsaken and remote. I imagined banishing forever those sentiments that she chastened and refined. I imagined everyone I knew sick to the point of death. I imagined a creature even more slow-hearted than myself. I imagined continuing to write in this ledger, here; as though that were life; as though life were not elsewhere.”

— Jim Shepard, “The World to Come”

“Sometimes all humanity strikes me as lovely. I just want to reach out and stroke someone, and say, ‘There, there, it’s all right honey. There, there, there.’”

— Sandra Cisneros, “Never Marry a Mexican”

“That would be the man we’d spare. That would be the man who’d drop to his knees in the mud and, in the cloud of gun smoke, raise his hands in surrender. That would be the man who’d tell us who he was, where he’d come from and why.”

— Will Mackin, “Crossing the River No Name”

“In the desert, in the lightning, in his crumbling duplex, in the field, in the many rooms of night, Wild Turkey wakes up, he wakes up, he wakes up.”

— Arna Bontemps Hemenway “The Fugue”

“Then sometimes I get up and don my robe and go out into our quiet neighborhood looking for a magic thread, a magic sword, a magic horse.”

— Denis Johnson, “The Largesse of the Sea Maiden”

“Your time’s not up. Your time’s not even close to being up.”

— David Means, “The Chair “

Sense of Sound

Good writers understand that sensory details are the lifeblood of fiction. And just as images are crucial ways to end a story (that’s the next section), you can also use sound as a way to dial up or dial down the end of your story.

A crescendo ends a story well because it makes the story’s end feel climatic. While a decrescendo eases you out of the story, giving a sense of closure to the reader.

If you look at the examples below, especially Jones and Bausch, you see how they use sound as a stand-in for a character — a deceased mother’s footsteps echoing through time, a wife’s domestic duties that make the husband feel estranged from her.

So sound can often a way to wrestle with complex character conflicts.

“And even when the teacher turns me toward the classrooms and I hear what must be the singing and talking of all the children in the world, I can still hear my mother’s footsteps above it all.”

— Edward P. Jones, “The First Day”

“The mastiff’s howl tears through the estate, setting off the usual thousand and twelve strange little circuses that disrupt the science of slavery.”

— Patrick Chamoiseau, “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff”

“A long silence and then, slowly, applause, soft at first, then waves of it, which on this old recording came across like a pounding rain. I was shivering. There was no question we were under water.”

— Daniel Alarcón, “The Bridge”

“She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree. The spurs of a cavalry officer clanged as he walked across the porch. There was the hum of bees, the musky odor of pinks filled the air.”

— Kate Chopin, The Awakening

“He shut his eyes. Listened to the small sounds she made in the kitchen, arranging her flowers, running the tap. Mary, he had said. But he could not imagine what he might have found to say if his voice had reached her.”

— Richard Bausch, “Aren’t You Happy for Me?”

Descriptions

When you end a story, you’re helping the reader transition from the world of the story back into the real world. Sometimes that transition is easier if the last lines of the story don’t deal with the main characters, or plot, or themes, but instead talk about the universe of the story.

Namely: description. Try to describe a particular thing in the story which resonates with the main themes of your story. If you’re writing about father/son relationships, then end on the description of your character seeing a father walk with his son.

If you have a character sacrificing everything in the hopes of a big payday, then show that same idea in the animal world, for instance, pelicans divebombing for fish, like the Taylor Antrim example below.

“They’ve forgotten, or left on purpose, a few things they don’t need, things I hold on to. Pictures the girls drew, shells they picked up at the beach, the last drops of a perfumed shower gel. Shopping lists in the faint, small script that the mother used, on other sheets of paper, to write all about us.”

— Jhumpa Lahiri, “The Boundary”

“His eyes went upward, looking again for some civilizing sign — better yet, for the rectangular peak of his building, like the needle of a compass, the darkness down here, the shadow of his life up there. Friedrich and Lana resting up for tomorrow. Paulette waiting for him posed on all fours in bed. They were trying. He was trying. But above him there was just sky and trees in all directions.”

— David Gilbert, “The Sightseers”

“And in the morning when the sun came up and the colors of the hill and its valley accelerated from gray and brown to red and green to white, the company agent gathered stones for his family and they breakfasted on snow.”

— Jim Crace, “The Prospect from Silver Hills”

“Boom-splash. The pelicans take these kamikaze plunges into the water. The way they hit, not one should survive — but of course they all do. They come up with their beaks full of fish.”

— Taylor Antrim, “Pilgrim Life”

Unspoken Dialogue

Unspoken Dialogue is very similar to a cliffhanger. While a cliffhanger refuses to resolve plot , this Unspoken Dialogue technique refuses to resolve the dialogue .

There’s tension when a character wants to say something, but doesn’t.

If you’re trying to learn how to write good dialogue, it’s always important to remember that characters don’t often say exactly what they’re thinking, or even what they want to say.

Why does this work to conclude a story? Well, it highlights the weakness of the character, how they are not doing what they want to be doing. They are holding back, and perhaps they will regret it later.

“I wanted to say she’d lied to us all, she’d faked it about the dog, as if it mattered whether the animal spoke, as if love were about the truth, as if he would love her less — and not more — for pretending to talk to a dog.”

— Francine Prose, “Talking Dog”

“Tell more, more, I want to say to Eduardo but do not say because he seems ready to leave. Tell me about Garcilaso and about how things went well for him.”

— Joseph O’Neill, “The Sinking of the Houston”

“They are always very interested to hear that you don’t read music. Once, you almost said— to a sneaky fellow from the Daily News, who was inquiring— you almost turned to him and said Motherfucker I AM music. But a lady does not speak like that, however, and so you did not.”

— Zadie Smith, “Crazy They Call Me”

“She begins to scream, her face turning even redder, you cannot hear or understand what she is saying but you know she hates your father, hates you, hates many, many people. You want to help your father, the man who has only recently come back into your life, clean-shaven and speaking of God, you want to run toward him and defend him and protect him, but now he is holding out his hand to the man again, he has taken off his hat and is holding it out toward the man. The woman is now silent. The man takes the hat, a brand-new fedora with a feather, and puts it on his head. And looks at you, as if for the first time.”

— Justin Bigos, “Fingerprints”

Asking Questions

A question is one of the most popular ways to end a story (look at all the examples below!). I could even add more quite easily, like the question to conclude Margaret Atwood’s book, “Handmaid’s Tale”: “Are there any questions?”

But if you use this technique, I would recommend following these three guidelines:

Must not have an easy answer
Must resonate with the main themes of your book
Must strike an emotional chord (look at the Russel Banks example).

“But why are you invested in other people’s stories? You too must be unable to fill in the gaps. Can’t you be satisfied with your own dreams?”

— Antonio Tabucchi, “A Riddle”

“And who would she tell her stories to while he was gone? Who would listen?”

— Russel Banks, “My Mother’s Memoirs, My Father’s Lie, and Other True Stories”

“Then in the space of a wet blink, the gap between the trees would close and the mown grass disappear, a violent indigo cloud would cover the sun and history, gross history, daily history, would forget. Is this how it would be?”

— Julian Barnes, “Evermore”

“I imagined John-Jin’s girder underneath me. I wondered, in my rage, if you took that one piece away, would everything fall?”

— Rose Tremain, “John-Jin”

If a blind man could play basketball, surely we…If he had known Doc’s story would it have saved them? He hears himself saying the words. The ball arches from Doc’s fingertips, the miracle of it sinking. Would she have believed any of it?”

— John Edgar Wideman, “Doc’s Story”

“Safer and better to have no freedom, maybe, but no, you wouldn’t say that. The humming stopped when he flicked the light switch by the door. No you wouldn’t say that, would you? In the dark of the hall he could not see his way; he went toward the vague light of the front window with one hand on the wall. No you wouldn’t but what would you say?”

— Madison Smartt Bell, “Witness”

“Who was it that thought up that idea, the idea that had made today better than yesterday? Who loved him enough to think that up? Who loved him more than anyone else in the world loved him?

— George Saunders, “Puppy”

“Where was she now, this Clara? What had become of her, this ardent, hopeful girl in her white dress, surrounded by her family, godparents, friends, that her Bible should end up in a Goodwill bin? Even if she no longer read it, or believed it, she wouldn’t have thrown it away, would she? Had something happened? Ah, girl, where were you?”

— Tobias Wolff, “Bible”

“He reached for the telephone and dialed his home number. ‘Rhona,’ he said in the quaking receiver. ‘Would you like to see the juvenile tuataras? The babies?’”

— Barbara Anderson, “Tuataras”

“But for the other man, who would be watching the night fall around the orange halo of the street lamps with neither longing nor dread, what did the future offer but the comfort of knowing that he would, when it was time for his daughter to carry out her plan of revenge, cooperate with a gentle willingness?”

— Yiyun Li, “A Man Like Him”

You can’t write good fiction without making your characters feel things (and your reader feel things). So here, we see authors ending stories by showing the final arc of their character’s emotions.

Some of these characters have emotional epiphanies, feeling something for the first time. Others have felt it all along but perhaps only now have been able to admit it to themselves.

But if character arc and character change are essential for stories, it makes sense that their emotional journey would conclude the narrative.

“Even so, I sat there gazing up at the granite outcrops of Spruce Clove streaked in evening gold, I had an almost overpowering sense of being looked at myself, stared at in uncomprehending astonishment by some wild creature standing in the doorway.”

— James Lasdun, “Oh Death”

“I stand here shameless in ways he has never seen me. I am free, afloat, watching somebody else.”

— Bharati Mukherjee, “A Wife’s Story”

“She has done an outrageous thing, but she doesn’t feel guilty. She feels light and peaceful and filled with charity and temporarily without a name.”

— Margaret Atwood, “Hairball”

Paul Harding, who won the Pulitzer Prize for “Tinkers,” said that contrast is the essential technique of music, painting, and storytelling.

Below, we see contrasts between:

chill cats and stressed-out humans
the busyness of day with the solitude of night
the flowers of love with the chants for the dead.

When you contrast something, you throw it into higher relief. A happy person doesn’t seem exceptionally happy until you see her side by side with a depressed person.

Contrast offers that extra emphasis — much like repetition — to make the reader feel satisfied that this ending resolves the story.

“She hears a distant siren, the wind in the trees, the bass beat from a passing car. Please, she thinks. Please. She is about to go inside for a flashlight when she hears the familiar bell and then sees the cat slinking up from the dark woods, her manner cool and unaffected.”

— Jill McCorkle, “Magic Words”

“Susanne sat on the couch, surrounded by her family while out in the night, partner to the extraordinary, Roy held a shovel made for digging deeper in the dirt.”

— Samantha Hunt, “The Yellow”

“By day she entertained a constant stream of visitors. At night her father kept vigil beside her bed.”

— Jennifer Haigh, “Paramour”

“Violins and lit candles revolved in the sky. Leo ran forward with flowers outthrust. Around the corner, Salzman, leaning against a wall, chanted prayers for the dead.”

— Bernard Malamud, “The Magic Barrel”

Marcel Proust’s memories brought back by the taste of a madeleine are probably the most famous memories in literature, but stories have always used memory to make readers nostalgic, evoke the senses, and make us feel the bite of time.

When you end a story with memory, it ties the whole story together — past is united with the present.

In some ways, ending a story with a memory is the opposite of a cliffhanger — memory looks at the past, while a cliffhanger anticipates the future.

Memory allows the writer to skip around in time to find the perfect character moment to end the story — which could be much, much earlier in their life, or only a few years back, or only last week.

Perhaps in the character’s current life, there’s no event that perfectly captures the emotion you’re going for, so mine the past for it.

“I no longer remembered the day we married. Only the day I knew we would, those moments with my heart warm and rapt, the silent promise of the frozen world, the elm chafing in its coat of ice.”

— Karen Brown, “Galatea”

“…She will be secretly glad, relieved that time is passing, that Paris is again becoming nothing more than a word she might see on the cover of a glossy magazine or on a cable travel channel, certainly not a place where she once spent a few breaths of her life, and she will hardly remember the way the Seine sliced the city in half, a radiant curving knife, merciless and perfect.”

— Victoria Lancelotta, “The Anniversary Trip”

“He remembers waking up the morning after they bought the car, seeing it, there in the drive, in the sun, gleaming.”

— Raymond Carver, “Are These Actual Miles”

“Who will remember?”

— Alex Rose, “Ostracon”

“She will see the garden that day and the tears shining in her sister’s large blue eyes and remember her unanswered cry for help.”

— Sheila Kohler, “Magic Man”

“And as for the scar, I’m glad it is not on Nyamekye. Any time I see it I only recall one afternoon when I sat with my chin in my breast before a Mallam came, and after a Mallam went out.”

— Ama Ata Aidoo, “A Gift from Somewhere”

The Epiphany

The epiphany ending is the classic story ending. After everything the character has gone through, what have they learned?

This is the chance to show that the journey has not been in vain, that your characters have changed and learned and grown because of this journey.

Epiphanies are particularly useful for short stories, rather than novels, because short stories have less runway for plot. So you can’t have a huge murder or birth or world catastrophe solved at the end of a short story (the way most novels do), but you can show the character realizing something about themselves, others, or the world.

“He closed the door carefully, not slamming it. Clea and I waited an appropriate interval, then turned and clung to each other in a kind of rapture. Understanding, abruptly and at last, just what it takes to be a King. How much, in the end it actually costs.”

— Jonathan Lethem, “The King of Sentences”

“He was shot five or six times, but being such a big man and such a strong man, he lived long enough to recognize the crack of the guns and know that he was dead.”

— Nathan Englander, “The Twenty-Seventh Man”

“Years later, as an adult, I realized that what my little sister had confided to me in a quiet voice in the wind cave was indeed true. Alice really does exist in the world. The March hare, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat— they all really exist.”

— Haruki Murakami, “The Wind Cave”

“— How d’you like my lion? Isn’t he beautiful? He’s made by a Zimbabwean artist, I think the name’s Dube.

— But the foolish interruption becomes revelation. Dumile, in his gaze — distant, lingering, speechless this time — reveals what has overwhelmed them. In this room. The space, the expensive antique chandelier, the consciously simple choice of reed blinds, the carved lion: all are on the same level of impact phenomena undifferentiated, undecipherable. Only the food that fed their hunger was real.”

— Nadine Gordimer, “Comrades”

“Sarah looked at him with an intent, halted expression, as though she were listening to a dialogue no one present was engaged in. Finally she said, “There are robbers. Everything has changed.”

— Joy Williams, “The Farm”

“And that was it. Somehow it didn’t really matter, finding out. Two years earlier, it would have changed my life. But on that day, I suppose the only thing I felt was some small measure of contentment for her: that he had, indeed, come back for her, just like she always said he would. They were different after all, destined to be together. I thanked Allen for bringing her things, watched him ride away on his motorcycle, and went inside to have dinner with my father.”

— Jess Walter, “Mr. Voice”

“And then, as if he had forgotten that she had already moved on to other things, as if we were still sitting across from each other, deep in one of our conversations without beginning, middle, or end, Room wrote that the last thing that had surprised her was that when Ershadi is lying in the grave he’s dug and his eyes finally drift closed and the screen goes black, it isn’t really black at all. If you look closely, you can see the rain falling.”

— Nicole Krauss, “Seeing Ershadi”

“‘No problem,’ the waitress sang, ‘no problem at all,’ replacing the girl’s fork, bending to snatch the soiled one off the floor. Smiling hard but not making eye contact with anyone. When she retreated leaving Richard alone with his son and the crying girl, it occurred to him, with the delayed logic of a dream, that the waitress must have thought he was the bad guy in all this.”

– Emma Cline, “Northeast Regional”

“But I remember you. I remember when we were so close that people couldn’t tell us apart. I remember your parents’ phone number, your neatly folded cutoffs and your constant fear of not being special. I remember when you started claiming that fictive characters are way better than friends, since they are less annoying, more interesting and never die. You stopped returning my calls. When I needed you the most you were nowhere to be found and when I died you started seeing me everywhere. On sidewalks, in shop windows, on balconies. So you decided to write my story. You dress me in cutoffs. You force extreme amounts of apple juice into me. You retell the most painful week of my life as it were a never-ending bachelor party. And it is not until the end. About. Here. That you realize what you’ve done. I’m not bitter, Miro. I’m just dead.”

— Jonas Hassen Khemiri, “As You Would Have Told It to Me (Sort Of) If We Had Known Each other Before You Died”

“It took some time for me to understand that Elida’s body had not been satiated on mine, that she wasn’t purring because she swallowed my heart.”

— Louise Erdrich, “The Big Cat”

“I used to think that all my emotions belonged in the past, to history, but I know that I yearn for the future just like everyone else. Even as life draws to close, I realize that I have never understood myself completely.

But now it certainly is too late to do more, to be more, in this lifetime.”

— Zhang Jie, “An Unfinished Record”

I am born at noon the next day. My mother tells me this is the first thing she did: she checked the clock. I am still attached to her when she looks. We are not yet two when she begins to keep track of me, the seconds I have been alive and then, after she cuts through the cord herself, cleaving my body from hers with a kitchen knife, the seconds I have been on my own.

This is what women do, she says.

By which she means she understands that one day I will leave her too. Lift off the ground, think myself beyond gravity.

—Aria Beth Sloss, “North”

The Unhappy Ending

The ending is one of your last chances to make the reader feel something. And while the happy ending is always a classic crowd-pleasing, I find that it’s often easier to make the reader feel sorrow.

Happiness is a tough sell, particularly when writing short stories. I think if you were going to survey 1000 short stories, a lot more would end sad than would end happy. Novels are probably the opposite — many more end happy than sad.

It’s mainly because of the length. When you’re writing short, you don’t have the time to acheive happiness without it feeling cheesy. While in the space of a novel, the happy ending feels earned.

“Now they were both dead, and the city was dirty and crumbling, and the man I was traveling with was sero-positive, and so was I. Mexico’s hopes seemed as dashed as mine, and all the goofy innocence of that first thrilling trip abroad had died, my boyhood hopes for love and romance faded, just as the blue in Kay’s lapis had lost its intensity year after year until it ended up as white and small as a blind eye. ”

— Edmund White, “Cinnamon Skin”

“Things are as they have always been. Whoever seeks a fixed point in the current of time and the seasons would do well to listen to the sounds of the night that never change. They come to us from out there.

— Amos Oz, “Where the Jackals Howl”

“She would be invisible, of course. No one would hear her. And nothing has happened, really that hasn’t happened before.”

— Margaret Atwood, “Wilderness Tips”

“There were women around Jesus when He died, the two Marys. They couldn’t do anything for Him. But neither could the men, who had all run away.”

— Robert Olen Butler, “Mr. Green”

“I think of the chimp, the one with the talking hands.

In the course of the experiment, that chimp had a baby. Imagine how her trainers must have thrilled when the mother, without prompting, began to sign to her newborn.

Baby, drink milk.

Baby, play ball.

And when the baby died, the mother stood over the body, her wrinkled hands moving with animal grace, forming again and again the words: Baby, come hug, Baby, come hug, fluent now in the language of grief.”

— Amy Hempel, In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried

“It was not a happy life, but it was all that was left to them, and they took it up without complaint, for they knew they were powerless against some Will infinitely stronger than their own.”

— Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Sport of the Gods

“What would burst forth? A monkey’s paw? A lady? A tiger?

But there was nothing at all.”

— Lorrie Monroe, “Referential”

The Waiting Ending

What does it mean when you have a character waiting at the end of a story? Well, they are expecting the future. But the reader can’t go to the future with them.

It signals a small break in the storyline: this current story has ended, but the future one has not begun. It’s like the character is about to step into narrative limbo.

A “waiting” ending is definitely a quiet ending. It takes advantage in a lull in the storyline to bow out and conclude.

If you write a waiting ending, pay careful attention to subtext:

Perhaps this character will be waiting a long time.
Perhaps they are the waiting type of character — a passive character.
Perhaps waiting signals a sad ending — what they wanted most didn’t arrive by the end

“I measured the passing of time by the progress of the fires in the distant north. My old man gave me daily updates, and I pretended to listen. Five hundred, a thousand, two thousand fires. After a month they had burned out, and I was still waiting.”

