: Re: What are key features and pacing in a satisfying ending to a science fiction novel? My novel has been through multiple drafts and beta reads, and by and large is in good shape. I've learned

@Eichhorn147

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I recently finished the second rough draft of my fantasy novel. It's not science fiction, but I think arcs and stories have unifying aspects (especially sci-fi and fantasy).

Now, take my words with a grain of salt, because until I'm published, I cannot claim to be a professional, but these are the things I kept in mind when writing my final chapter:

What plot points remain unresolved, and what makes sense to be resolved in this chapter given the situation? Conversely, what mysteries are best left unsolved? If you intend to resolve something, it's best not to open fifty more questions with your answer, but sometimes you don't need to try an answer anything at all.
What conflicts remain? How can this best be explored and established in this last opportunity?
What themes have my novel been trying to explore? Any aspect of said theme that was opened/discussed in the first chapter ideally can be closed here.
How did my story begin? Whatever it is, give a contrasting scene at the very end of the book, to show things coming full circle.

In my case, this came in the form of, respectively:

Discussing a long-missing figure from the secondary protagonist's past, establishing that as much as it consumed him, they were long-dead and forgotten, making the primary protagonist finally confront her neglectful mother after growing strong from her adventures, the same girl reuniting with the sister she loved and even establishing that while she had her own adventures, the sister'd been doing some growth of her own. However, certain mysteries, like the protagonist's biological father, are not resolved nor do they need to be.
The conflict between the primary protagonist and her mother remains, however this time, she can choose to back out of it (as she's allowed herself to be adopted by an attentive father figure, the secondary protagonist). However, in her attempt to forgive her mother, they instead break out into an argument when it's revealed she was only concerned about the protag's going missing because of the reputation damage she suffered as a 'bad mother'. This establishes that no, this conflict and this flaw will likely never change, but ultimately the protag's growth allows her to not care if it's resolved or not; her mother simply isn't worth it.
Themes of my novel include the idea that people can grow and change, and that the worst people aren't those that have done horrible things in their past or done things to ruin others; it's those that refuse to see the error of their ways and grow as people. Once again, I use the argument between the protag and her unchanged mother, and contrast this with how her sister (and both protags) have changed to make this theme bold and strong throughout the conclusion of the tale.
My story began with my young, overly idle protagonist trying and failing to get a lie-in because her hedonistic, sex-obsessed mother is loudly making love in the room next to hers. It ends with the protagonist excited to get practising for an archery tournament, and so she's getting an early night despite being bitten by a horse while she fed it. The reason she sleeps soundly is because of a good parental influence bandaging her hand up and making sure she's all right.

This was a bit of a ramble, but I hope I at least provided a semi-decent example of both the thought process and the output I had for formulating a good final chapter.

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