It's hands-down the most dreaded part of a book. It's even more dreaded than admitting a fan favorite is dead and not coming back again.

It's also the most difficult. How will the story end? Does it justify the story's journey? Does it work? Does it leave the people wanting more? Does it lead into a sequel or the start of more books?

Is your head spinning right now? 

That's how authors feel from time to time.

If you don't know the endgame right off the bat, don't sweat it. Sometimes, you just don't know how the story is going to end. Will the OC beat the odds? Will he/she end up with their love interest? Or will they end up like most people in Supernatural and get killed off?

Sometimes, it doesn't hit you over the head right away. Best advice for that? Write the story and see where it takes you. The deeper you get into the story, the ending will become clear.

If you know your endgame beforehand, awesome. Use it as inspiration. The goal is to get from Point A to Point B. Use Point B as fuel for the path.

There's no rush to get to the end. If you know your endgame but still aren't sure of the specifics, there's no need to figure it out right away. Don't stress yourself early. Just focus on the plot, and the specifics will fall into place. 

Trust me, you'll know your ending. It'll dawn on you. 

If you can't wait to get to the end, then write it out! Already know how the story will end? Write it out! It can always be revisited and revised if plans change. That's the beauty about drafts and editing :) But don't let this ending dictate your story.

When writing, nothing is set in stone. 

Stuck? Think it through. Reflect on the story. Where does it ultimately lead? A happy ending? Sad ending? Open-ended? Don't pressure yourself to figure it out right this second, you may not like the ending you choose early on.

It's okay to not have a happy ending. *cue boos and hisses* I've actually learned this from a classmate in my Creative Writing class years ago. Her stories were never lighthearted and didn't have happy endings. Somehow that's stuck with me.

So, yes, it's okay to not have a happy ending. (And yes I'm far too guilty of writing less than happy endings. Just ask the admins, or my readers.)

Don't write the ending your audience wants. Unless your story is one where the readers dictate what happens. Otherwise, you write the ending you pictured. And don't think about changing it just because your audience doesn't agree with it. You can't please everyone.

Don't let the ending be obvious throughout the story. Throw your readers off balance. Make them go in different directions. Keep 'em guessing. Fake foreshadowing is a really useful tool here. (Also guilty of this.)

Got a basic endgame, but don't know how to finish the story off? Well, it depends on what kind of ending you're striving for. 

If it's a dramatic ending, make it in dramatic fashion. Tap into your inner darkness and unleash the feels. How do you know the ending is effective? If you end up being brought to tears by the ending, odds are your readers most definitely will be.

If it's the apple pie ending, embrace your fuzzy feels and let them all out. (Just try to not make it too too cheesy, sometimes too much is, well, too much.)

Can't do just one ending? Do alternates! Multiple endings have you pulled in 1,000 directions? Can't settle on scrapping a few other endings for that perfect one? Write them all out! Pick the ending you feel fits best, and then use the others as alternate endings (bonus chapters). It gives the readers who don't like the original ending something else to like towards the end. 

I can say as an author who has done alternate endings to some of her stories, the readers like it. 

Hopefully, this has helped y'all in some way :) Peace out, my angels