— Daniel Alarcón, “The Idiot President”

“He looked toward the eastern sky. It seemed he’d been running a week’s worth of nights, but he saw the stars hadn’t begun to pale. The first pink smudges on the far Ridgeline were a while away, perhaps hours. The night would linger long enough for what would come or not come. He waited.”

— Ron Rash, “Into the Gorge”

“The ice plant was watery-looking and fat, and at the edge of my vision I could see the tips of my father’s shoes. I was sixteen years old and waiting for the next thing he would tell me.”

— Ethan Canin, “The Year of Getting to Know Us”

“Wait here, wait here!” he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of light she saw in the distance ahead of him. “Help! Help!” he shouted, but his voice was thin, scarcely a thread of sound. The lights drifted farther away the faster he ran and his feet moved numbly as if they carried him nowhere. The tide of darkness seemed to sweep him back to her, postponing from moment to moment his entry into the world of guilt and sorrow.”

— Flannery O’Connor, “Everything that Rises Must Converge”

“Walking to the end of the hallway by the kitchen, he seated himself against the wall. He sat there quietly, waiting for Case to emerge.”

— Bradford Tice, “Missionaries”

“Joshua wondered what they would do now. The need he felt was like when he stepped on the sliver of glass, and his mother pulled at the skin with her tweezers, and pushed them inside, until she found the glass. It was like when she told him to get ready, to squeeze his father’s hand. Clenching his teeth, closing his eyes, waiting.”

— Mike Meginnis, “Navigators”

Figurative Language & Poetic Devices

Aristotle said that comparison of two unlike things was the essence of genius. If so, the writers below are all geniuses.

Beauty has its own charm. The examples below use extended metaphors, multiple similes, and other examples of literary devices to cast a spell of beauty over the reader.

And these comparisons are often symbolic of the characters and the events of the story (for instance, the birds in the Ann Beattie story).

“She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see.”

— Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

“Nettie lay there beside him, her breath blowing on his shoulder as they studied the stars far above the field — little pinpoint holes punched through the night sky like the needle holes around the tiny stitches in the quilting. Nettie. Nettie Slade. Her dress had self-covered buttons, hard like seed corn.”

— Bobbie Ann Mason, “Wish”

“Angela was remembering all this, and feeling such a strong surge of sorrowful loss, and at the same time she was studying with interest the miraculous rescue of St. Placidus from drowning, painted on the wall in the sacristy in San Miniato. St. Placidus was rolling fatalistically amid the blue waves of his pond while one of his comrades, endowed with special powers by St. Benedict, came walking across the water to save him. In the picture it looked like such a harmless little point, carved into the earth as neatly as a circle of stamped-out pastry, or a hole cut into the ice for fishing.”

— Tessa Hadley, “Cecilia Awakened”

“He looked at his wife, whom he loved, whom he looked forward to convincing, and felt as though he were diving headfirst into happiness. It was a circus act, a perilous one. Happiness was a narrow take. You had to make sure you cleared the lip.”

— Elizabeth McCracken, “Thunderstruck”

“In the flood of flame-colored light their flesh turned coral.”

— Helen Simpson, “Heavy Weather”

“Louisa sat, prayerfully numbering her days, like an uncloistered nun.”

— Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, “A New England Nun”

“When she turned back into the empty room she looked as though youth had touched her on the lips.”

— Edith Wharton, “The Angel at the Grave”

“In time, his breathing changed, and hers did. Calm sleep was now a missed breath — a small sound. They might have been two of the birds she so often thought of, flying separately between cliffs— birds whose movement, which might seem erratic, was always private, and so took them where they wanted to go.”

— Ann Beattie, “In Amalfi”

Brene Brown’s TED talk about vulnerability is one of the most watched TED talks of all time. Her thesis is simple: people respond to vulnerability.

It holds true in real life just as it does in fiction.

When a character keeps a secret, reveals a secret, or makes a confession, the reader feels closer to them. Even if we disagree with them, we feel like we know them.

“The secret died with him, for Pavageau’s lips were ever sealed.”

— Alice Dunbar-Nelson, “The Stones of the Village”

“Very often I sold my blood to buy wine. Because I’d shared dirty needles with low companions, my blood was diseased. I can’t estimate how many people must have died from it. When I die myself, B.D. And Dundun, the angels of God I sneered at, will come to tally up my victims and tell me how many people I killed with my blood.”

— Denis Johnson, “Strangler Bob”

Powerful Dialogue

Here’s some advice on how to write a good dialogue ending:

Pay attention to subtext . If any place in your story needs dialogue with a double meaning, it’s the ending. It should have a plain interpretation, but also resonate with some deeper issues of plot.
Make sure it’s the protagonist who gets the final word . In almost all cases, it’s the protagonist or one of the main characters who speak last. A minor character wouldn’t make sense.

“Please come back inside mom! Please get out of the street!”

— Antonya Nelson, “Chapter Two”

“Darling, the angels have themselves a lifetime to come to us.”

— Edwidge Danticat, “Night Women”

“Nemecia held a wineglass up to the window and turned it. “See how clear?” Shards of light moved across her face.”

— Kirstin Valdez Quade, “Nemecia”

“But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do.

‘Well?’ He said, ‘Are you looking?’

My eyes are still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything.

‘It’s really something,’ I said.”

— Raymond Carver, “Cathedral”

“My dear,” replied Valentine, “has not the Count just told us that all human wisdom is contained in the words ‘Wait and hope!”

— Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

“There were lots of old people going around then with ideas in their heads that didn’t add up — though I suppose Old Annie had more than most. I recall her telling me another time that girl in the Home had a baby out of a big boil that burst on her stomach, and it was the size of a rat and had no life in it, but they put it in the oven and it puffed up the right size and baked to a good color and started to kick its legs (Ask an old woman to reminisce and you get the whole ragbag, is what you might be thinking by now.)

I told her that wasn’t possible, it must have been a dream.

‘Maybe so’ she said, agreeing with me for once. ‘I did used to have the terriblest dreams.’”

— Alice Munro, “A Wilderness Station”

A Character in Denial

The reader gets a sick sense of delight when final lines reveal something a character refuses to acknowledge.

“Maybe it wasn’t such a terrible idea. Maybe it could make them happy. He found a mark on Miriam’s shimmering pale dress and followed it through the trees.”

— Sarah Kokernot, “M & L”

“His gut told him that his mother-in-law knew what had happened that day in the car. Come to think of it, she had never once mentioned the day of the accident to him. She had never even asked about it. His mother-in-law turned her cold gaze back to the plant. To put his crazy thoughts to rest, Oghi told himself that he just really liked plants. He could not think why that might be.”

— Hye-young Pyun, “Caring for Plants”

The Unknown

These final lines endear readers as characters reveal what remains mysterious:

“But as I write this it occurs to me that I don’t know where I ever got that idea. In fact, I have no memory of whether the desk arrived to me with the drawer locked. It’s possible that I unknowingly pushed in the cylindrical lock years ago, and that whatever is in there belongs to me.”

— Nicole Krauss, “From the Desk of Daniel Varsky”

“’Listen to me,’ he said, expelling all his breath with the words. Two ragged breaths later he tried again, but Jill moved her hand from his forehead to his mouth. ‘Help me,’ he said into her fingers. But the words were whispered, and she mistook them for a kiss and smiled.”

— Angela Pneuman, “Occupational Hazard”

“He knew he was at the beginning of something, though just then he couldn’t say exactly what.”

— Bret Anthony Johnston, “Encounters with Unexpected Animals”

“I do not know where this voyage I have begun will end. I do not know which direction I will take. I dropped the package on a park bench and started walking.”

— Bharati Mukherjee, “The Management of Grief”

If anywhere it’s time to tell the truth, it’s the ending.

Have your characters spill their guts and reveal everything at the end. Or have the narrator offer wisdom or the naked truth.

“It’s the kind of impossible story that holds a family together. You tell it over and over again; and with the passage of time, the tale becomes more unbelievable and at the same time increasingly difficult to disprove, a myth about the life you carry.”

– Greg Hrbek, “Sagittarius”

“As the manual often states, it’s my future. And it’s the only one I get.”

— Diane Cook, “Moving On”

“I’ve begun to appreciate just how much work parents invest in their children, and wives in their husbands; it’s only fair for the investor to become the beneficiary.”

— Katie Chase, “Man and Wife”

“…I survive. It’s only one thing. But it’s also everything.

Pick yourself up.

Start over again.”

— Megan Miranda, All the Missing Girls

“She was knickerless. She was victorious. She was a truly modern female.”

— Nicola Barker, “G-string”

“I can stay. I can lie down. Let the snow fall on my face. Let its hands be tender.

Or I can walk, try to find my way in darkness.

I’m a grown woman, an orphan, I have these choices.”

— Melanie Rae Thon, “The Snow Thief”

One thought on “ 100 Ways to End a Story (with examples) ”

Excellent collection of endings, types… and quite clear and efficient comments. Thank you.

Every writer NEEDS this book.

It’s a guide to writing the pivotal moments of your novel.

Whether writing your book or revising it, this will be the most helpful book you’ll ever buy.

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Tips On How To Write A Creative Story Conclusion

Table of Contents

Writing an excellent conclusion is more challenging than it looks. The ending of a story can be challenging to write because it has to wrap up the entire plot, leaving no loose ends.

It has to tie it all together and give any necessary responses to the events the reader encounters throughout the story. This article will teach you tips on how to write a story conclusion .

How To Write A Good Story Conclusion.

1. keep in mind your readers..

Having a plan in place is essential when writing your story conclusion. There must be a satisfying ending that leaves them satisfied and engaged. In the story up to this point, consider what your readers have been through. Then what questions have remained unanswered? It should provide closure for your readers where your conclusion addresses these elements.

As a second rule, don’t be afraid to deal with loose ends. Finally, try to end with a positive tone. Your readers are putting time in your project, so you want to leave them feeling happy and optimistic. Your readers will remember your positive conclusion long after reading your book.

2. Let The End Be Felt

When you get to the end of your story, your readers want to be satisfied with how everything has worked out. Tie loose ends to create a sense of finality. Ensure all plot threads have been resolved and any loose ends have been neatly wrapped. Bring the full story circle as one way to create a sense of closure. If you started a book with a scene or event, try to end it with sass.

Don’t be afraid to give your readers some closure. Let your characters know what happens after the story is over. This will help them feel like they have finished the journey with their feelings and can say goodbye knowing what the next brings.

3. Pass A Message Across To The Readers

A great way to end your book is to teach your readers. This is a moral lesson that they can take away from the story. It is meant to help them grasp the story and how it fits into them.

It would help if you also wrote a memorable conclusion so that your readers will never forget the book.

4. Leave Your Readers On A Cliffhanger

If you’re writing a mystery novel or a drama, you should end on a cliffhanger to keep your readers engaged. A cliffhanger is a suspenseful moment that leaves the reader wondering what to expect next. Keeping them turning the pages and setting up the next book in your series is a great way to keep them interested. Here are some tips for creating a cliffhanger. Start with what kind of suspense you want to make.

You can begin planning if you know what type of suspense you’d like to build. You want your book to end with a scene that leaves your reader on edge. End your book with a set that leaves your reader shattered or shocked. You should ensure your cliffhanger is large enough to keep your reader interested.

Putting together a good ending for your story can be challenging, but doing so is essential. Don’t make common mistakes like not being clear enough or telling too much.

Focus on tying up loose ends and writing a satisfying ending that will leave readers happy . If you put in the time to write a reasonable conclusion, you can be sure your readers will enjoy it.

Tips On How To Write A Creative Story Conclusion

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Reading Comprehension Strategy #4: Drawing Conclusions

Today’s post in our reading comprehension series is about drawing conclusions by going beyond the words on the page.

When a reader collects clues from the text, they can make a variety of types of educated guesses that help them understand what they are reading. It allows them to draw out more information from the text and understand humor.

Drawing conclusions can be a particularly hard task for some readers. Below, I break down how we can help our children develop this skill during other tasks, including games and then apply the skills they have learned to reading.

Click here to read the last three posts about visualizing what we read, connecting background knowledge with what we read , and asking questions while we read .

Pinnable Cover for article titled Reading Comprehension Strategy #4: Drawing Conclusions showing a detective looking through a magnifying glass.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read our full disclosure . )

How We Draw Conclusions

We draw conclusions by collecting clues as we read and then put them together to make an educated guess. What clues do you gather while you read the following excerpt?

“Well get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don’t you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy’s birthday.”

Harry groaned.

“What did you say?” his aunt snapped through the door.

“Nothing, nothing…”

Dudley’s birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.”

Now, I did not give you any more direction than to just gather clues. But, if you were using this exercise to help your child build the skill of drawing conclusions, you could have asked them to specifically collect clues about how Harry and his aunt get along.

In this case, we have the clue of the aunt not speaking very nicely to Harry…”get a move on” and “don’t you dare let it burn”. We also have the clue of Harry groaning instead of answering in an excited way about Duddy’s birthday. And then his aunt “snaps”. Next we learn that Harry sleeps in a cupboard under the stairs that is full of spiders. That is a big clue! We can determine from all of this information that Harry and his aunt do not get along well.

How characters feel about each other in a story is just one of several different types of conclusions a reader might draw from a text they are reading. Here are some other important types of conclusions, we learn to make…

Types of Conclusions

Predict what will happen next. We often read to see what happens next in a story. As you are reading, your brain is collecting clues and you may envision where a story is headed. Sometimes an author may throw a plot twist in there and take the story in a different direction. Sometimes the author might use foreshadowing to give you bread crumbs to follow through the story. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins is a picture book with almost no words. But the pictures help us draw the conclusion early on that the fox is going to keep following the hen around the barnyard getting into one accident after another.

Hutchins, Pat (Author)
English (Publication Language)
32 Pages - 08/01/1971 (Publication Date) - Aladdin (Publisher)

Determine the meaning of an unknown word. When we encounter a word we don’t know in our reading, we need to ask some questions to draw a conclusion about its meaning…What is the thing being used for? Is this action being described in a positive or negative way? What else do we know about this person? If we ask the right questions and make good educated guesses we may be able to determine the meaning of the word without interrupting our reading to look it up. This is referred to as using context clues.

James and the Giant Peach book with printable vocabulary pages on either side of the book.

A really fun way to work on this skill is with books that incorporate a few words from another language in the book. Everyone can work together to use the clues from the pictures and the words around them to figure out what the word from another language means. Isla and Abuela by Arthur Dorros are two books to get you started.

Abuela (English Edition with Spanish Phrases) (Picture Puffins)

Dorros, Arthur (Author)
40 Pages - 05/01/1997 (Publication Date) - Puffin Books (Publisher)

Connect different points in the story. Something might be revealed in a story (or movie) that fills in another part of the storyline. Marvel movies do this all the time! We recently watched Ant-Man and the Wasp and at the end of the movie, a clue is given that connects the movie to the end of another movie, Avengers: Infinity War. A savvy watcher realizes that the events in the two movies have been occurring at the same time.

Fill in blank spots in the movie you are making in your mind. In our first article in this series , we talked about visualizing what you are reading. One example I included was a description of Marilla in Anne of Green Gables. We are told that she is tall and thin and that her hair has gray streaks. We can then draw the conclusion that she is old enough to have gray hair and fill in her age in the movie we are making in our mind. We are not told what she is wearing so we need to work harder to collect clues from different parts of the text to fill in her clothing in the movie in our mind.

Answer questions that you might have wondered. You may have questions you wonder while you are reading that are not answered explicitly by the text. Instead, you have to collect clues and make your own prediction. Maybe you have wondered what happened in a character’s past to make him so mean. As his past is revealed throughout the story, you can draw conclusions to answer your question.

But we don’t just draw conclusions while reading…

Drawing Conclusions in the Real World

We draw conclusions from the world around us all the time and this is a skill that can be taught at a very early age.

See dark clouds outside? It is probably going to rain.

Are the clouds really tall? Then it might mean a thunderstorm.

Are the leaves turning red, yellow, and orange? They will fall off the tree soon and the temperatures will get cooler and the days will be shorter.

Go to a store and there are no cars in the parking lot? As you approach, you notice that the store is dark. You draw the conclusion that the store is closed.

These are all observations you can point out to young children. At first you will probably need to model your conclusion for them. But eventually you could make the observation and then say “You know what that means?” and give them a chance to draw a conclusion. Pretty soon they will notice the clues on their own and come to you and share their observations and conclusions.

Continue to look for other examples where you can point out clues in your child’s world and help them draw conclusions. Then carry this skill and these examples over to the books you read.

Drawing Conclusions from Pictures

Picture books are a great way to start drawing conclusions in books. You can start by calling attention to details in the pictures just like in the above “real world” examples.

For example, in the book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt , each crayon has written a letter of complaint and there is a picture that goes with each letter. Before reading the letters to your children, you could have them look at the accompanying picture and see if they can guess what the letter might be about. Even older children would have fun with this.

Funny back-to-school story.
Duncan's crayons quit coloring. Crayons have feelings, too.
What can Duncan do to appease the crayons and get them back coloring?
Contains 40 pages and measures 9.25" x 6.25".
Recommended for ages 3 - 7 years.

The Perfect School Picture by Deborah Diesen is another book where you could have kids look at the pictures and predict what problems might show up in the main character’s school picture. You could then read each page to add information to what your child has noticed and at the end of the book see how the picture day went.

The Perfect School Picture: A Picture Book

Diesen, Deborah (Author)
32 Pages - 07/02/2019 (Publication Date) - Abrams Books for Young Readers (Publisher)

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff is another picture book that is great for practicing predicting what will happen next. Kids won’t be able to use pictures this time. They will have to think about word associations. When the mouse is given each object, prompt kids to think about what that object might make him want next.

For Mac system 7.0 or later (OSX in CLASSIC OS)
Interactive book
Hardcover Book
Numeroff, Laura (Author)

With older kids, you can use cartoons as picture prompts to draw conclusions. In a recent Calvin and Hobbes cartoon , Calvin is yelling at someone who has left the scene. After looking at the cartoon with your child, you could ask him what he wonders about the cartoon. And then ask him what a possible answer might be to what he wonders. Finally, ask him what makes him thinks that .

Regardless of how your child responds, praise anything they share. If your children think there are “right” and “wrong” answers, then they may hesitate to share any thoughts about the pictures.

If you find your child is reluctant to answer, you can model by wondering something aloud, coming up with an answer, and then pointing out why you think that. As you model be intentional with your language…talk about searching for clues . Say you are making a prediction . When we label steps like this for our children they understand better what we are doing and can cue themselves using those same words as they work through the steps.

In our last post about asking questions , we talked about looking at the cover of the book and prompting your child to wonder something about what they see. Now you can prompt two more steps… guessing an answer and giving resaons for why they think that is the answer.

Games You Can Play

There are several games you can play with your children to help them work on drawing conclusions. These games will help children learn to pay attention to clues, ask good questions, draw on their background knowledge to apply it to the current situation, and make educated guesses.

Charades , where a person acts out something, and everyone else has to guess what it is, is a great game to work on drawing conclusions.

Twenty Questions adds language to the guessing game. Someone thinks of a person, place, or thing and the other people can ask up to 20 yes/no questions to narrow down choices and guess what the person is thinking of.

Another language game is a Simile Game. Someone starts a simile and other people fill in the blank. The first person might start with “As shiny as a __________.” The other players may say “gold”, “foil”, “a star” or any other object that pops into their head.

There are also commercial language games that help children learn to draw conclusions such as Hedbanz and Taboo .

