We're nearing the finishing line. The lead is perfect, the hook really hooks and you know your words flow seamlessly, the only thing left to sort out is the ending.

Too many beginners tend to rush this part of the article. They see the word limit approaching and just squeeze in a short ending sentence to bring the piece to an end. Now, whilst endings don't have to be long, they do have to be good.

But what makes a good ending?

A good ending leaves the reader feeling satisfied and pleased that they've read the article. Endings should not be so abrupt as to make them feel as if the magazine has failed to print the last fifty words, nor should they ramble on aimlessly recapping what the article has already covered. Your ending should not feel as if it has been 'tagged' on to the end of the article. Just like the rest of your article, it should flow seamlessly, following on logically from what has gone before.

But how should you construct your ending?

Generally speaking there are two ways of ending your article:

• The chronological end of this story
• Using your hook to provide the ending.

However, the most effective way of ending your article is to look at the hook you developed and use this to end your article. You can do this in two ways:

• Completing the circle: resolving the issue presented in your hook.
• Un-hooking the hook: answering the question posed in your hook.

These are, perhaps, the most satisfying of all endings. They enable you and your readers to re-visit the issue introduced in the hook and to review what they've learned about it having read the article. They are also very easy to write in that you can think about the ending when you are focussing in on your article and developing the outline of what you will cover.

Here are two sample hooks from last time and appropriate endings we could use to illustrate the completing the circle ending.

Hook Type 1. An article looking at how to reduce the likelihood of your children developing food allergies. The Hook: But can you actually do anything to reduce the chances of your child developing a food allergy?

The Ending: Yes, food allergies are on the rise. Statistics show that they have doubled in the past ten years and scientists fear that this increase shows no signs of abating. But now you know how to reduce the risk of your child developing a food allergy, hopefully your child will not be one of these statistics.

Hook Type 2. As I emerged onto the street behind the crowds queuing for Madame Tussauds, and my eyes slowly adjusted to the glare of the sun, I felt slightly superior to my fellow tourists. I had seen the real London. The Ending: As I climbed the last few steps back into daylight, I caught the eyes of a man standing at the 'one hour to wait' mark for Madame Tussauds. I walked over to him. I couldn't not tell him about what he was missing.

This sort of ending can also be used to confirm to your reader that they have in fact learned something from your article, as in this ending from a travel article at Timetravel-britain.com about English dialects.

In Mockney ‘well’ is used to mean very, as in this article was ‘well good’. So in conclusion and I hope by now you can translate it, I’d like to say ’appen tha’ll agree wi’them. I hope tha has a reet grand trip and tha’s made up with it. As for me, am gan yam.

Un-hooking the hook endings.

These are very useful if you have posed a question in your hook and answered it in your article. Your ending should confirm that you have answered the question and again provide your reader with a sense of satisfaction on finishing the article.

Again let's look at two hooks we used last time to illustrate how they can be used.

The Hook: Is the increase in allergies in any way linked to our increased use of chemicals around the home? Could it be that by cleaning our homes we are killing our children?

The Ending: While some scientists remain skeptical of the hygiene hypothesis (explained in article), they cannot rule it out as a possible trigger for allergies. I know one thing for certain. Mrs. X won't be using any more anti-bacterial cleaners in her home, and after talking to her, I don't think I will be either.

The Hook: But you don't need to go to the gym to get these benefits; you can exercise effectively at your desk. The Ending: So, go on, before you reach for that digestive, reach up and stretch your abs instead. You know your bank balance and your body will feel better for it.

A piece about how to buy great Christmas presents might begin with a scene setting sentence such as: "Do you dread Christmas morning? Many of us, it seems, prefer Christmas Eve to the day itself. Why? Because on Christmas Eve, those beautifully wrapped presents under the tree are a source of wonder and excitement. On Christmas morning they're just another bunch of uninspired and often unwanted gifts.

The Ending: Now you know how to buy the perfect gift, you can be sure that your family and friends will be just as excited about their presents on Christmas Day as they were on Christmas Eve.

But if you're running out of space, a quick ending can be just as efficient. Such as: "Now you know how to write endings, you'll know I'm going to stop here."

Copyright © Dawn Copeman 2006

For more advice on how to create better articles, particularly how to write titles and subheads visit: www.writing-world.com/basics/titles.shtml and www.writing-world.com/basics/subheads.shtml.