: Re: Do Short Stories Need Definitive Endings? I'm looking to create a few short stories that are in a shared universe of sorts and I'm curious whether or not I need to have a definitive ending

@Kevin153

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I'm a big fan of ambiguous endings, when done well. The key is this: Your story doesn't have to tie up all loose ends, many, perhaps most short stories don't. But if you want people to be happy with your story, you do need to bring it to some kind of satisfying conclusion that doesn't rely on a larger context, something that makes readers feel they did not waste their time reading your story.

Of course, what counts as "satisfying" can vary largely. As with a full-length book, you build a certain "contract" with your reader in the opening of your story that affects what they will accept for an ending. If you begin with "once upon a time," readers will expect you to end "happily ever after" --or to justify why not. If you begin in the middle of the action, readers will be more inclined to let you end there. For many short stories, it's enough to fulfill your contract to show your main character going through some significant shift, or experiencing some memorable triumph or defeat.

One of the best written short stories I know is Murakami's "100% Perfect Girl", which has both a frame story and a story within the story. If you read it carefully, you'll see how explicitly he prepares you for how both stories end, which is part of how a story with such an ambiguous ending can still feel so satisfying.

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