Hedbanz 2023 Edition Cards Picture Guessing Board Game- Family Games, Games for Family Game Night, Kids Games, Card Games for Families & Kids Ages 6 and Up

ALL NEW GAME: It’s the 2nd edition of the quick question “What am I?” game! Includes 6 new bands- Dino, Narwhal, Robot, Flower, Butterfly, & Brain PLUS 25 bonus cards in this Walmart exclusive version!
SIMPLE TO PLAY: Pick a headband, place a card in it and play to figure out what’s shown on your card. Using yes/no questions, be the first to guess 3 cards correctly and you win!
FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Hedbanz is a must-have in your collection of family games for kids and adults. It is for everyone ages 6 and up. For 2-6 players, bring along when you are in need of fun board games for family night.
SPIN MASTER PUZZLES, TOYS & GAMES: A world of jigsaw puzzles and family board games for kids, teens, and adults. Plus strategy, cards, and classic board games like dominoes, mahjong, or a chess set.
ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE: When you are with friends, bring a Spin Master game, toy, or cards. For family game nights, birthday gifts, party games, travel, and whenever you just want to have fun.

Hasbro Gaming Taboo Kids vs. Parents Family Board Game Ages 8 and Up

GAME FOR KIDS TO CHALLENGE PARENTS: Gather the family together It's kids vs. parents in this edition of the Taboo game
TWO DIFFERENT CARD DECKS: The hilarious kids vs. parents game is a fun twist on the classic Taboo game. It includes a kids' deck and an adult deck of cards. The kids' deck features familiar Guess words and only 2 forbidden words
THE GAME OF FORBIDDEN WORDS: Includes over 1, 000 Guess words on 260 cards; get teammates to say the Guess word on the card without saying the forbidden words
INCLUDES A SQUEAKER: Oops Say a forbidden word shown on the card and opponents will squeak the squeaker and the other team gets the point
FUN, FAST-PACED GAME: Race against the included one-minute timer in this fun and fast-paced family game

These games are a great way to get ready for what our goal is…

Drawing Conclusions While Reading

By the time your child gets to reading full-length books, they have had lots of practice drawing conclusions. However, they may need some help connecting that process to a full-length book. Read alouds , once again, are a great way to support them through this process.

Start by wondering some questions while looking at the cover of the book and then make some predictions as you start to read. Look for clues along the way to see if your predictions were correct or if you need to revise them as you go. You may need to go look at the cover again or reread an earlier passage as you revise your predictions. You may elaborate on your predictions, tweak them, or throw them out all together and come up with new ones.

As always, if your children are having trouble coming up with ideas on their own, model your thinking out loud. Use words like search , clues , predict , and conclude . Show your children how you are bringing in background knowledge to help you make your predictions.

Here are some sentence starters you can model and then prompt your children with:

I wonder…
An answer might be…
I think this book will be about…
I predict…
I think next _____________ will happen.
My guess is… (Using the word ‘guess’ keeps the pressure down.)
I think that because…
Ooh, this is a surprise… (For when you need to revise your predictions.)
My conclusion is…

Remember to always praise any thinking your children do even if you think it is way off base. This will keep them thinking and offering ideas! And remember to use these same strategies to help you figure out unknown words and to fill in some details in the movies you are making in your minds.

If you feel your child needs some more intentional practice with drawing conclusions, check out the Inference Jones series of workbooks from the Critical Thinking Co.

Robert E. Owen (Author)
48 Pages - 05/25/2024 (Publication Date) - The Critical Thinking (Publisher)

As you can see, each of the strategies we have talked about in this series connect to each other. To keep it simple, it is best to pick one strategy to focus on for a week or two. Once you feel comfortable using it during a read aloud, add in another strategy for a week or two and think about how you can connect them together. If you start to feel that you have too many things to focus on while reading, back off on some of them and practice just one or two strategies until they become a natural part of the reading process.

Next week, we will cover the reading comprehension strategy of determining what is important. This is another higher level skill that is necessary to reading informative texts and is critical to learning. So make sure to come back next week for some concrete strategies.

If you enjoyed this post then you may be interested in reading 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It!

Zimmermann, Susan (Author)
224 Pages - 07/22/2003 (Publication Date) - Harmony (Publisher)

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What we know about the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Raisi

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has assumed the duties of president and will hold an election within 50 days.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, 63, was confirmed dead Monday in what has been described as a “ technical failure ” more than 12 hours after reports first emerged Sunday that his helicopter had gone missing in the country’s northwest.

The Iran helicopter crash

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber quickly assumed the duties of president Monday, according to a statement from Iran’s Guardian Council that aired on state media. Iran’s cabinet also appointed Ali Bagheri Kani, previously the top nuclear negotiator, as the country’s acting foreign minister.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also killed in the crash that killed Raisi, along with seven other people.

“The Iranian nation shouldn’t be worried. There will be no disruption to the operations of the country,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, according to the report.

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How ‘The Good Doctor’ Series Finale Handled the Death of [SPOILER] — and Took Shape After a ‘Downsized’ Season 7

By Jim Halterman

Jim Halterman

‘Young Sheldon’ Series Finale Breakdown: Why Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik Became a Bigger Part of the Ending, Reba’s Return and When the Spinoff Will Pick Up 1 week ago
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THE GOOD DOCTOR - “Goodbye” - As the doctors consider their futures, they work together to solve one of the most important cases of their careers. TUESDAY, MAY 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Jeff Weddell)
WAVYY JONEZ, WILL YUN LEE, FREDDIE HIGHMORE, BRIA SAMONÉ HENDERSON

Spoiler Alert: The following interview discusses events from “ The Good Doctor ” series finale “Goodbye,” streaming on Hulu as of May 22.

If you’re looking for the right prescription for a solid series finale consisting of high emotional stakes, happy and sad tearful moments followed by a big dose of hope, then “The Good Doctor” delivered on all of those elements in Tuesday’s series finale, which wrapped up seven seasons on ABC.

Popular on Variety

Shore and executive producer Liz Friedman helped us dissect the show’s last episode, including how the shortened 10-episode final season impacted its conclusion, why Claire was the past cast member they chose to bring back and how they handled the death of Glassman in the episode — while keeping an upbeat end.

Once you found out the show would be ending after Season 7, did it change the end point you had been thinking about, or did you know this was coming so had time to plan?

Were there any adjustments you needed to do just because of the writers strike, with fewer episodes for the season?

Friedman: No, that was not in the planning. I mean, part of going through the writers strike was a repeated calculation of how many episodes we could do if it ended next week. And it was hard, honestly, because even when we came back, we had the ability to do 15 [episodes]. ABC initially said, no, we only want 13 and then that number got reduced to 10. But we figured it out, and downsized our story to make it work for that many episodes.

Did either of you go back and watch the pilot in preparation for this final episode?

David Shore : Yeah, we did. Liz watched right away, and told me I should watch it, too. I was going to watch it anyways, but she just said, “Yeah, it’s really good.”

Friedman : We had also watched it for when we did “The Good Lawyer” spinoff [last year]. There are definitely moments that refer back to [the pilot]. Honestly, it was a bit of an accident, but we came up with the story, and then I took a look at the Season 1 finale, which was really about Shaun learning that Glassman had cancer. And those two stories speak to each other quite a bit in a way that really pleases me. It really gives a very good measure of Shaun’s progress over the course of these seven years.

How much did Freddie Highmore weigh in on the finale and how things wrapped up? Was he involved with a lot of the choices?

Friedman: Freddie’s great in that. Over the past few years, I talked to him as I get the next section of stories and I talk him through what’s coming, and he’s a writer’s dream audience. He says, “Oh, that sounds good,” and then he throws in a, “Oh, that sort of reminds me of this…” He’s such a dream to work with. We would go through every script with him, and he asks us about any things he wants to change. And almost every change he wants to make makes the script better.

As a viewer, the show’s true love story is Shaun and Glassman, especially with how that relationship has unfolded and where it ends up in at the end of Season 7. Has that always been in the forefront of your minds, as well?

Shore : Certainly that relationship has been absolutely essential to the show from day one, and it was the one constant to the show throughout, adding to the sadness at the end. But it’s very much a father-son relationship, and we were aware of that right from the beginning and we wanted to play that out to the end. The role of a father and handing that off, and getting your child ready for the world.

Let’s talk about the finale with this conundrum that Shaun is in with the lives of both Glassman and Claire at precarious points. Can you talk about crafting that story?

The Glassman story that we were going to have his cancer come back had been brewing for a while. What ended up working out really nicely was to be able to have the finale and have the two patients be characters that were a key part of our cast. That really allowed us to just keep the focus on what the audience wants, rather than trying to introduce an outside patient.

There are a lot of people from the show’s past that you could have brought back. Did you consider bringing some other people back, and how did you settle on Claire?

Friedman: There had been talk about bringing another character back that wasn’t possible, and that really sort of set up that it should be clear and we should really focus on Claire. Although, Perez [Brandon Larracuente] does make an appearance at the end.

Shore: But we didn’t want it to just be somebody coming in for a cameo and saying goodbye. We wanted to bring them back and utilize them properly.

It was a nice twist that Glassman steps in to do this unapproved procedure to save Claire so Shaun wouldn’t have to jeopardize his career. But would you say he’s saving Shaun one more time, or is he thanking Shaun for everything he’s done for him? I kept going back and forth on that.

Friedman : How did you see it, David?

Shore : He’s doing one last gesture for Shaun. Shaun cannot give up being a doctor. Shaun deserves to be a doctor. We wanted Shaun to be ready to fully sacrifice himself and we wanted Glassman to recognize, ‘no, I have to sacrifice myself for Shaun.’

How about you, Liz?

Friedman : Yeah, much the same. I think it’s definitely a mitzvah because what Shaun has accomplished is quite amazing and Glassman has been a key part of that. So this was really a sacrifice that allows Shaun to keep utilizing a pretty miraculous gift that he has in terms of his ability as a doctor.

Shore : I should add that, speaking of thanks, there was more dialogue in that scene at one point and it all worked very nicely, but in editing it all just got boiled down to the thank you. Shaun has so much to thank Glassman for, and they’ve reached a point that they had trouble reaching where Shaun is no longer fighting against Glassman. He’s just accepting Glassman.

Friedman : You can tell that David has moved into director mode, because he’s advocating for less words, but I totally agree. In fact, I was the one who said, “I think we should just make it that — that’s all we have to say.”

Was there ever a scenario when you thought you might have more episodes or more time and would actually see Glassman die and you could do the funeral? Or was that never something you wanted to touch?

Friedman : In a different scenario where there are more seasons of the show? Yeah, I would say that’s distinctly a possibility.

Shaun in the future giving a TED Talk was a great way to start seeing where he and everyone else end up. How did that scenario come to the episode?

Shore : I don’t know where it started from, but I know it wasn’t me. I just heard about it. That’s a good idea.

Friedman : I actually think it came out of when Freddie and I were talking at one point. It was before they had decided that it was going to end at 10 [episodes], but it had started to form in our minds of what would the ending be? And Freddie talked about Shaun standing up and giving a speech and he talked about it in the context of it being a nod to the pilot, that there’s that whole great section in in the boardroom. Glassman gives this great speech, and ultimately Shaun gives his great speech.

From that, I was thinking about speeches and trying to think about a context that suggested where Shaun had landed [in the future] and then I said, “Oh, OK, it’s a TED talk.” What I think is interesting is then independently, David came up with the idea of Shaun going back to the room where he did, in fact, that speech in the pilot, so that all the roads kept connecting to the beginning.

The names that are scrolling as Shaun is giving the TED talk, were those actual patient names from the show, or was there another significance to those names?

Shore: Actual patient names from scripts past. We did 126 episodes, so there’s a theoretically 1500 names on that list.

Friedman: And the first name that comes up, Adam, that’s the boy Shaun saved in the pilot.

In the last moments, after the TED talk and the entire cast has gathered and embracing, was that the last scene you shot for the show?

Shore : I wish it had been, in some ways, but we would have never gotten through the day. So scheduling stuff prevented that, but we were well aware of it as we were shooting it, and it was a rough time in that regard anyways. But it was lovely. It was actually really nice.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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8 biggest ways one piece is netflix’s perfect cobra kai replacement.

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Cobra Kai Season 6 Just Teased A Redemption Story For The Last Character We Thought Would Ever Change

Netflix's one piece can't wait until season 4 to mention this pivotal character, reacher season 3 set image reveals first look at paulie.

One Piece live-action can be Netflix's next big action series following the conclusion of Cobra Kai.
Both series have themes of passing the torch to the next generation within captivating storylines and fun adventures.
One Piece showcases compelling characters and themes of friendship and rivalries, akin to Cobra Kai.

Cobra Kai is ending with season 6, and One Piece live-action is surprisingly the perfect replacement for Netflix’s Karate Kid legacy series. After five seasons of rivalries and tournaments, Cobra Kai season 6 feels like a natural conclusion to the show. There cannot be higher stakes than a global karate competition, not to mention how all characters are now fighting for the same side. Cobra Kai ’s final season will be released on a three-part event model, with the final part releasing in 2025.

Cobra Kai is ending on a high note, which does not mean the show will not be missed. Fortunately, One Piece season 2 , whose release date has yet to be announced, could confirm that the live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s hugely popular manga is Netflix’s next big action series. Cobra Kai and One Piece may feel like very different shows at first, but on a closer look, the live-action anime adaptation has the potential to be as big as the Karate Kid sequel show – if not bigger.

8 One Piece Is Based On A Major IP (Like Cobra Kai Was)

Cobra kai rebooted karate kid; one piece live-action expanded its franchise.

Both One Piece and Cobra Kai can be considered adaptations of a pre-existent IP, although the former is a live-action remake of a story, whereas the latter is a legacy sequel to the Karate Kid movies. The Karate Kid franchise has been around longer than One Piece , but it must be noted that One Piece has been releasing manga chapters and anime episodes non-stop since 1997. Regardless, the fact is that both Cobra Kai and Netflix’s One Piece are part of larger franchises that have been around for decades.

One Piece season 2 will cover the Arabasta saga.

Even though audiences always crave something new, it cannot be denied that major IPs still make for most of the most successful movies and TV shows available across all streaming platforms. Shows like Wednesday , House of the Dragon , The Boys , and Invincible prove that, when handled correctly, established properties can be adapted into highly successful shows for streaming. Cobra Kai honored the legacy of The Karate Kid , just like One Piece live-action has so far lived up to the expectations raised by the quality of its source material.

7 One Piece Is About The Next Generation Stepping Up (Just Like Cobra Kai)

The old guard is passing the torch in both one piece and cobra kai.

Although One Piece is not a legacy sequel to anything, its story is about the new generation of pirates stepping up in a world that is now very different following the death of Gold Roger. One Piece ’s main story may start with Luffy setting sail to become King of the Pirates, but the world of One Piece begins way before that. For every One Piece character viewers follow in the present day, there are dozens of pirates and marines who came before them and whose stories directly affect what is currently happening.

Cobra Kai season 6, Part 1 premiers July 18, 2024.

The same thing can be said about Cobra Kai , whose storylines are mostly tied to the events of the first three Karate Kid movies . From Daniel and Johnny’s fight at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament to Terry Silver helping John Kreese take revenge on Mr. Miyagi, everything that happened in the first three Karate Kid films impacts Cobra Kai in some way . Johnny and Daniel may be the nostalgic leads of Cobra Kai , but the show’s heart and soul lie in the young characters. Cobra Kai was primarily about names like Miguel, Sam, Robby, and Tory.

6 One Piece Is All About The Adventure (Like Karate Kid & Cobra Kai)

One piece and cobra kai are about following your dreams.

One of the biggest similarities between Cobra Kai and Netflix’s One Piece is the sense of wonder and adventure that exists in both shows. Cobra Kai may be set in a “realistic world” compared to One Piece , but the Karate Kid sequel series almost feels like it takes place in a fantastical universe that could be found in a comic book or an anime series. Cobra Kai asks viewers to have a certain level of suspension of belief, which makes the show even better. Conflicts are settled in tournaments, and rivalries forge friendships.

Adventure and freedom, both of which are important themes in Cobra Kai , also define One Piece ’s story. Those who enjoyed Cobra Kai will likely enjoy following Luffy’s journey , as the Straw Hat pirates face similar dilemmas and have to deal with similar challenges to those encountered by Cobra Kai ’s characters. Of course, a world of pirates and giants is radically different from The Valley. Still, the idea of young characters taking on stronger opponents to become better versions of themselves works for both One Piece live-action and Cobra Kai .

5 One Piece Has Plenty Of Compelling Characters (So Does Cobra Kai)

Cobra kai and one piece are full of popular, fan-favorite characters.

Cobra Kai may have started as the story of Johnny and Miguel, but it has since grown into an ensemble that combines original characters with returning Karate Kid names. Between all the different dojos and students, Cobra Kai season 5 had an extensive list of characters, all of whom were interesting in their own way. All of the Cobra Kai characters, from heroes to villains, have been given meaningful backstories and compelling arcs within the first five seasons. This is part of the reason why the show has become so successful for Netflix.

There are plenty of fan-favorite Cobra Kai characters who have their own legion of fans, just like there are multiple One Piece characters who can steal the show in upcoming seasons. In addition to the original Straw Hat pirates, all of whom have already made quite the first impression in season 1, Netflix’s One Piece is expected to include a lot of other names from the manga. For example, One Piece season 2 will introduce Chopper and Nico Robin . There’s no shortage of options for characters for new One Piece fans to fall in love with.

4 Cobra Kai Always Felt Like Live-Action Shonen Anime

Cobra kai uses many anime tropes.

Cobra Kai strangely feels like it is a live-action shonen anime sometimes, even though it is obviously not based on any manga or anime. From the pacing of the series to how important friendship and rivalries are, Cobra Kai has indirectly incorporated some of the most famous anime tropes in a fun way . Even the classic “power-up flashbacks,” during which the main character remembers something important before finding the strength they need to defeat the bad guy, can be found in Cobra Kai .

Cobra Kai ’s anime similarities mean that there couldn’t be a better follow-up to it on Netflix than an actual anime adaptation. The biggest difference between One Piece and previous Netflix anime adaptations is that the former was not ashamed of its source material. One Piece embraced all the silliness and humor of the anime , just like Cobra Kai was never afraid of being a “karate soap opera” based on a franchise from the 1980s.

3 One Piece Talks About Friendships & Rivalries (Just Like Cobra Kai)

Friendships come first in one piece and cobra kai.

Much of One Piece has to do with friendship, some of which are born from rivalries, and vice versa. There is nothing Luffy values more in than world than his friends, which Netflix’s One Piece nailed. The bond between the Straw Hat pirates is more important to the story than the search for the One Piece , even though they don’t always agree with each other and even come at odds sometimes. For example, if Netflix’s One Piece gets to season 4, it will likely cover the tragic fight between Luffy and Usopp.

A character who had little hope of redemption could wind up joining Johnny and Daniel's dojo, if a tease for Cobra Kai season 6 is to be believed.

Cobra Kai is also about friendships and rivalries, though the latter has dominated the show’s first five seasons. It was only at the end of Cobra Kai season 5 that most of the show's rivalries were settled, paving the way for everyone to come together ahead of the Sekai Taikai in Cobra Kai ’s final season . Still, friendships are very important in Cobra Kai as well. Characters like Miguel, Eli, and Demitri have been friends since the beginning of the show, and although mistakes were made, their bonds remained.

2 Fights Make Up For Most Of One Piece (Just Like In Cobra Kai)

Problems are solved with fights in cobra kai and one piece.

One Piece is more than just fights, but it cannot be denied that most storylines usually come down to a physical conflict between Luffy and his enemies. Luffy will fight anyone at any time if it means protecting his friends and their dreams , which is why One Piece ’s fight scenes are always great. Netflix’s live-action One Piece fight sequences were not as impactful as the ones from the anime, but there is room for the series to improve its battles in future seasons.

Cobra Kai ’s very premise means it is an action-packed show where everything is settled on the mat or a street fight. The Cobra Kai characters are always fighting, regardless if it is for points in a tournament or for personal reasons. Either way, for those who got used to Cobra Kai ’s fun action, One Piece is the perfect replacement. The live-action series combines practical stunts – including but not limited to sword work – with VFX-heavy sequences that bring One Piece ’s Devil Fruit powers to life.

1 One Piece Can Be One Of Netflix’s Flagship Titles For Several Years

One piece live-action can run for several years.

Cobra Kai moved to Netflix ahead of season 3 and quickly became one of the streamer’s flagship titles. The fact that Cobra Kai season 6 will be split into three parts and will have 15 episodes in total shows how much confidence Netflix has in the series, which has been among the platform’s most-watched titles for more than three years now. Although it is still soon to say how big One Piece live-action will be for Netflix in the long run , the series could become one of the streamer’s main titles for several years.

The huge importance of this One Piece character means Netflix's show must mention them in season 2, even though it shouldn't happen until season 4.

Not many TV shows, not even Cobra Kai , can organically continue for over a dozen seasons, but One Piece does. With over 1000 manga chapters left to be covered and counting, One Piece can arguably continue for as long as Netflix wants. There is virtually unlimited potential for the live-action series, which can cover dozens of arcs at any rhythm depending on how long it continues to air. If One Piece season 2 is as well received as the first one, Netflix will have found a guaranteed hit that has decades-worth of stories ready to be brought to the screen.

Stream One Piece on Netflix

Stream Cobra Kai on Netflix

Set decades after the events of the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai shifts gears and puts viewers into the perspective of a former rival/antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. In his 50s and down on his luck, a chance encounter with a bullied young man leads Johnny back to Karate. Agreeing to help him, Johnny takes the opportunity to revive his former home, the Cobra Kai dojo - becoming a refuge for outcast teens.

One Piece (Live-Action)

Based on the popular manga/anime series, One Piece is a live-action Netflix adaptation of the story from Eiichiro Oda. The show follows the exploits of a band of pirates, the Straw Hats, led by the energetic and adventure-loving Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy is a young man cursed with strange powers after accidentally eating a mysterious fruit. With his friends Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji, Luffy will head across the vast ocean to find the legendary treasure, the One Piece.

Post Office Inquiry latest: Paula Vennells told she is talking 'absolute rubbish' after breaking down in tears

Paula Vennells has finished giving evidence on her final day of questioning. The ex-Post Office boss broke down in tears after being told she was "talking rubbish". She was also accused of being in "la la land" and told an answer was "humbug". Scroll down to see how the day unfolded.

Friday 24 May 2024 17:00, UK

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Paula Vennells has faced the final day of questioning at the inquiry into the Post Office scandal
Watch: Teary Vennells told she is talking 'absolute rubbish'
Adele Robinson analysis: Little sympathy for Vennells's tears
Audience scoffs as email about One Show episode shown
Vennells told 'that's humbug' as lawyer turns up heat
'I have earned my keep': Vennells's email to board chair revealed
Watch: Lawyer's opening grilling
The inquiry explained: Who is Paula Vennells? | What is the Post Office scandal?
Live reporting by Emily Mee and Jess Sharp

Sky News business correspondent Paul Kelso said that today was the opportunity for the lawyers and the barristers acting for the sub-postmasters to ask the questions that they have been wanting to put to Paula Vennells for years.

"She was in the stand for three hours this morning, and it was pretty bruising," Kelso said.

"This was an opportunity for Paula Vennells to explain herself, and it was put to her that she has been self-serving and acting in her own interests.

"She was told her witness statement, more than 750 pages, was there to construct her case rather than honestly own up to her failings."

He added that she was questioned closely about a period in 2013 when she became aware of the inescapable fact of this case, that the horizon system was flawed.

"We had the remarkable admission that she had actually taken the Horizon system out of the prospectus at the time of the floatation of Royal Mail Group. She says that was innocent, it was just not relevant to put in that document," Kelso said

"There is a danger that could have misled shareholders, and there is a full email trail showing how she acted.

"That's not always the case here, very often her defence has been that although information was known within the Post Office, she didn't know about it, others knew and didn't pass it on.

"'Too trusting' was the description of herself on the opening day, whether that is true or not the inquiry will have to decide," Kelso added.

As Ms Vennells left the building, she declined to answer any questions from the press.

The inquiry has concluded its questioning of former Post Office boss Paula Vennells.

Ms Vennells was at the helm of the Post Office between 2012 and 2019, and has faced heavy criticism for her handling of the Horizon scandal.

She became teary during today's questioning after being told she had "failed" in her role.

"You failed to get into this, on your account. You failed to ask the right questions. You couldn't be bothered, could you, Ms Vennells? The risk was too great," lawyer Sam Stein KC told her.

Ms Vennells said she "loved the Post Office" in response, but was heckled by someone in the public gallery and broke down in tears.

There were also audible scoffs as an email was read out from Ms Vennells, where she said a wrongly convicted former sub-postmistress "lacked passion and admitted to false accounting on TV".

Another email was shown where Ms Vennells told board chair Alice Perkins she had earned her keep.

The inquiry had just heard that Ms Vennells removed a line from a Royal Mail prospectus about the Post Office's IT system.

Jo Hamilton has said she doubts the sincerity of Paula Vennells's apology to her this afternoon.

The former Post Office boss apologised directly to Ms Hamilton after the inquiry was shown an email in which she said the sub-postmistress "lacked passion and admitted false accounting on TV".

After the hearing, Ms Hamilton said: "I accept anyone's apology but whether she means it or not is another matter. I'm not sure."

Ms Hamilton is a wrongly convicted former sub-postmistress who was prosecuted for a shortfall of £36,000 in 2006.

Asked if it meant something to hear Ms Vennells apologise, she said: "Not really, no. I think people only say sorry, well some people say sorry and mean it, but I don't know whether it was meant or not.

"I'm in two minds as to whether it was genuine or that she was so publicly ashamed."

Keith Bell is one of the hundreds of wrongly convicted sub-postmasters.

He spent more than 20 years believing he was at fault for the shortfalls which occurred at his branch in Stockton-on-Tees.

He believed he was to blame and ended up admitting to a charge of false accounting over a shortfall of £3,000 in 2002 and was handed a sentence of 200 hours' community service.

During the break, he spoke to Sky News about the trouble he faced.

He said he couldn't understand it at the time, and then he realised that the shortfalls were not his fault.

He has been listening in to Paula Vennells's evidence to the inquiry, and said he was "disappointed" by her responses.

"She's had the opportunity to truthfully answer the questions. The facts were there, she can't deny them," he added.

"It was her job to understand and to act on the facts and not go down the route she decided to take."

He said those affected wouldn't have reached where they are today without the work of Alan Bates and the support of the public.

After seeing the Mr Bates vs The Post Office TV series, Mr Bell said he "couldn't not get involved".

"It was compelling. I had to do something about it," he added.

"It's just been a huge part of what my life has been about."

That's it for Paula Vennells's testimony.

The former Post Office boss has been taking questions for three days, at times becoming emotional.

She repeatedly said she couldn't recall details over the days of questioning.

There are audible scoffs from the audience as lawyer Tim Maloney reads out an email sent by Paula Vennells in 2014.

She sent it to several Post Office officials, and included a jab at Jo Hamilton - a wrongly convicted former sub-postmaster who was prosecuted for a shortfall of £36,000 in 2006.

"Jo Hamilton lacked passion and admitted to false accounting on TV," the email reads.

You can read it in full below...

"I regret everything I said," Ms Vennells tells the inquiry.

Addressing Ms Hamilton, she adds: "I am deeply sorry that I was so rude to you in that email."

Mr Maloney suggests her remarks in the email were "triumphalist".

"Oh I completely agree, I completely agree," Ms Vennells replies.

"I have no excuse for what I wrote."

Mr Maloney asks her: "Did the mask slip in this email Ms Vennells?"

"I made a mistake in this email," she replies.

The inquiry is now shown an extract of a statement from the Post Office's former communications director Mark Davies.

"Damaging publicity" about the Post Office had begun emerging in 2014, lawyer Tim Maloney says.

In a live radio interview with the BBC's Today programme, Mr Davies had said the sub-postmasters - some of whom had been jailed - were facing "lifestyle difficulties".

He said in his statement his wording was "clumsy and unintended" but his intention was to show the Post Office was "sorry genuinely that people had faced challenges in their lives" but that it wasn't necessarily responsible.

Asked about the incident, Paula Vennells says she remembers listening to and thinking "oh Mark".

She says she doesn't think Mr Davies intended those words to be used.

Mr Maloney points out that at the time of the interview, a 47-year-old mother-of-two had served 18 months in prison, while another sub-postmaster spent his 60th birthday behind bars.

The lawyer says these people were "subject to public censure and humilitation".

"You've had a taste of that, haven't you, in recent times? And it's not very nice, is it?" he says.

The inquiry is being shown a document entitled "Paula Vennells: Review of achievements against 2013/14 personal achievements".

One of the sections of the document is about her key achievements related to external relationships.

You can see it below...

Lawyer Tim Maloney picks out the highlighted section above specifically, which refers to Ms Vennells's work to remove a section about the Horizon IT system from the Royal Mail prospectus in 2013.

"Although it is something you can't remember, it was a key achievement for you in that year," Mr Maloney puts to her.

"You were proud that you had intervened to change the prospectus wording."

She replies by saying that in "hindsight" she realised removing its mention was the "wrong conclusion because there were issues with the system".

Mr Maloney explains that concerns about the Post Office IT system were listed under the "risk section" of the prospectus.

"It was in the risk section… and that was why it had to go, wasn't it? Because that was very damaging to Post Office?" he says.

Ms Vennells replies: "It would have been, and as I explained this morning, it would have been wrong for that to have been taken and misrepresented in some way, because at this time, the Post Office believed that the Horizon system was working."

After a lunch break, Tim Maloney is next to question Paula Vennells.

He's showing the inquiry emails from Ms Vennells from 2011.

In this email, sent in October, Ms Vennells accidentally sends an email to Mike Young - which has a subject line of "legally privileged and confidential" - instead of former chief information officer Lesley Sewell.

Mr Maloney says Ms Vennells then "rewinds" in her next email.

"Did you rewind in that way because Mike Young wouldn't take that sort of aggressive arguably domineering tone from you?" asks Mr Maloney.

"No, I don't think so," Ms Vennells says.

The lawyer presses: "And was it a case of you having, as it were, let the mask slip with that particular email?"

"No," she replies.

We'll be back with more updates from 2pm.

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Sony a9 III in-depth review

Product photos: Richard Butler

The Sony a9 III is the company's latest high-speed pro sports camera. It features a Stacked CMOS sensor capable of shooting at 120 fps and able to capture all its pixels' data simultaneously: the long hoped-for 'global' shutter.

Key features

24MP global shutter Stacked CMOS sensor
High speed shooting up to 120 fps
Pre-burst capture of up to 1 sec before the shutter is fully pressed
Shutter speeds up to 1/80,000 with flash sync across the full range
9.44M dot (2048 x 1536px) OLED viewfinder with 0.9x magnification
2.0M dot rear LCD with tilting cradle on a fully articulated hinge

The a9 III is available now at a recommended price of $6000. This is a $1500 increase over the previous iteration from 2019. A matching VG-C5 battery grip that provides space for two batteries is available for an additional $398.

How it compares

Body & handling

Image quality

Autofocus and action photography, sample galleries.

Specifications

Global shutter sensor

The big news with the a9 III is the move to a sensor that offers a global electronic shutter: ending the exposure for all its pixels simultaneously so that there's no lag or rolling shutter effect. Such sensors have existed before (some CCD chips, for instance), but this is the first one to use a full-frame sensor in a modern mirrorless camera to deliver the full potential benefits.

The sensor delivers the camera's two main selling points: the global shutter, which extends what the camera can offer in three specific areas , and sheer speed. As well as having no motion distortion from its capture, the a9 III is able to shoot at up to 120 frames per second.

Its fast readout also allows incredibly high speed capture, with shutter speeds that extend to 1/80,000 sec. The global readout also means it can sync with flashes all the way up to its maximum shutter speed (though the power of the flash will be reduced at the very shortest exposures and may require the timing of the flash trigger signal to be fine-tuned so that the exposure syncs with the brightest point of the flash output).

There are downsides to the sensor, though: the global shutter design works by using what is effectively a second photodiode within each pixel to act as a buffer: holding the charge generated by the exposure so it can all be read out later. This reduces the effective size of the photodiode used to capture the image, reducing the amount of charge each pixel can hold before it becomes full.

This reduced capacity for charge means the pixel becomes saturated sooner, so it can tolerate less light before clipping. In turn, this means it needs to be given less exposure, which is reflected in the base ISO of 250, 1.3EV higher than typical. Giving a sensor less light instantly reduces the image quality, because light itself is noisy , and this noise is more visible, the less light you capture.

120fps shooting

The super-fast sensor readout allows the a9 III to deliver a faster shooting rate than we've ever seen from a sensor this large. Whereas the previous generation of Stacked CMOS sensors with progressive readout would shoot at up to 30 frames per second, the a9 III quadruples this to 120. Sony has published a list of its lenses that can operate at this full speed.

It's a reasonable question to consider how often even the most demanding sports photographers will need to shoot at 120 frames per second, and how much more sorting and selecting work will be created by generating so many additional files.

You can lower the burst rate to whatever makes the most sense for your specific subject, but there's also an option to temporarily jump back to a faster rate when you hold a button down, meaning you could shoot at, say, 30 fps in the buildup to what you expect to be the critical moment, then press a custom button to give a faster, more concentrated burst around the moment of interest itself.

Interestingly, the a9 III continues to use Sony's preferred CFexpress Type A cards, which have half the read/write channels of the larger Type B format. This means the a9 III has to depend that bit more heavily on its internal buffer. It has the capacity to shoot 196 uncompressed 14-bit Raw files in a burst, allowing 1.6 seconds of capture at its fastest rate. This is nearly 10GB of data, which gives some idea of the size of the camera's buffer but also of how quickly you'd fill up your cards if you shot at full tilt in Raw.

Pre-capture

The a9 III becomes the first Sony to have a pre-capture feature: starting to buffer images when you half-press the shutter button or hold the AF-On button, then retaining up to one second's worth of images when you fully press the shutter. You can reduce the time period to as little as 1/200 sec if you're really confident in your ability to anticipate the crucial moment, but the pre-buffer time isn't affected by your choice of shooting rate.

Dedicated 'AI' processor

The a9 III gains the 'AI' processor that Sony first introduced in the a7R V. This does not add any 'intelligence' or learning in and of itself, but is designed to process the complex subject algorithms created by machine learning for functions such as subject recognition. This should boost the camera's subject recognition performance compared to previous generations of cameras, such as the a1, making the tracking more responsive and more robust.

8EV image stabilization

The a9 III also gains the latest image stabilization processing algorithms, helping it deliver performance that's rated at up to 8.0EV of correction, using the CIPA standard methodology. This is an appreciable increase over the 5.5EV offered by previous generations of cameras. Unlike Canon's system, this doesn't depend on synchronized use of in-body and in-lens IS mechanisms, so users should see an increase in correction performance over a wide range of lenses, though the peak correction may not be quite so well maintained at extremely long and short focal lengths.

C2PA authentication

Although not present at launch, Sony says it plans to add C2PA authentication to the a9 III. This is a cryptographic metadata standard developed by a range of software makers, camera makers and large media organizations that will provide a secure record of the file's provenance and edit history, allowing media organizations to know that the images they are receiving can be traced back to a specific camera and haven't been inappropriately manipulated.

With its high shooting speed and pro-friendly features, the a9 III's closest competitors are the pro sports bodies from Canon and Nikon, as well as Sony's own a1. This is an exclusive group, not only in the sense of commanding a significant price but also in that they have professional support networks established to ensure working pros have the most possible 'up' time. While other cameras promise fast shooting and capable autofocus, these are the models that the most demanding professionals rely on.

*Viewfinder res and display size are reduced **AF and AE locked, in bursts of up to 50 images. ***Whole stop increments only between 1/16,000 and 1/64,000

The a9 III stands out, even from the other manufacturer's pro-grade cameras, in offering 120 fps shooting as a standard mode, with full AF and Raw capture, whereas Canon's R3 locks AF and AE at the first exposure (rarely ideal for the kinds of action shooting that require high speed bursts) and the Nikon outputs significantly reduced resolution JPEGs.

Like the EOS R3, the a9 III opts for speed over resolution, meaning it can't deliver the 8K footage that the a1 and Z9 can. Also, any users hoping for Raw video will need to buy an external recorder, rather than being able to capture this in-camera, as you can on the Canon and Nikon.

The biggest apparent shortcoming is the relatively low battery life of the a9 III, as it's a single grip camera and hence lacks the space for the larger batteries included in the Canon and Nikon. Adding the BG-C5 battery grip adds space for a second battery, as well as providing duplicate portrait orientation controls.

Body and handling

Although the company's a7, a9 and a1 models all look similar, each generation has seen the control layout reworked and details such as the handgrip tweaked. The a9 III sees a larger than typical re-working of Sony's ergonomics.

The grip is a little deeper, with a more prominent dent for the middle finger to rest in, but more significantly, the shutter button is placed on a surface that angles forward rather than sitting in the same plane as the camera's top plate. This means you don't have to rotate your hand or stretch your finger quite so far to reach the shutter. In turn, the custom buttons on the camera's top plate have been extended upwards so that they're still accessible from this less stretched position.

It's a relatively small adjustment but enough that you'll notice it after several hours of shooting. Given the a9 III's target audience, it's hard not to make assumptions that this change has been made in response to Sony's tie-up with the Associated Press, giving the company more feedback from a large pool of working pros.

Beyond this, the body is pretty familiar from the previous generation of cameras, with most of the control points and custom buttons existing in the same places. The main exception to this is that the a9 III gains a fifth custom button, on its front panel. By default, this is used for the 'speed boost' function, but this can be modified.

The a9 III has the same 9.44M dot (2048 x 1536px) OLED viewfinder that first appeared in the Sony a1. The optics in front of the panel give an impressive 0.9x magnification, meaning it's very large to look at, and the fast sensor means its full resolution is used even when refreshing at 120fps. There's a 240fps mode if you need an even more frequent update of what's going on in the scene, but this runs at a reduced resolution. The viewfinder shows no blackout at all when shooting images.

The rear screen is a 2M dot panel that's arranged on a tilting cradle that is itself hinged at the side, providing a wide range of movement and adjustment.

The a9 III uses the same NP-FZ100 battery as all the most recent full-frame cameras have. It's a well-sized 16.4Wh unit that powers the camera to a rating of 530 shots per charge, using the rear LCD according to CIPA standard tests. This drops to 400 shots per charge if you use the viewfinder. These are strong numbers compared to most cameras but some way behind those of its pro sports peers, which typically have a twin-grip body with space for a much larger battery.

Battery life can be increased significantly through the addition of the optional VG-C5 vertical grip. This adds the space for a second FZ100 and more than doubles the battery life, as Sony has developed a system for treating the two batteries as a single large power source.

It's also worth noting that the CIPA standard tests are even less reflective of the behavior of pro sports cameras than they are elsewhere. Bursts of images use much less power than the individual shoot-and-review process that standard testing assumes. As such, a rating of 400 shots per charge for a camera that shoots at 120 frames per second should not be taken to mean that the battery will only last for 3.3 seconds of holding the shutter down. This is nowhere close to being true.

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

We've looked at the a9 III's image quality and have found that its performance is up to a stop behind those of contemporary full-frame cameras. Essentially the halving of the photodiode size halves the amount of light the sensor can tolerate. This raises the base ISO, limiting the maximum image quality the camera can deliver (ie: comparing base ISO to base ISO).

The added complexity of the sensor's design also means that it isn't able to offer a second low-noise readout path as has become common in dual conversion gain sensors that dominate the market. This sees up to a stop noise penalty, relative to its full-frame peers.

So, while the a9 III's sensor tech may not make as much sense in other cameras, for the high-speed users it's designed for, these aren't necessarily a significant drawback.

Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance

By Carey Rose

Being Sony's most sports-focused flagship, it should come as no surprise that the a9 Mark III comes with outstanding autofocus performance across almost any situation you might think to put it in. Of course, no camera can fully substitute for a photographer's given experience and skill, but the a9 III gives you a high chance of success for your action-photography endeavors. It certainly netted this photographer plenty of keepers, under varieties of bright, dim, natural and artificial light.

If you've used any of Sony's recent camera bodies, the a9 III's autofocus interface will be familiar. You get a standard array of autofocus areas, as well as 'Tracking' equivalents of most of them. While you can certainly choose a static AF area and manually follow your subjects yourself with a very high hit-rate, much of the technology in the a9 III is designed to support its own tracking and subject recognition algorithms, so that's principally what we put to the test.

Autofocus setup

For general reportage and lifestyle shooting, I tended to keep the a9 III in one of its 'Flexible Spot: Tracking' modes, which works impressively well. In essence, you can choose your starting AF area size (small, medium or large), and then place that area over your intended subject and initiate tracking with the shutter or AF-On button.

This tracking sticks to your subject tenaciously even if it's not necessarily identifying it as a subject such as a bird or a plane. The a9 III will follow anything around the frame, like a flower, or a portion of someone's clothing, allowing you to experiment with composition while the camera keeps your chosen subject in focus. If you happen to initiate tracking over a person's face, the camera will automatically track their eyes if you have face and eye priority enabled. Use this technique for casual shooting and you'll basically never get an image out of focus (a hallmark of Sony cameras for a couple of generations now).

I found, however, that this wasn't my preferred method of photographing sports and action.

When I tried to work this way with team sports, the camera would often latch onto a player's arm, or portion of their uniform, or really whatever bit of them I could catch in the viewfinder and initiate focus on. And often, their face would be just noticeably outside the plane of focus.

So off I went to the camera's 'Custom' tracking AF areas, and dialed-in a tall, narrow rectangle that I could then move around the frame as I saw fit. I also programmed the camera to alter my AF area when I switched to portrait shooting orientation, so the rectangle would remain vertically oriented regardless of how I was holding the camera. In essence, I made my AF area the rough size and area of a human player or torso in the frame. Finally, I also instructed the camera to prioritize the tracking of human faces and eyes, if it could find them.

What this gave me was the ability to quickly identify which player I wanted the camera to track, after which the camera would reliably and quickly identify the player's eyes or face, and I could focus on following the action.

Another setting I ended up experimenting with that netted me further keepers was slowing the camera's default response to other subjects passing between me and the player I was following. I found it would too quickly jump off to other subjects in its default setting, for the sports I was shooting. I reduced this sensitivity, referred to in the camera as "AF Lvl for Crossing", by one notch and found that to be a sweet spot.

But as stated at the outset, sophisticated tracking algorithms aren't a panacea. The camera did an impressive job in spite of my less-than-perfect technique, but there were situations where I would be acquiring focus as two players overlapped, and the camera might track the unintended player.

Or I'd smash the shutter, attempting to drive focus to the correct point as well as start firing off a burst of shots, just as I spotted a crucial moment happening. The camera would often, amazingly, find correct focus, but I would occasionally get short bursts of out-of-focus images in these rushed scenarios. The blame for this result in these types of edge cases can hardly be laid at the camera's feet, though. You simply need to be realistic with your expectations and consider your own technique and reaction time accordingly. Even with a pricey sports flagship.

Other action photography considerations

Another of the headline features on the a9 III is its 120fps burst shooting mode. While I was reticent to use this swiftest shooting speed that often due to the sheer amount of data it produces, I appreciated the option for a custom button to enable this burst speed only when held.

It works very well in practice and is eminently useful when set up this way; I've found that 10-20fps is my sweet spot for most sports, but for certain moments, I boosted the camera to 120fps and enjoyed having the extra options to choose from.

Take the above image, for example. The 120fps burst option allowed me to have a large degree of control in the final image over where the ball is in the air in relation to the player. It's a level of nit-pickiness that I can understand and respect, but I also think 20-30fps is realistically the maximum most people need most of the time.

In terms of displays, I appreciate the array of options relating to viewfinder speed and size, but I have to admit that I tended to keep the viewfinder out of its fastest setting, even for the most demanding sports. The resolution just drops too dramatically, to the point where it was difficult to tell if focus on a distant player was even accurate.

I also found that battery life was on the short side of my expectations, and while I never ran out, I found myself feeling motivated to turn the camera off and on again more often than I'd like during a given event. That said, I fully expect (and would recommend) that anyone looking at the a9 III should be budgeting for the battery grip. Not only do you get double the battery life, but I find it a necessity for shooting vertical, telephoto images handheld.

Autofocus summary

The a9 III is unquestionably a capable, high-performance autofocusing machine. Its subject tracking is seriously impressive, locking onto my intended subjects immediately and tracking them steadfastly. Put simply, if you find that you can't get the shot with the a9 III, I wouldn't necessarily look to blaming the camera first.

As capable as the camera is, it's also highly customizable, and you will absolutely benefit from some experimentation and dialing in preferred settings for the way you work and the subjects you shoot. This isn't a knock against the camera, just a fact of life for all sports camera flagships to varying degrees. And though I do expect AI-trained automatic modes will continue to improve, there must always be some method of your intentions about subject matter reaching the camera's processor, and so some customization will likely remain necessary for the foreseeable future.

As it stands, if you're after some of the best autofocus performance money can buy and also want the fastest burst shooting we've seen in a full-frame camera to date, the a9 III is a compelling option and worthy of your consideration.

The a9 III's global shutter has major implications for video shooters as well as stills photographers. Being able to end the entire frame's capture simultaneously means it doesn't exhibit any rolling shutter artefacts at all. So there's no risk of warped verticals with moving subjects and no risk of banding when shooting under uncontrolled artificial lighting.

It's worth noting that while the a9 III's sensor can end its exposure instantaneously, this doesn't mean it can read-out its sensor as immediately. It's still quick enough to allow 4K/120 footage to be created from 6K full-width capture, though, making it one of the fastest hybrid cameras on the market.

Its video feature set is consistent with recent Alpha models, meaning it can shoot 10-bit video in H.264 (long GOP or All-I) or H.265 codecs. It can also shoot small proxy versions of its video in parallel with the main clips, for quicker editing and can output raw data over its HDMI socket if you have an external recorder to capture it.

The a9 III offers the Auto Framing option that uses subject recognition to crop-in and follow a subject within the frame, allowing a single presenter/operator to capture more dynamic video. There's also breathing compensation, which works with Sony's own-brand lenses, cropping in to the tightest angle of view that the lens offers and then adjusting the crop to remove the change of framing that would otherwise happen as the lens changes focus distance.

On top of this, the a9 III delivers some of the most dependable video autofocus we've seen. As with most cameras you can adjust the speed at which the focus is driven, depending on whether you're trying to tightly maintain focus on a constantly moving subject or smoothly drift between different focus distances. Taken together these features make it relatively easy to shoot good-looking footage with the a9 III even if your background isn't in video.

What the a9 III lacks is many of the videographer-focused features present in Sony's video line. So there's no option to set exposure in terms of shutter angle, rather than shutter speed (something that would be really valuable on a camera that can shoot 4K/120 as readily as it can 4K/24). There are no waveform displays or vectorscopes and no option to use the EI exposure system, rather than ISO.

You do get the attractive, low contrast S-Cinetone color profile, though, and when shooting in Log, you can upload up to 16 LUTs which you can use to give you a corrected preview, with the option to embed the LUT alongside the footage, or directly apply it to your footage in-camera.

Overall it's a flexible, capable video camera but one that seems careful not to tread on the toes of models aimed more pointedly at videographers.

The a9 III is an undeniably ground-breaking camera. The global shutter sensor, which lets it start and end exposure for all its pixels simultaneously, means electronic shutter with no concern about strobing advertising boards, zero rolling shutter in video and the ability to sync flash at incredibly high speeds with no blackout of the viewfinder. Then there's the ability to shoot at up to 120 frames per second: not something a lot of people will need to do all the time, but a capability that will undoubtedly expand photographers' options.

All of this is allied to what's probably the most capable autofocus systems we've yet encountered, with highly reliable tracking being at least as relevant as the en vogue subject recognition modes it gains. Top-level sports shooting will require a degree of behavior tuning, as different sports and shooting styles require different responses, but we were hugely impressed by the hit rates we got from the a9 III.

It's not an unalloyed success, though. We found the fastest, most sports-friendly viewfinder mode gave up too much resolution to be confident in the camera's focus. And Sony's decision to use a single grip design for its sports and photojournalism cameras is being challenged by the greater power consumption of its newer models: we expect and would recommend the a9 III will be used with a battery grip in many circumstances.

We have fewer concerns when it comes to image quality. The a9 III's relatively high base ISO means it can't match the IQ of its direct rivals at their peak performance, but as soon as your shot requires ISO 250 or higher, the a9 III's added speed gives it the edge. Likewise, whereas it falls a little behind in side-by-side comparisons at higher ISOs, there are likely to be situations in which the a9 III captures a fractionally noisier version of a photo that another camera might simply miss.

Ultimately the a9 III sets a new standard for what we can expect from a pro sports camera, and Sony appears to be adding the workflow features that the most demanding pros are requesting. There are some trade-offs being made to deliver the a9 III's super-fast capabilities but taken as a whole they allow it to pull ahead of the field.

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission ( see our copyright page ). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

All gallery images are uncropped out-of-camera JPEGs with accompanying lossless-compressed Raw files.

Pre-production sample gallery

1 Sony a9 III full review
2 Specifications

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It took forever but it's great that Sony is finding adding some more space between the grip and lens mount. My fingers always felt scrunched up in there. If they had this grip on the a7c II, I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

I imagined global shutter was the next feature for high-end cameras a year or so ago and here we are. Knew ai would be next too, and now the canon is using ai noise reduction in R1 if I read that right.

Held this at the camera store. The front button is very Nikon-like, there seems to be more space between the lens (maybe the lens barrel didn't tamper out as much) and the grip, feels comfortable. Good new spec for people that need it.

Global shutter for strobist. I can see the benefit, you can carry a smaller flash. to overpower the sun. In hss you need quite a strobe. With full power (almost there is a flash duration too) you should be able to use a smaller flash. What if you can't afford 6K, hss or nd filter? I think ND works better than hss if you want a darker background. But the best thing is to just use lightroom. click on background mass and lower the exposure as much as you like. The ai is getting better. There are areas that need adjustments.

as for the 24mp for BIF, that is quite low. I finally got a 600mm lens, most of the BIF were maybe less than 1/8 or 1/10. Got lucky when a big bird flew over me, but most house martin and swift/swallow are tinny. I used teh Olympus ee-1 laser dot to even get within range. I usually am at the wide 180 and zoom to 600 when I get a b.if, not for those tiny quick ones. I am cropping from the 45mp z8. I recommend topaz lab AI Sharper or the Topaz all in one. The house Martins are blurred if the shutter speed are too low. Topaz can do noise reduction, sharpen, and increase the resolution all at once to the jpeg. RAW NR creates another huge file. 24mp crop might be nothing to sharpen. Topaz doesn't do miracles with out-of-focus shots.

The iso noise is quite noticeable if you are used to the Full frame standard (somebody was comparing to APS-C), you would have to run a batch plot to topaz. RAW ND would double your raw to LR dng.

Weird spec list.

1/80,000 of a shutter speed gets a green, but the cameras with twice the resolution don't?

Likewise a base ISO of 250 is equally valid as 100 or 64?

And having 2 CFb card slots is not a benefit?

Yeah, this new camera is cool tech, but the objectivity is lacking here.

It is a specialized camera, who needs it gets its. Clearly not for you, a happy dude with 1/200 sync speed.

Childish response.

Hope Sony will bring global shutter to their APS-C line. That would be fantastic for birders and sports shooters on a lower budget.

It’s interesting…. There are lots of naysayers harping on the DR, the base iso, and poo-pooing the benefits of unlimited flash sync and global shutter, 120fPS, etc…

All while a few true believers are commenting how they’re actually using the A9III in their work.. others ignore these comments and the written review and continue to put down the new tech.

This is all very reminiscent of the BS technology deniers back in 2017 when the original A9 with stacked sensor came out. The talk back then was “who needs silent shooting” “who needs electronic shutter” “20 FPS is for spray and pray hacks who aren’t skilled photographers”, “Mirrorless won’t replace DSLR for pro bodies”…

Of course now that Canon and Nikon have stacked sensor cameras that shoot at 20FPS all that fake drama is gone…. But now we have new drama with the next newest technology. As usual, history is repeating itself, and it’s perhaps new brand warriors from the same old brands putting down the new technology…

I wonder if those guys ever went back to review their ridiculous (sometimes insulting) comments from 2017. I wonder if any of you will come back in 5 years and review your comments here…

If they can't afford it, then putting it down helps them deal.

Jealousy, sour grapes, lots of terms for the phenomenon.

Have you noticed that some of them repeat phrases they got from the earliest reviews - the reviews that came out when the camera was announced, and the reviewers were careful about it, perhaps for fear of being seen as too enthusiastic? The later reviews are more positive, but phrases from those early reviews get repeated over and over.

They latch onto those old snippets because it makes them feel better….

The problem with "true believers" is that they will not accept any critisim of their chosen object of adoration. The A9iii is a technological breakthrough and a very, very good camera but it has a few draw-backs in relation to some of its peers. DR & high ISO perfornance among them, as pointed out in this & other reviews. How much impact that has & how much weight should be attached to it is dependent on what the camera was designed to do and what it is to be used for. I made a comment below regarding one of the sample images. It is noisy, soft & the object that was the reason for using 120 fps is blurred. Is it not a fair question to ask why a (relatively) slow shutter speed, that faild to freeze the action, was used & if it had anything to do with the high iso performance?

Shutter speed is a choice of the photographer not the camera. Anyway I tried to figure out which image you were referring to “line-out” (?) and I couldn’t tell. Given no other replies maybe I wasn’t the only one..

A lineout is a rugby term. It is used to describe the set peice used to restart the game after the ball is put out of play across the side-line. It involves the ball being thrown between 2 lines of players and competed for in the air. Sorry for the confusion, I'd be just as confused over Anerican football terms. Anyway. The picture in question was used to demonstrate the use of 120 fps in capturing the position of the ball where the photographer wanted it. My point is 120 fps is not necessary for that (the photographer said sonething similar) & that the image was noisy, soft & the ball was blurred. The choice of 1/500 shutter speed seems to slow. Is that because a faster shutter speed would have required a higher ISO at which point the noise level would be to much? That 1 stop of difference in noise level to its peers is important in that scenario.

All your comments may be fair. I have no way to judge your comments and support them if I can’t tell which image you’re referring to. :)

Its the photo under the heading "Other action photography considerations"

@Myles Baker: DPR’s sample galleries for the A9iii are not the only source of examples around now, especially of it’s 120fps or noise performance, nor necessarily—sorry, DPR—the best guide.

@photo-opinion Agreed. But I'm commenting on the ones I've seen, not the ones that I haven't seen. The concensus is that there is around one stop of DR & high ISO noise difference to its peers. Whether that is an issue in real world use is debatable. I think its a reasonable trade-off for having a global shutter. But a global shutter & 120 fps is also not needed in most cases and in the particular case of the photo I mentioned it may be better to have that extra stop. That is something the end user needs to decide based on their needs. At the end of the day its one small critisim of an otherwise stellar camera and I'd happily have one (other than I don't want to spend 6k on any canera).

@Mike Ran: you are wrong. This one reminds me of the first review of a production electric car. Exciting? Definitely! Perfect? No way. For everyone? No way. It’s a tool - it is NOT a miracle camera (as some here tend to believe). So - the more you push the more the others are pushing in the opposite direction. Finding balance is not easy. But if you find it, especially in an article - that’s great journalism.

P. S.: this will be my only comment related to this camera/camera review (DPR knows why).

It’s interesting that I agree with everything you said.. except the first 3 words.. I don’t see how anything I said is contradictory to anything you said. (Did I say the A9 was a perfect camera for everyone? No I didn’t. I said people were putting down the specific features unique at the time that it brought to the table that everyone is enjoying now from all the brands. I think you completely missed my point.) But ok. Anyway best wishes to you…

Does anyone reliably know how fast the frame rate is with adapted and third party lenses?

Sometimes, freezing the action does not make a great photograph.

Sometimes freezing the action makes a photograph great.

I really prefer frozen action. Sports moves so damned fast that being able to observe that frozen moment does a lot more for me than some "arty" blurred photo.

often you get no shots without freezing action...

Photography is ALL about freezing the action

I'm surprised by the noise level at ISO 2500 in the following pic:

https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/3931777890/AF-photos-edited/DSC01570.acr_crop.jpeg

Is that normal for FF of that caliber?

It's normal for global shutter with some stronger editing also enhancing noise. I got even worse with a non GS sensor at 800 ISO with a very very low contrast scene after editing (and I'm not a Sony user). Especially when you have to shoot through something causing stronger haze. GS has an impact for sure (even if Sony says it doesn't have) but the editing may distort it a bit in this case.

@DGrinb This is a comparison between the A9 and A9III I made a while back with two similar conditions at same ISO 3200, no noise reduction https://www.flickr.com/photos/neatpicture/53598981270/in/album-72177720315561023/ Original A9 on the right. Also, if you are shooting a non-stacked sensor camera in e-shutter (i.e. R6, R5) the IQ both in terms DR and ISO takes a major hit and are likely to be at best the same.

There is no doubt that this camera has significant noise. For a camera that only has 24 megapixels, this level of noise means a lot of information is lost. But these depend on your expectations from the photo. For many sports photographers, only speed is important. I prefer to wait for Canon R1 and then compare based on quality and speed We are not going to justify any low quality to reach the global shutter

@YaserDelbaz quoting the conclusions: "whereas it falls a little behind in side-by-side comparisons at higher ISOs, there are likely to be situations in which the a9 III captures a fractionally noisier version of a photo that another camera might simply miss." Considering the modern AI denoising tools I do not think noise should be a factor unless best DR and IQ at base iso are top priority. As I showed above, your are hard pressed in finding a significant difference between the two pictures taken at ISO 3200 with the A9 and A9iii. It makes sense for you to wait for the R1 because you shoot canon :-) I will likely settle for the R5ii. I prefer the higher resolution, smaller body and cheaper ;-)

So...when can us peasants expect this technology to trickle down to a sub $2k model? (I kid, I kid)

absolutely no interest in a camera of this price, but so awesome to see some real innovation in the space. Now if only someone can figure out a way to make real strides from the IQ we've generally had for the past decade or so

First the other makers have to be able to do it. Sony will keep it in high end bodies till then. Once they can there will be movement and maybe 3-4 years a mid range body might.

Small typo in the cons list in conclusion: "Performance at highest ISOs falls a behind its peers"

Not a typo, but man when was the last time Sony had battery life mentioned at all in the cons list? Tells you how much hardware this thing is packing: "Battery life can be a concern in highly demanding shoots"

Regarding the sample picture of the line-out. I get that 120 fps burst was used to be able to select a picture where the ball is where you want it, but I'm struggling to see the advantage in that scenario compared to older cameras. That type of photo is a common one taken in most games & there are plentiful examples of excellent photos taken without requiring 120 fps. The ball is also blurred & the whole image looks soft (120 fps is no help if the shutter speed isn't fast enough). I understand the shutter speed may have been dialed down so the ISO was not pushed to high, but is this a case where the noise penalty compared to its peers (as mentioned in the article) was a detriment? e.g. could one of its peer have had the same level of noise but have been better able to freeze the action because you could have shot at 1/1000 of a second, instead of 1/500th? Outside of top end pro sports at events where the lighting is not so good, is this camera the best option?

So I’ll comment here now that I know which photo you’re referring to. Of course this kind of photo can be captured at 20-30 FPS. But you can pretty much get it on the first attempt at 120FPS.

Lighting clearly was challenging at this location given 1/500s ISO8000 and f2.8. It was a dark pitch. I don’t think the whole image looks soft. The ball clearly shows motion blur. It’s a decision but I don’t think it looks bad. Lighting here from an exposure POV looks similar to my local high school’s lousy football stadium lights. And yeah I’m usually shooting at f2.8 and 1/1000 iso 12,800 (so maybe 1/3 stop brighter even?). Anyway you can get lower noise at these really dark fields with other cameras. For pro sports stadiums where the pros are shooting 1/1000 and f2.8 at ISO3200 no one is going to say “that’s a noisy photo”

Hi Mike, I agree re pro sports fields. The lighting there would not cause any issues. Lineout photos are common in rugby, because there are plenty of opportunities to take one, they are reasonably easy to take & they tend to look good. 120 fps is massive overkill for that shot (more useful for 2 players competing in the air for an up & under which is much faster action & more difficult to capture). My main point is the shot could have been taken at 12800 iso @ 1/1000 with similar noise but the action frozen or 6400 iso @ 1/500 with less noise, if using say an A1 or R3 or even a R6ii. It's not the best shot to showcase the A9iii's capabilities, but does show one thing that it does not shine at.

BTW A bit of noise & motion is not a big issue. Its more a direct comparison to what else is available in the market 2 of my favourite rugby photos of all time are old black & white images that capture the essence of rugby as I knew it growing up. . If you are interested google Fran Cotton "mud man" & Frix du Prix tackle on Chris Laidlaw 1970 South Africa.

Once you have seen one lineout photo you have seen them all. Better off watching Rugby League where there aren't any lineouts. They should have ditched them in RU long ago when they decided they had too many penalties for lifting. So instead of taking the sensible step and ditching them completely they legalised lifting!

Lineouts are an integral part of the game, they are not going away, but they need to remain a contest. I preferred when they were a free for all, rather than the lifting that goes on today. As Colin Meads once said, it wasn't about who could jump highest, but who ended up with the ball! My favourite tactic, was tapping the ball back using my outside arm, while using my inside arm to leverage off my opposite, gaining height while holding him down :). There were lots of little ways to gain an advantage and the best line-out jumpers knew them all. Of course we also policed the lineouts ourselves in those days, which meant that unfair tactics could lead to "disagreements". Not something you can get away with today. Damn, I miss playing.

Sony A9iii at iso6400 in raw no better than my Nikon Z50.

Good for you, now take your Z50 to the summer Olympics :)

Folk used to take film cameras and pre focus. I bet that the Z50 would do just fine.

I would also bet a good photographer would do just fine with a z50 at the Olympics with the same range of lenses as other pros. I used to take sports action photos with a old EOS 620 and it worked just fine; you can't chimp with film either yet somehow people got their photos.

I have both the A9 III and the Z50 and the Z50 is a joke on of the works camera I got and I regretted buy-ing it. I should have moves to Sony back when got my two Z6s I still have but we do still use one of them on double shoot weddings.

I am totally disinterested in the Olympics.

The options for autofocus are sure complex. I imagine a future day when AI chips end up in a camera (or a phone APP) allowing the settings controlled by the photographer's voice: "Keep the forward number 5 in focus when she has the ball"

Nope, at that point AI would be the photographer. Human assistant would be required to lug equipment around and put it where AI commands.

AI will replace many photography jobs sooner than later. The people that learn to make AI images with replace many photographers that dont. We will see it be normal for not having a photo shoot and the AI artist makes the new images for the customer from a set of cell phone images the customer sends in. You can do that now for some things like head shots and commercial and product photos.

does it come in a version with canon colors?

No, only in Sony black.

An acquaintance who shoots lots of outdoor portraits with flash rented one to try and bought his own that very day. He says it's completely transformative to his work, and the man doesn't impress easily.

if it transforms your work completely then you must have used your old camera wrong

Your old digital camera or any other brand of digital camera right now can not do what the A9 II I can do for portrait photography. If you don understand what then you need to learn more about portrait photography.

I use the A9III myself for portraits and it has changed everything no older digital camera can do what this can do. When outdoors in a place with many other photographers all shooting portraits I can now do things non of them can do. No more ND filters needed no more sun blockers needed and I can shoot at more wide open F stops super easy with flash and super fast recycle times. Yes it has changed portrait photography..

If you think unrestricted flash sync can’t be transformative for certain types of photography then you must not grasp what it means…

You need to use the flash in HSS mode and this sucks out on a job. we could never use that as in no time your recycle time get up past 30 seconds before you can take the next shot. Great for making YouTube videos showing it off by on a real job I am shooting 5 to 10 or more shots in a row very fast HSS can not keep up or even come close to keeping up. We do one hour portrait sessions and shoot from 400 to 600 images in that hour HSS flash can not even make it the first 5 mins. We shoot around 120 jobs a year the A9 III is the first camera that gives us what you could do with some old film cameras that was normal back then that was removed when digital had come out.

I'd rather have one good shot then 120 bad ones 😂

I would think that I'd rather have 120 good shots.

You did a nice job. Reading the AF performance section really gives on a clear idea about the autofocus.

I bought one to shoot large music concerts. What I found was that the camera failed to focus on the artist onstage in the semi-dark venue, whereas my Canon R3 and R6ii didn't have any problems. Very disappointing AF performance.

The 120fps and pre-capture were very handy, and just about everything about the camera lived up to the hype. But without consistent AF in low light conditions, this camera was useless to me as a concert photographer. And as for its price, I have to say it costs too much. Maybe $5000, definitely not $6000. I put it up for sale the next day.

@dash2k8 what lens did you use? Did you read the manual? In dark conditions setting "Aperture Drive" to "focus priority" would give you the best low light AF on the market. Don't even need an A9III for that, my ancient A9II does the same. Sounds like operator error to me.

I was using the 70-200mm f2.8 II, which is clearly not a slouch of a lens. As for reading the manual... I've shot numerous concerts with up to 80,000 fans in attendance, I know my way around a concert, thank you very much. When a camera cannot focus on a single performer on the stage without any obstructions, that is not an "operator error." But hey, if you want to think me an idiot, knock yourself out.

Been using it on jobs from the week I got it when it had came out. Battery life is very good shooting small weddings and portraits and have not once ran out of battery power not even close. Using the flash sync speeds at anything I want now has changed how we shoot portraits forever now. I just set it to what ever shutter speed I want to knock down the background even in bright sunlight and start shooting with off camera flash at any F stop. No HSS flash needed or ND filters needed for flash or natural light even shooting at F 1.2. Super fast flash recycle times as I can now shoot at more wide open F stops so very little flash output is needed now. This changes everything for any portrait or wedding shooter. Then the high speed shooting changes it for sports shooters. This is the best all around digital camera to come out from the start of digital, Focus tracking is amazing it is all we use now it just never misses.

Thanks for your excellent comment. It seems this camera makes it so much easier for professional, and all portrait and wedding photographers to control subject lighting and backgrounds. And with the avoidance of banding due to lighting, and rolling shutter effects of high speed subjects, this camera and its technology are likely very desirable to most photographers. Cheers

Meh, I'll wait until Fujifilm releases it's first GFX Series MF camera with global shutter. 😉

Start saving now and you should be able to afford it when it arrives. And some lenses, too - their new telephoto looks good!

A global shutter that big is gonna cost a lot.

What is that port below the usb-c port? it looks like either micro-hdmi or micro-usb but the camera has a full size hdmi port and a usb-c port?

It’s a “MULTI” port which is used primarily for controlling remotes. (Or remote control)

It takes the wired remote shutter release (and it still works, even though I bought the wired remote to use with an A7RIV in 2019). It’s a modified USB port with extra pins.

To much $$$$$ for nothing.

Nothing? what you can do with this camera you can not do with any other camera unless it has a leaf shutter and then still not as much. We are doing this on every job now we could never do before.

This is such a cool technology! I don’t shoot sports or action, but this camera looks top tier for it.

Dream idea I can’t afford… It will be interesting as a future camera combines HEIF for more dynamic range, Nikon’s blackout-less viewfinder, Sony’s global shutter, Nikon’s lowlight anstro mode for low -EV sensitivity and turning all UI into red/black, Sony/Nikon’s pre-capture and all the other fancy things coming out. Also, Canon R3 iris focus, which sounded very gimmicky for hose it did not work with, but still sounds cool.

Observation, the Nikon Z9 is killing it on high ISO low noise compared to the other 3 cameras by default. Look at the RAW 6400, 12,800 ISO. Lettering and fine thread details are way clearer Z9.

Sure. The Nikon is the only high res camera in that group of four. No idea why they decided to put the APS-C A6600 in the group. The A9II is a reasonable comparison because it shows the previous gen non global shutter version of this camera… but change the A6600 to the A1, and the Z9 and A1 look very similar…

This is fundamentally why so many sports and PJ guys have been moving to high resolution bodies ever since cameras like the A1 and Z9 came to market offering no compromise high res capability…

You need to look at real world use I dont know of anyone that shoots at super high ISO for any real paid work its not needed. I almost never go past iso 2000 for any jobs we ever do as that is what flash is for in darker places like a dark wedding reception.

Super high iso is useful mostly for the pro sports shooters covering high school sports in lousy lighting. Most of the pro stadiums and arenas now have good enough lighting that you can be above 1/1000s shutter and below ISO6400 at f2.8 where this camera produces a plenty clean enough image.

The flash sync thing is really an interesting capability…. I think most people that don’t have actual practical experience with unrestricted sync speed don’t fully understand the benefit…

$6000 for crop sensor picture quality... Only Sony could get away with this.

Did you even bother reading the pros and cons?

I image quality is fantastic we are using it almost every day now as our main camera on all our jobs. What you can do with it you can not do with other cameras. Nikon and Canon and Fuji has nothing like this. If you dont understand the features you are missing in other cameras then you dont need them as you dont understand why you would want this to use them every day. I waited over 20 years for the features it has.

Remarkable Sony pulled this off and equally remarkable the competition can't duplicate it now or perhaps in near future.

unless you really need those features . A1 is a butter choice.

Not for vegans... ;-)

I think he's trying to say that this camera isn't as good for Sony's profit margarines.

Actually I think it's suitable for a spread of users.

With its buttery smooth focus, the A1 is a great option. :)

It definitely seems to be smooth.

A9 III It's the perfect camera for portrait shooters, wedding shooters and sports shooters. No other camera can do this like this.

Except for maybe the Z8 or R3.

Fuji X-H2S or even the OM-1 II. All really fast cameras.

Bolton read his other comments to see why he says what he says before you say, but Nikon, but canon…

@MikeRan I feel like 20fps RAW and 30fps JPEG is more than adequate for portraits, wedding, and sports.

This new Sony is the usual spec monster from them. Nothing wrong with that, esp. if you need the Ethernet port. But 'perfect' is subjective, and not every wedding and portrait shooter can afford $6K for APS-C quality. When a guy can get a brand new GFX camera for $5k and get a respectable 8fps of 102mp portraiture.. I feel like that might be a better deal if you can learn all about constant lighting and maybe high speed sync flash.

But I'm old enough to remember when 8fps was blistering fast for a sports gun.

“ I feel like 20fps RAW and 30fps JPEG is more than adequate for portraits, wedding, and sports.”

This sounds cherry picked because these are exactly the capabilities of the Z8/Z9…. lol. Anyway. You are only reading the bits you want to read and ignoring other key capabilities of the global shutter that you don’t have a counterpoint for your Nikon.

That’s okay. You don’t have to buy it.

I didn't ignore the full size Ethernet port, which is pretty rare. I also mentioned working within the limits of regular shutter and flash which does acknowledge the higher speed sync abilities of the A9 III.

Within its niche it does offer, well other than super high speed flash sync, exactly what that I couldn't real world accomplish in a portrait or wedding shoot with a variety of other cameras including the X-H1s I currently own?

I've shot portraits and weddings. 120fps and 1/80,000 sec flash sync aren't needed for those things. Cool that you can do it, but outside of some edge use cases, it's spec monster overkill.

The X-H2s can do 40fps e-shutter, so there, not just cherry picking the Nikon specs ;-)

@Heritage Cameras My sunflower butter raises an objection ;-) (oh and I'm not a vegan)

Camera like this is arguably too cheap, only the select few elites of society should be able to carry one, I am not happy about people who own bad equipment like a Nikon Z9 should be able to buy a superior product like A9 III, a camera for real camera people, global shutter allows stunning images with superior everything.

I own 20 of these A9 III, I had to make sure to buy up as much stock as possible so fewer people can abuse this God given tool for the chosen man.

It's hard to nit-pick this camera. It's a tool designed for a purpose & it appears to do that very, very well. As sports / fast action cameras go its arguably the best on the market today. The global shutters disadvantage, in my opinion, is not the small hit to overall image quality, which is not an issue for its intended purpose. It's the price premium over the A9ii, which itself is still a very capable camera. $5999 v $4499 is a big jump, but there's always a price of new technology.

While the Sony A9 III excels in speed, particularly for high-stakes wildlife and sports photography, other cameras offer better image quality while still delivering commendable performance.

How is this comment shedding anything that wasnt expressed in the article

Other cameras can also keep a couple grand more money in the photographer's pocket, or else they can grab a lens or maybe two. Even with other Sony cameras.

So there's that.

Depending on which camp the contributions come from, DPR comment section "discussions" about a specific product sample tend to resemble discussions about religions: Very often, facts do not matter, beliefs do and taint the corresponding comments. Attempting to engage the respective believers in a discussion by offering facts (too) often appears as a waste of time. With that said: I believe (!) the A9III excels at the tasks it has been designed forand that the DPR review says that, too. Quote: "The a9 III pairs the fastest full-frame sensor available with the most dependable AF system and an increasingly sophisticated set of professional workflow tools. There's a slight image quality price to be paid for this speed but it's minor in comparison to the performance the camera brings, overall." Also, I believe that DPR was clever by avoiding terms like "game changer" - which might have spilled fuel on DPR comment section & fora fires eventually ignited with the release of their review.

When Sony first announced this global shutter model, it was Sony Über Alles around here, with DPR slobbering all over it with phrases like "game changer" and "revolutionary". Some of the articles read like straight Sony marketing, and often conflated a theoretically perfect implementation of a global shutter with the actual product. So what's changed? Has Sony underdelivered? It seems more like they squeaked out a Gold Participation Medal to satisfy fanboys, rather than murderizing the competition, as they promised.

One would have expected galleries of images that demonstrated the real-world advantage of the global shutter over the likes of the now-obsolete Nikon Z9. Perhaps those will be forthcoming? Or maybe real-world benefit is so exceedingly rare that it wasn't worth the time or effort to find any?

The global shutter now seems reduced to a footnote.

Unfortunately the review has ignored another area where the camera excells, the concert photography. You no longer have to worry about the LED lights banding (full mechanical shutter nor stacked sensor doesn't fully prevent the issue) and the AF/Eye tracking in low-light is absolutely stunning. I have never seen anything like that before. It sticks all the time no matter how dark or foggy the stage is. As for the noise, I compared it with my A7C and I haven't found any significant difference in very bad light conditions. Not better, not worse. I use AI denoising anyway. This is amazing camera.

I don’t think, technically, this is a very good review. It seems to be self-contradictory in parts (because it appears to have been shared between two authors?) and not as comprehensive as might be expected. And. . .why did it take five months to appear? During which time we’ve all seen a number of reviews and analyses, and not all of them by regular Sony users either.

I'm a bit confused as to reviews of specialty cameras. Is the 91% compared to other sports cameras? Or all cameras?

The global shutter puts it in a class by itself. For now.

I thought that the current face/eye tracking AF was shared among a variety of Sony cameras. Or is this one different?

The A9 III one is much better.

Bolton, the core technology is the same but the performance is on another level. Presumably it has something to do with crazy readout capabilities of the stacked global shutter sensor. I’m speculating about the how/why it’s different, but that it’s on another level is pretty much undisputed by anyone that’s actually used it.

Well that would make sense, as faster readout means more data for the AF system to crunch in a given time.

All anyone ever talks about is how fast Sony AF is currently, so wow this thing must really focus while the shot is still in your mind and the camera's still in its bag.. ;-)

Wrong weight???

in the comparison: The weight of the Canon R3 is maybe wrong! Nikon is 1340g with batteries and R3 is 1015g with batteries. The Z9 is a little bit on the heavy side, but this difference is too big!

The Nikon is indeed 1340g. The R3's weight is correct too.

Amazing piece of kit. Look forward to seeing where this technology goes.

I think it will go where all new tech goes: first for the high end, then the tech is refined, then improved, then it goes more mainstream. In a few years lots more cams will have it.

Yes, probably. I think we will see a 3-way segmentation with BSI at one end prioritizing low price and highest IQ with GS at the other end prioritizing speed and with Stacked Sensor in the middle.

Seems like that's already what's happening.

I would have expected that a significant part of the sample gallery would be devoted to showing what the global shutter and incredibly high sync speed can do better/easier than other cameras.

Yeah that's one area that is lacking. Also, I think it would be nice to have banding tests, flickering tests and rolling shutter tests. For ex on the A9iii with flickering lights, you will catch different phases of equal illumination, but it means that sometimes the image will be completely dark, but at least if you take enough shots, you will also have a decent amount of perfect shots.

Like I mentioned elsewhere, the Global Shutter was almost reduced to a footnote. Seems the honeymoon is over for DPR.

It's a respectable image gallery, but there's nothing here that can't be done with a variety of cameras dating back into the mirrored DSLR era.

It's alarming that the camera is a series of tradeoffs, excelling in some areas but lagging in others.

Why does this alarm you? Engineering/product development is always a series of trade offs. This is no different.

The good news is if you don’t need the global shutter Sony still has you covered with a wide range of options.

@MrBrightSide

The camera is not a 'series of tradeoffs', that's a misrepresentation.

In fact at its base ISO of 250 the A9III is a quarter of a stop better than the R3 and three quarters of a stop better than the R6. https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Canon%20EOS%20R3(ES),Canon%20EOS%20R6(ES),Sony%20ILCE-9M3

Canon and Nikon would love to have this sensor.

At low ISO, no current camera is lacking image quality, and the differences there only become relevant in very special applications, and however well photons to photos might be representing real world performance there at all, in general low light applications the image quality of this camera is down to APS-C level. Not even MFT is far away. That, and the fact that there are cameras other than Canon which have better low ISO performance, too, is perfectly well described by "series of tradeoffs", and that's what the review says, too. This is not an all-rounder, it is a specialist, and anyone who is not a specialist photographer themselves is better served with another camera. I don't think DPReview makes this clear enough, by the way.

@RubberDials

Why do you compare the Canons in electronic shutter mode? Are mechanical shutters unusable now? Is a 1.9EV difference at respective base ISO not a tradeoff?

@MikeRan: This *is* different in that a – however groundbreaking – improvement in one or two specialty areas is achieved by sacrificing a whole EV worth of general image quality.

@ eleivr - why did RubberDials compare the Canons in electronic shutter mode? One fact: Canon EOS R3 and R6 max out at 12 FPS with mech shutter, hence they need to be run with electronic shutter to get somewhat closer to 120 FPS. In this shutter mode, both Canons appear to shoot with DR a wee bit less than the A9III (assuming the interpretation of PhotonstoPhotos data is correct as that has been discussed elsewhere to hair-splitting degrees). Additional fact: Of course, the A9III cannot be run with a mech shutter to improve its base ISO DR.

Ralf B very thoughtfully replied for me. Thanks Ralph!

The image quality of the A9 III camera is not down to APS-C level. I am using it on all our jobs nothing about it has bad image quality it has fantastic image quality just as good as my Nikon FF cameras in fact we shoot both side by Side at weddings. It is a great portrait and wedding and sports camera exceeding other brands of cameras by far. Using the global shutter to shoot at any flash sync speed is just amazing we are doing this all the time now. We could never do this is the past with a digital camera. So we are able to get photos now we could never do before. No HSS ever needed now and no ND filters needed now. Also the best focus and tracking system of any camera on the market. And no rolling shutter for video as well. We are have shot plenty now to more then cover the cost of the camera.

@goactive: Mind you, "APS-C level" is not "bad image quality". It's just roughly one stop more noise. When shooting at lower ISOs, you obviously won't even notice the difference, except when you have to brighten shadows to the extreme or something like that. But in low light, the difference should be there. Anyway you seem to be one of the specialists who profit from the camera's special features, so I wouldn't even begin to question your choice. But someone who doesn't, who rarely has issues because of rolling shutter and doesn't need the flash sync improvements, either, it's not the best camera.

The Canons have less DR in ES because of the 12 Bit readout. Of course you can compare it that way, but the R6 was never meant to be a fast camera anyway. So I think this is still cherry picking to make the Sony look like its on rolling shutter FF level. And a mechanical shutter will not improve the A9 III as it already reads out at 14 Bit, unless of course the sensor can do more.

@RubberDials Sure it is (a series of tradeoffs). Just off the top of my head, with the Nikon Z9 you get much lower base ISO, bigger images, and 8K video, a big grip and a bigger battery. These aren't trivial things.

But the the Nikon Z9 can not do what the A9 III can do for portraits at all. making the A9 III the best choice for wedding portrait and sports shooters. The lower base iso is nothing as it can still not flash seen to any speed you need. and the higher MPs is not need as we could and did print any size print anyone every needed back with 12MP cameras. The battery in the A9III is great we have never run it down shooting full jobs will be going to wedding later today with it and shot a portrait session with it yesterday. I was a Nikon shooter and still have three Nikon Z cameras and a lot of z lens the A9II is not less quality at all its better in fact for what we can do now.

You can't talk about the A9III having trade-offs against the Z9. The Z9's competitor is the A1.

Nikon doesn't have a camera that competes with the A9III.

@RubberDials: You can't arbitrarily decide for everyone else what competes with what and what doesn't. Actually, every camera competes with every other camera, they are all in the same market, competing for market share. Anyway, the A9 III has trade-offs against virtually all other current full-frame cameras. It's just that for special applications like @goactive's, the disadvantages do not become relevant and the advantages outweigh them. But that's a purely subjective view. Objectively, those tradeoffs exist, and others *will* experience them.

The best camera to shoot a 155mm shell out of a gun and other extremely fast action, but only for that. Overkill for sports imo, and bad high iso.

what are you basing this on I have it and that is not true. Its by far the best camera to come out in over 20 years.

None, based on the specs, but my R6 fill my needs better than this cam.

Perfectly reasonable to decide that the R6 suits you better. No one can realistically disagree with that.

However, to claim that the camera is incapable of shooting other kinds of work is a huge presumption, and not based on fact. I own an A9 III, and I have been using it for shooting a variety of shots. It is more versatile than you think.

Don’t worry, we won’t force you to get one :-D

Now if only RawTherapee would extract the raws.

I was delighted that Adobe added the A9 III to Adobe Camera RAW in December, well before I got mine. I've been through the wait for RAW support many times, and it's not fun. This time, no wait! Well, for me.

It will come, but the wait is never fun.

Does Adobe DNG converter make DNG files you can edit in RawTherapee?

Very likely, however the latest DNG converter won't run on Win7.

And "upgrading" my computer means spending tens of thousands of dollars.

It'll be interesting so see if I can spot Global Shutter photos once the summer Olympics gets rolling. I'll be on the lookout.

According to reports from users that I've read the A9iii seems to be Sony's most comprehensively well designed release to date. Bodes well for an A1II. Not sure about global shutter. Maybe it's the future but I suspect not. Too much on-chip structure and complexity to solve a problem that will mostly go away after another generation of fast rolling shutter sensors.

If Canon ever gets around to releasing their R1 it will be interesting to see how they compare head to head. Two completely different tools but designed to more or less compete for the chance to perform the same elite task. Good stuff.

I think the question will be do you see images with banding from artificial light? You can know that banding wouldn’t be present in a global shutter exposure.

Anyway Paris is going all out and I expect good lighting and not much of that..

Full 120FPS RAW (for those specific situations), and the best AF in any camera on the market are what’s going to make the A9III shine at the Olympics…

Also high speed flash sync one or the main features so many photographers dont seem to understand how that this changes portrait photography.

Don't conflate banding caused by general lighting with the refresh rate on typical LED displays in sports arenas, the way Sony wants you to. If you use a high shutter speed, you'll get lines in those displays.

Interestingly it’s already on sale. It seems it’s not selling well. Still a good camera.

Abe’s of Maine doesn’t count…

Actually most retailers are selling it for list.. $5999. Who has it on sale?

(Speaking like a true cũlť member. ŠMH) 😜

$5998 at Amazon. MAP is fraying at the edges ... lol

Oh sorry it’s on sale for $1.00 off. lol… 😂

@MikeRan - Don't knock Abe's Of Maine. I have bought gear for him that was just as good as B&H,

Some people have had good luck with them. There are many horror stories…. My point was just because AoM is offering below MSRP doesn’t mean it’s “on sale, must not be selling well.”

Are they selling grey market? (Sincere question, I've never dealt with them so I wouldn't know).

@MR Bolton - Not to my knowledge. I think their prices are lower due to either slow sales on some items or they do not have the overhead that B&H or Adorama has.

Usually…. They also do bait and switch and other shady tricks. Some people get lucky…. But…

https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/linden/profile/electronic-equipment-dealers/westpark-electronics-llc-0221-27002918

And yes this is Abe’s of Maine’s business. And no they aren’t in Maine. lol..

Pretty sure the back screen should also be in green, possibly together with the R3, because the 4d screen system is way better than a flip screen.

Also: "Not so good for: Photography not requiring the a9 III's speed." => speed means the fps here? or GS means speed too? Because it's amazing for eliminating banding, distortion and for flash, even when shooting at low fps.

If you don't need the speed, then you can get the same image quality out of an APS-C camera, or significantly better from a variety of other full framers at a third of the price. And the other full frame makers haven't been sitting on their hands when it comes to autofocus, either.

If you do need this level of speed and pro body connectivity however, then yes it becomes a good deal.

I was always curious what the criteria are for marking a spec red/green in the comparison sheet. It is obvious IMO that the pixel count should be red for A8 III and R3, and that ISO should be red for A9 III.

The green/red markings seem to mostly be used for the more performance-related specs. The advantage of having more pixels or a higher ISO is perhaps more dependent on individual needs and specific use cases, so they choose not to single out any camera as universally better or worse in those respects. I'm just guessing here, but I could imagine that being the reason.

Pixels and ISO are definitely more important than say battery life. Both are among critical performance metrics evaluated by any buyer IMO.

Yes, but usually they are (or should be) evaluated in relation to one's individual needs and preferences. It's not just a simple case of "more is better". Things like longer battery life and higher res screens, on the other hand, can probably be appreciated by everyone, regardless of what type of photographer one is. But yeah, I agree that some clarification of the thinking behind the red/green markings wouldn't be out of place.

I do not care about the battery life, and, say, sensor resolution is much more important for me than screen resolution. And I am positive I am in majority here.

I'm not saying anything about which aspects of a camera are the most important. That's a personal opinion, and I happen to agree with your preferences. I'm just saying that DPR probably choose not to mark the features green/red, if their advantage/disadvantage is highly dependent on the use case.

Interesting to see DPR finally acknowledge that a pro sports/PJ body doesn’t have to be huge. It’s small size even listed as a pro..

But carrying 4x the batteries as a larger camera has negates the weight savings and adds to anxiety of running out of juice when it matters.

3 small Sony batteries equals 2 larger/heavier Nikon batteries in terms of useful battery life.

And a Sony camera with grip and 2 batteries will last way longer than a z9 with its battery before you need to change.

Nice try though.

Oh the A9III, Battery Grip, and two batteries is lighter than the Z9 with no battery, so no, your Z9 kit is still heavier…. Less weight, longer battery life, and less anxiety…. LOL…

"3 small Sony batteries equals 2 larger/heavier Nikon batteries in terms of useful battery life. And a Sony camera with grip and 2 batteries will last way longer than a z9 with its battery before you need to change."

How do you know? And please don't cite CIPA numbers. Cite from actual use. Good try though. Have you ever used a gripped body vs a body with add on grip? Not the same experience. Up here, a Z9 with a second battery is about $2000 cheaper than an a9III, grip and 2 extra batteries. That is significant. It also has less failure points and remains environmentally sealed. The weight difference is marginal and immaterial, especially to someone who uses it day in and day out, and often preferential when dealing with long lenses. Z9 users don't care about the weight of the Z9. Only users of other brands trying to knock it do.

From the review: "I fully expect (and would recommend) that anyone looking at the a9 III should be budgeting for the battery grip. Not only do you get double the battery life, but I find it a necessity for shooting vertical, telephoto images handheld." Maybe some advantages to that extra size?

"Z9 users don't care about the weight of the Z9." Pretty obvious. If they cared for weight (or speed) they would not be Nikon users. They would be Sony users

@whitelens or maybe Z9 users don’t find a few hundred grams heavy. And speed? You mean 120 fps? Not that fast when you have to wait many seconds for the buffer to clear. But as always, Sony users are the ultimate spec sheet warriors regardless of what it’s like to actually use it.

You don’t have to wait for the buffer to clear. As the buffer clears you can keep shooting. And the whole 230 shot buffer clears in 11 seconds if you want it completely empty. Anyone shooting 120FPS bursts filling the buffer more often than every 11 seconds is going to have much bigger problems than the buffer clearing time.

I know you love to hate on Sony and love to promote Nikon but perhaps you should read what’s written from actual users of the camera and also talk to your friends that have actually used it…. and get your own head out of the spec sheets.

The A9iii's buffer fills in 1.6s @ 120 fps (commentators on the R8 review complained that a similar buffer filling time is unusable, they were wrong there as well). And while the A9iii can still be used while its buffer clears, only at a much reduced speed. This from FredMiranda https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1856860/

"It is interesting to compare the A9III data with the A1 data in the prior post. IMO, the most surprising difference is that the A9III rate is 5 FPS when the buffer is full and the A1 rate is ~10 FPS.......I had anticipated the A9III buffer might be larger and clear faster."

That is a negative, but not a major issue, given how rarely 120fps will be used in practice & I doubt many people will mash the button for longer than 1.6s at that fps (or they will be shooting jpeg only which increases buffer times anyway).

It slows to 22FPS before it slows to 5FPS…. And again release the button for 1-2 seconds and you get another 30-50 frames at 120FPS.

Actually if a Z9 user is concerned about the weight they can become a Z8 user, can’t they?

@MikeRan, "I know you love to hate on Sony and love to promote Nikon but perhaps you should read what’s written from actual users of the camera and also talk to your friends that have actually used it…. and get your own head out of the spec sheets". Is that calling the kettle black?

I don't hate on Sony. I hate on the toxicity and misinformation spread about other brands by Sony users, often with zero expereince about the particular camera they're ripping on. Then when the reverse happens they are called out and told to get their head out of the spec sheets. That's rich.

I'm so tired about hearing about weight like that's the only metric that's important. Weight is a stated spec, yes. But weight is also a perception by the user. Let the user figure out if they can deal with the weight rather than bash the system becasue of what your physical abilities are.

120 fps? I don't actually care. But it's annoying to hear ridiculous, misinformed comments isn't It?

“ But weight is also a perception by the user.” Weight is weight. You brought it up actually. As if an extra (snalll battery) was going to have some big weight impact. And yeah if I don’t need the grip and I don’t have to handhold an extra pound all day well that’s a pound.

The reality is your weight argument was exactly the “toxicity and misinformation spread about other brands” that I’m responding to. You are so blind for your love of Nikon that you don’t even realize you are the one bringing the misinformation into the discussion.

Sorry man. Something wrong with you. I can’t help you.

Oh and “4x the batteries”? GTFO. One Nikon battery does not equal 4 Sony batteries. More toxic misinformation from the Nikon fanbois..

I made one simple comment about the *size* being listed as a pro and you couldn’t leave it alone.. the Nikon FB had to come in with your toxic misinformation and make it about your Z9…. lol.

You are so blind.

If you say so Mike. Word.

“Interesting to see DPR finally acknowledge that a pro sports/PJ body doesn’t have to be huge. It’s small size even listed as a pro..”

“But carrying **4x the batteries** as a larger camera has negates the **weight** savings and adds to **anxiety of running out of juice** when it matters.”

Yep. Pretty obvious who is writing the toxic misinformation. lol…

m_black: Nikon Z9 is a nice camera. But it is also big, heavy and slow. Nothing toxic, just facts. Live with it.

I wouldn’t call it slow except in the context of the A9III.. but yeah, big and heavy.. it’s probably the largest by volume and heaviest full frame mirrorless body on the market. (With or without a battery)

Sorry no toxic misinformation here..

It's 3 lbs guys, geez. Hit the gym maybe. Word

The actual weight isn’t as big a deal as your own toxic misinformation and ignorance to it…

m_black: My "walk around" lens is the 200-600 with a 1.4 TC mounted to a Sony A1 with grip (check first 5 pictures in my galleries to confirm if you want). So you can see that 3 lbs is not a real concern for me. Unnecessary weight however is.

Whatever Mike. You can't see the forest through the trees. Or the irony of what you're accusing me of. Kettle. Black. Word.

@whitelens... I have no reason to disbelieve you. But I don't know why are we talking about this still? An a1 is half the weight of the Z9. With grip, I don't know. With 2 batteries, again, I don't know. But you're approaching the Z9 weight. But I wouldn't call the Z9 a walk around camera. It's for work, it's purpose built. Not saying the a1 isn't either. But there is nothing unnecessary about the Z9. If one needs a "lighter Z9", there is the Z8. Which is probably more of a competitor in terms of form factor to the a1. But it has the Z9 guts too. So there is choice. There is less than half a pound of weight difference between the two (a1 & Z8). The way the Z9 is talked about, however, exaggerates the weight difference. And in some cases the slightly higher weight adds to a more comfortable experience overall when using large and/or long lenses. I often use a 50 1.2, 135 1.8 and 400 4.5 on the Z9 and the balance point for each is near the lens mount and quite comfortable to hold all day

Why did you reply to my original comment with so much misinformation in your very first comment? And why do you fail to clearly acknowledge your comment was incorrect? There is no exaggeration in this thread by anyone except you…. And this wasn’t about the Z8. It started by you as an argument about battery life. (Z8 battery life is substantially weaker than A9III)

But sure, keep digging those heels in…. Word.

You're still here? Go to your home! Or do what you told me to do.

“whereas it falls a little behind in side-by-side comparisons at higher ISOs, there are likely to be situations in which the a9 III captures a fractionally noisier version of a photo that another camera might simply miss”

I like this wording ^ Where some others have put an emphases on painting the iso performance as the biggest failure ever seen in a camera while negating any benefits to the A9III, dpreview has put it perfectly. A very fair and well worded review of the A9III.

I really appreciate you saying that. Thank you.

Mr. Butler's reviews are always exacting in their phraseology. They simply are a joy to read. No one on the Internet of photog writes better. Not a one.

I remember also reading that sentence twice, because it's like a perfect summary.

This camera is not for me, but it is a great camera no matter how people feel about it. Most complaints come from two groups, one for whom the price is high, and the other who feel they need every bit of DR they can get (as with A7R IV/V).

The thought that keeps coming back in my mind, also true for other brands, is that they messed up the naming/numbering of the models.

In this case, the only common feature with the previous model is the 24MP resolution. The price, sensor technology and all the benefits that come from this sensor are at a different level. Sony could have called it A5 or A3 but that would lose its significance once an A1 successor comes out with 50MP GS sensor. They couldn't have called this one A1 II because it's only 24MP. May be "A1 S" (for speed) would have been a better fit.

A lot of money for a niche camera. I can buy two perfectly capable cameras at a lower price for events and still include a lens for that price

I purchased a Nikon D40 with a global shutter for $59 a few months ago. I'm going to take it to the Olympics and see if I can compete with the big boys.

@Horshack you've just stated how niche the camera is. Thank you

@madeinlisboa, Yep, I certanly wasn't disagreeing with you.

I am looking for the very niche Nikon N80. The late mountain photographer, Galen Rowell, used it to make one of the most recognizable photos in the world, when he was shouting for GQ. I think it will make me a better photographer.

@MyReality that's the problem of bad photographers. Thinking that a better camera will make them better. Poor guys.. How did they manage to get great pictures? It was called skill. Now, everyone is a "great" photographer because they have the best cameras. LOL

A really cheap niche camera. It is 30% cheaper than the M11 what does not even have AF.

One question - does the Global shutter have any advantage for video over the stacked sensors for 180 degree shutters? With a 17-21ms exposure time if you can read the sensor in a ms or few will rolling shutter show up?

BTW which do you prefer, the 9MP EVF or the R3 in DSLR mode?

Thanks for putting in all the effort to get this out.

On any progressive scan (rolling shutter) electronic shutter sensor, shutter speed (exposure time) and shutter rate (readout speed) are unrelated.

The sensor takes as long to read out, regardless of your shutter speed. So it's not uncommon to see cameras with relatively slow shutter rates (in the 1/60th second range) offering shutter speeds as short as 1/16,000 sec. In this instance, each line of the sensor is only exposed for 1/16,000 of a second, but the last line is read out 1/60 sec after the first one, so the bottom of the frame is still taken 1/60 sec later than the top was. So rolling shutter is unrelated to shutter speed.

Stacked sensors do have very low rolling shutter (though typically worse in video than stills), so you're unlikely to see many skewed verticals. But banding from lighting and sign boards that are flickering risks being an issue, which it wouldn't be for a global shutter sensor.

I think it’s still a reasonable question. As the shutter speed gets slower, for a fast readout sensor the entire frame is exposed for a larger percentage of the total exposure time and the “flickering” or banding effect is reduced. That said i have done video with an A1 with variable shutter and you can still get banding at 1/48s.

Also I think most of the stacked sensors only have blazing fast readout in stills mode. In Video mode it seems for whatever reason they are not using the stacked sensor capability for readout and the readout is slower than stills mode.

Edit per Horshack’s data: R3 4k24p readout is 9.5ms Z9/Z8 4k24p and 8k24p readout is 14.4ms A1 4k24p readout is 8.0ms and 8k24p readout is 15.4ms

All of these numbers are substantially slower (more than double) than full readout stills mode readout.

According to the A9 datasheet, the stacked memory is disabled in video mode. The reason isn't given but power and/or thermal issues are likely. Not using the stacked memory means the camera has to move frames from the sensor to memory over the traditional (and slower) LVS interface, hence much slower readouts and poor rolling shutter performance for video.

Slower readout for video vs stills is nearly universal for stacked sensors on all the cameras I've measured and the disparity is very large. The only exception is the OM-1, although its video performance indicates it may not be fully oversampling the sensor so its faster readout could be a result of subsampling.

Here's my GitHub project that measures both the stills and video readout rates for many cameras:

https://horshack-dpreview.github.io/RollingShutter/

@MikeRan and @Horshack - Thank you, most excellent responses...

BTW I used to get Rolling Shutter numbers from here (and contributed some videos): https://www.dvxuser.com/threads/measuring-rolling-shutter-put-a-number-on-this-issue.307186/ Alas seems to have stopped being updated as of late 2020... but might have some interesting numbers still...

@Richard Butler: Artifacts, such as missing lines/section on LED displays depends largely on the scan rate of the display itself. It's still a bit like pointing a camera at a CRT, if you're at a high shutter speed, you're going to get lines, global shutter or no.

That's true. I believe a lot of the LED sign boards refresh globally, rather than progressively, so the artifacts we've seen as particularly prominent on stacked sensor progressive sensors are a capture rate issue, rather than a display rate issue. But I guess we'll find out now the a9 III is in wider use.

So, they copied the OM System OM-1 and offer it at 3x the price. Nice.

Yeah… that’s what they did…. LOL… Tell me you have no clue what this is about without telling me…

Talking about not having a clue, your expertise in that matter is impressive.

Dpreview has a side-by-side camera comparison tool. Give it a go? Look at: drive , sync speed, sensor size, its fun!

https://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=sony_a9iii&products=omsystem_om1ii

Yes, three times the price, but you are also getting 4 times the sensor size!

Are DR, low ISO and high ISO performances 1 stop behind the competition? So Z9 can use 1 stop faster shutter speed than A9 III with a similar lens? That EVF looks great on paper. Does it look as sharp and bright as rivals? Are optics improved as well? I remember that my A7R III had very good EVF on paper but Eos R and Z6 had much clearer and brighter EVFs. Maybe Sony has improved EVF?

Brightness-and-optics wise, I had no EVF complaints, myself. But I sometimes found myself disappointed in detail / resolution while shooting (though playback, which is always at full-resolution, looks amazing). I didn't unfortunately have sufficient time with the camera to exhaustively test each viewfinder setting and compare / contrast them quantitatively, but I just wasn't 'wowed' by the viewfinder in a way that I thought 9+ million dots of resolution could provide, even set to lower refresh speeds.

YMMV, but my favorite EVF continues to be the Z9 (in spite of its resolution and refresh rate 'disadvantage'), followed by the R3 (also excellent clarity and smoothness, but with more visual clutter as a result of the information presented by the autofocus system...this may have been updated with firmware and / or there may be more optimal settings to use that I wasn't able to experiment with at the time).

In short, and as is often the case, the spec sheets don't tell the whole story.

The a9 III's base ISO is 2.0EV higher than the Z9s, so you can potentially get up to two stops of IQ improvement (noise and DR) in circumstances where you can use a slower shutter speed.

In situations where you need ISO 250, there's not a lot of difference.

At very high ISOs there's up to a stop difference so you could potentially use a shutter speed that's up to a stop faster if you want the same noise. But I'd expect freezing action to be more relevant than noise performance in terms of picking shutter speed, in most instances.

"But I'd expect freezing action to be more relevant than noise performance in terms of picking shutter speed, in most instances." So at the same shutter speed at high ISOs, A9 III will have at least 1 stop more noise, which also means Z9 can stop the same action with a better image quality.

I think the effective buffer capacity should be measured in reviews for high-speed cameras like this, ie the buffer capacity + buffer clearing rate = effective FPS when the buffer is full. For example, David Clark on FM found the A9 III's 120fps mode dropped to 5fps when the buffer is full:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1856860/

That’s a puzzling result (kind of related to the discussion we had a few days ago). The 120FPS slows to 22FPS and then later slows to 5FPS…. If the buffer can clear 236 frames in 11 seconds (22FPS), then why does the camera need to slow down further to 5FPS?

It’s bizarre.

@Mike, The OP of that thread wondered the same. I'm thinking it's caused by the additional bandwidth or processing demands of the new incoming frames at the same time the camera is processing previously deposited frames. Those new incoming frames consume bus/DRAM bandwidth.

@Mike, Btw, there are several additional experiments that could be performed to tease out the cause but the OP wasn't very receptive to some of my suggestions.

Personally, I would miss not having a top plate display....the basics: ISO, Shutter speed and Aperture. Surprised Sony left this off.

I am glad that someone else feels that way. The absence of that particular feature is the single most important reason I did not opt for Sony when they started the industry-wide FF hybrid migration. I cannot imagine living without having permanent visibility of key exposure data. I like the screen on the Nikon Z8/9 or Leica SL2/3 for example, but the best of the best is the "always on" screen offered by Fujifilm on its latest GFX bodies: very high legibility, all key data visible even when camera is powered off (with no discernible impact on battery life), etc, etc. In my personal case, I opted for retro knobs and dials to get permanent sight of exposure triad settings (Nikon Zf), but that is because I am an old hipster. Why Sony skipped that top screen feature is a real mystery.

You shouldn’t be surprised. No other Sony mirrorless camera has that. You absolutely get used to not having it. It’s on the EVF and in the viewfinder always. If you think having that information available in a third location is a requirement, then yeah this camera probably isn’t for you.

I use the rear display for that, never missed it. Of course, you are entitled to have your own opinion. But I have to admit that I feel people tend to make a bit too much fuss about details that definitely never kept me from getting a good image - if it wasn't good there were other reasons. But maybe when you used a camera where you had to cock the shutter and pull out a dark slide yourself gets things in perspective, similar to how camping in a tent suddenly makes tap water turn out to be pure luxury.

I’m surprised you’re just noticing this about Sony mirrorless cameras now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not a Sony user, I never realized none of their cams have that. I'm just thinking about when you are out on the street, being able to take a quick glance down at the dedicated display while not losing awareness of your surroundings is handy.

Yep. I angle the camera down slightly as I rotate my head down to look and I have a very clear view of the LCD screen. My wrist can handle that task easily, and my brain is advanced enough to move my head and my wrist at the same time.

@MikeRan I know full well all that info and more is available on the back screen and through the EVF, and I have often used those for that purpose on cameras with poor or no top plate LCD (my current Ricoh GRIII is a prime example). That is precisely the reason why I appreciate well designed top plate LCDs all the more. The back screen (and the EVF) show the scene about to be photographed, with the shooting data as an overlay, spread across the screen's surface. That makes it often hard to read and to focus on with a single glance. I know you can select to see only such data on those screens, but then you have to switch between display modes to actually frame a picture. I find all that fiddly. A well designed, contrasty, top plate screen allows to see all the key shooting data (and only that data) with a one tenth of a second glance, before you even consider taking a picture. I understand Sony users are accustomed to Sony's UI, and happy with that. I am not.

@JacquesBalthazar: I use the screen with just the data on the back screen, not showing the scene. I use the screen with the scene plus data overlay only when I don't or can't use the EVF for composing. The data-only screen is quite readable for my taste. I would be happy with a third, top-plate, display but not if it would make the camera larger or more crammed. I'm happy that Sony offers my preferred compromise. If other people prefer differently there are manufacturers offering that, so everybody should be happy.

On the Sony cameras the basic information like aperture, iso, and shutter speed is NOT an overlay. It is below the frame on a black background. So there is no trouble to read it against a busy image.

The aspect ratio of the LCD screen is such that the 3:2 aspect ratio of the photo leaves a strip of unused LCD where the key information is located.

@MikeRan: "Yep. I angle the camera down slightly as I rotate my head down to look and I have a very clear view of the LCD screen. My wrist can handle that task easily, and my brain is advanced enough to move my head and my wrist at the same time."

By golly, I can do that as well, but I still prefer looking at the top plate. To each their own :)

I’d miss having the controls that a top-plate display would displace.

I check the settings in the EVF or on the rear screen - haven’t missed a top plate display, ever (I have used cameras with them).

IMHO, the top lcd is just a relic from the film era that was carried over and still useful on DSLR, but redundant on mirrorless. I personally believe it’s something that some companies continue to carry over only to appease old schoolers, as they have that lineage and legacy of users that they have to keep happy. Anytime canon or Nikon makes a dramatic change or tries something new, they get pushback from many of their longtime users. Sony didn’t have that baggage so they were free to design their system from scratch with the Alpha.

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Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Ending Explained

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Hellblade 2: How to Save the Game

Senua's saga: hellblade 2 - how to solve freyslaug village puzzle, senua's saga: hellblade 2 - how to get alternative narrators.

Spoilers for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 ahead.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 had big shoes to fill from the very beginning, as it serves as a sequel to a critically praised, award-winning game. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was popular with players due to its incredible depiction of mental illness and psychosis. As the sequel aims to tell a story that pulls the narrative away from Senua's struggles, it may leave players feeling like the story of the newer release isn't as hard-hitting or willing to explore the "darkness" of one's own mind. However, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 does stick the landing, as it ends up using sympathy and understanding to conclude its story in a way that forces gamers to think about the ending's connotations.

Whereas Senua's Sacrifice was about inner peace and the acceptance of how grief and abuse can shape a person, Senua's Saga could be seen as representing the idea that one has to help themselves before they can help others. While Hellblade 2 's different narrators may see things differently, this rings true for the story from Senua's perspective.

Hellblade 2 players wondering how to save the game manually may be disappointed to learn that it's not actually possible.

What Happens in the Ending of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

No matter what difficulty players pick in Hellblade 2 , the outcome is still the same. The Hiddenfolk reveal to Senua that Tyrant used fear and lies to control his people by creating the giants. Acknowledging the similarities between Tyrant and gothi, Senua fights him one on one, aiming to kill him. However, reality fades away, and a new path opens before Senua as she questions what it makes her if she kills the leader of Borgarviki.

The Meaning of the Final Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Cutscene

As players take control of Senua during her fight against gothi, the leader comments about how she too craves the power of a leader. This makes her muse on her father and the fact that despite facing the abuse he put her through in the first Hellblade installment , he still lingers within her. This causes Senua to hesitate on delivering the final blow, and she ends up trapped between two options in her mind.

Killing gothi to become her father's daughter and rule through power, keeping her peoples' belief in her alive "no matter the cost" by letting go of her shadows and doubt.
Defying the fate her mind says is destiny to spare gothi, choosing to listen to the company she now keeps and leaning on them for support.

Why Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Leaves Players With an Open Ending

While most of Hellblade 2 avoids gameplay that belongs in Senua's mind , the ending doubles down on it. The game wraps up with two profound quotes rather than anything definite. "Her story is not yet written. There is always a choice." Players aren't left with the concrete information on whether Senua killed gothi or not, even though it's heavily implied she didn't, and what direction Senua takes appears to be open to interpretation.

Senua herself makes it seem somewhat obvious she'll choose to spare the leader given how distraught she gets when admitting it's easy to walk in her father's footsteps. With how clear the answer seems to be, it begs the question as to why the player doesn't witness her growth come to a head and make Senua into a glorious leader that differs greatly from her father. Perhaps it is open to interpretation because Ninja Theory aims to let the message of this game linger with fans.

Both Hellblade Games Hold Important Messages Within Their Gameplay

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 seems to bring home a theme of how people can only help others once they've helped themselves. In that regard, "there is always a choice" may serve to remind players that when it seems that their only option is to be cruel, they can still choose to be kind. Of course, this is only one of several meanings that can be inferred, which will likely be personal and different between fans and which parts of the story resonate with them the most. It's an experience best judged and understood personally, much like the original Hellblade was.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Ninja Theory's highly anticipated sequel, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, will continue Senua's journey, with the story rumored to be set in Iceland. The PC, Xbox Series X/S game will be launching directly on Game Pass.

When does the College World Series start? Top teams set their sights on Omaha

College baseball's best teams are preparing for the 2024 NCAA baseball tournament, with the ultimate goal of reaching the College World Series in Omaha.

Top-ranked Tennessee, which has held the spot in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll for 29 of the 31 weeks this season, figures to be the odds-on favorite to reach the championship series. But the tournament is always full of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

The full field of 64 teams will be revealed Monday, with the top 16 schools hosting four-team regionals. The winners move on to the super regionals, which will trim the field to the elite eight schools advancing to Omaha.

When does College World Series start?

The NCAA Division I baseball tournament begins with the regionals , hosted by the top 16 overall seeds, from May 31-June 3.

The winners advance to the super regionals, held June 7-9 and June 8-10.

The eight super regional champions advance to Omaha for the Men's College World Series. Double-elimination play begins June 14, with the best-of-3 College World Series final June 22, 23 and 24 (if necessary).

Where is College World Series played?

The Men's College World Series will be contested at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

The MCWS has been held in Omaha since 1950, the majority of the time at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. In 2011, the tournament moved to Charles Schwab Field, which has a seating capacity of 24,000 and can be expanded to 35,000.

Who won the 2023 College World Series?

LSU defeated Florida 18-4 in Game 3 of last year's College World Series final in Omaha, Nebraska, for its seventh national championship in program history.

Pitcher Paul Skenes was named the tournament's most outstanding player and outfielder Dylan Crews went 4-for-6 in the final to reach base in all 71 of the Tigers' games during the season. The pair made history later by becoming the first teammates to be selected first and second overall in the MLB draft.

IMAGES

How To Write A Good Conclusion
Best Tips and Help on How to Write a Conclusion for Your Essay
Best Tips and Help on How to Write a Conclusion for Your Essay
Writing a Conclusion
Guide to Writing Conclusions
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COMMENTS

How to End a Story: The 6 Ways All Stories End
6. Expanded Ending. Also known as an epilogue, this type of ending describes what happens to the world of the story afterward in a way that hints at the characters' fates at some point in the future. Example: In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, Death himself narrates the story of a young girl living in Nazi Germany.
How to Write a Conclusion [& End Your Book The Right Way]
Usually, the easiest and most compelling way to begin the conclusion is by referring back to one (or more) of them. Or you can add another dimension to a story you already told or tie up loose ends. 2. Restate the book's mission/thesis. This is pretty simple, but make sure you restate the book's thesis.
How to End a Short Story: Crafting A Satisfying Conclusion
The best Ways To End A Short Story. 1. A Cliffhanger. A cliffhanger ending leaves the story unresolved, the end still leaves an aura of suspense, and it is said to be cliff-hanging. This plot device is used to compel the readers to anxiously wait for or, if it's already published, rush for the story's next installment.
How to Write an Effective Story Conclusion in 6 Steps
5. Check the consistency. 6. Edit and polish. 7. Here's what else to consider. Writing an effective story conclusion is a crucial skill for any storyteller, whether you are a novelist, a ...
How to End a Short Story
End on an image or line of dialogue: A memorable image or line of dialogue can leave a lasting impression on the reader. Consider ending your story on a line of dialogue or an evocative image that encapsulates the story's themes or provides a memorable conclusion to the narrative. Create resonance: The best endings resonate with the reader ...
How to Write a Good Ending for a Story: 8 Tips for Success
1. Identify the parts of your story. Your story will have a beginning that introduces your characters, setting, and conflict. The middle of the story will include rising tension, complications, and your characters' reactions to the conflict. Finally, the end will detail the resolution of your conflict and the aftermath.
Conclusions
The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on the significance of your findings. Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or ...
How to End a Story
Here are a few basic ones to get you started. 1. The "happily ever after" ending. The classic, feel-good ending. Disney is the master at this. Every character meets their goals (except for the villain, of course), the romantic couple gets together (they might even get married), and you finish the story feeling like you can accomplish anything.
Conclusions
Highlight the "so what". At the beginning of your paper, you explain to your readers what's at stake—why they should care about the argument you're making. In your conclusion, you can bring readers back to those stakes by reminding them why your argument is important in the first place. You can also draft a few sentences that put ...
Narrative Essay Conclusion
A narrative essay tells a story from the writer's point of view. One of the critical components of a narrative essay is the conclusion or the ending to the story. This conclusion works with all ...
How to End a Story: 7 Different Kinds of Endings
4. Ambiguous ending. The purpose of an ambiguous ending is to make your readers think. Like an unresolved ending, ambiguous story endings leaves some lingering questions at the end of the book. The difference is that with an unresolved ending, the reader needs to wait to get the answers from the writer later on.
Writing a Good Story Conclusion
Writing a good conclusion to a story requires some skill. The ending is the final and most powerful point of a story. There, the struggle is resolved, and the meaning or central theme becomes clear to the reader. An effective ending or conclusion comes from the main character resolving the central problem or conflict.
How to Write a Conclusion for Your Next Writing Project
Level Up Your Team. See why leading organizations rely on MasterClass for learning & development. Conclusions are at the end of nearly every form of writing. A good conclusion paragraph can change a reader's mind when they reach the end of your work, and knowing how to write a thorough, engaging conclusion can make your writing more impactful.
Ending the Essay: Conclusions
The conclusion might make the new but related point that the novel on the whole suggests that such an integration is (or isn't) possible. Finally, some advice on how not to end an essay: Don't simply summarize your essay. A brief summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long--more than ten pages or so.
Conclusion
A conclusion is the last paragraph of an essay. It occurs after the body paragraphs have said what they have to say. It is comprised of three important elements: The first element, the rephrasing of the thesis statement, is to remind readers about the topic discussed in the essay. It usually breaks the thesis statement into three parts, and put ...
100 Ways to End a Story (with examples)
Uses the "in media res" technique to go out on a high point, rather than dribble to a conclusion; Extend the reader's imagination beyond the story, so they finish hungry for more, and curious about the future of the storyline. It keeps the story alive, rather than closing it off. Examples: "Lie back, Michael, my sweet."
Tips On How To Write A Creative Story Conclusion
2. Let The End Be Felt. 3. Pass A Message Across To The Readers. 4. Leave Your Readers On A Cliffhanger. Final Note. Writing an excellent conclusion is more challenging than it looks. The ending of a story can be challenging to write because it has to wrap up the entire plot, leaving no loose ends.
How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay (Examples Included!)
Also read: How to Write a Thesis Statement. 2. Tying together the main points. Tying together all the main points of your essay does not mean simply summarizing them in an arbitrary manner. The key is to link each of your main essay points in a coherent structure. One point should follow the other in a logical format.
How to Conclude an Essay
Step 1: Return to your thesis. To begin your conclusion, signal that the essay is coming to an end by returning to your overall argument. Don't just repeat your thesis statement —instead, try to rephrase your argument in a way that shows how it has been developed since the introduction. Example: Returning to the thesis.
Resolution of a Story: How to Write the Resolution of a Story
Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Aug 12, 2021 • 3 min read. The resolution of a story ties the narrative arc together. Learn more about the key elements of a story's resolution, examples of resolutions, and how to write your own ending.
How to Write a Conclusion (With Tips and Examples)
1. Restate the thesis. An effective conclusion brings the reader back to the main point, reminding the reader of the purpose of the essay. However, avoid repeating the thesis verbatim. Paraphrase your argument slightly while still preserving the primary point. 2. Reiterate supporting points.
Reading Comprehension Strategy #4: Drawing Conclusions
Today's post in our reading comprehension series is about drawing conclusions by going beyond the words on the page. When a reader collects clues from the text, they can make a variety of types of educated guesses that help them understand what they are reading. It allows them to draw out more information from the text and understand humor.
Nvidia Stock Is Splitting 10-For-1: What It Means And How To Profit
Conclusion Investors can expect the usual instant access and potential price increases with the 10-for-1 stock split that Nvidia announced and which will go live on June 10.
What we know about the helicopter crash that killed Iran's president
What's next for Iran? First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has been named interim president. Here are key moments in the life of Raisi , who had been a fixture of Iran's hard-line ...
How 'The Good Doctor' Series Finale Handled Dr. Glassman's Death
Shore and executive producer Liz Friedman helped us dissect the show's last episode, including how the shortened 10-episode final season impacted its conclusion, why Claire was the past cast ...
8 Biggest Ways One Piece Is Netflix's Perfect Cobra Kai Replacement
Cobra Kai is ending with season 6, and One Piece live-action is surprisingly the perfect replacement for Netflix's Karate Kid legacy series. After five seasons of rivalries and tournaments, Cobra Kai season 6 feels like a natural conclusion to the show. There cannot be higher stakes than a global karate competition, not to mention how all characters are now fighting for the same side.
Post Office Inquiry latest: Paula Vennells told she is talking
Paula Vennells has finished giving evidence on her final day of questioning. The ex-Post Office boss broke down in tears after being told she was "talking rubbish". She was also accused of being ...
Sony a9 III in-depth review: Digital Photography Review
Conclusion. The a9 III pairs the fastest full-frame sensor available with the most dependable AF system and an increasingly sophisticated set of professional workflow tools. There's a slight image quality price to be paid for this speed but it's minor in comparison to the performance the camera brings, overall.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Ending Explained
However, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 does stick the landing, as it ends up using sympathy and understanding to conclude its story in a way that forces gamers to think about the ending's connotations ...
When is 2024 College World Series? Schedule, history on road to Omaha
The winners advance to the super regionals, held June 7-9 and June 8-10. The eight super regional champions advance to Omaha for the Men's College World Series. Double-elimination play begins June ...