deborahjross | Kay Kenyon on Lousy Endings... (Reply)

And some suggestions on how to make them better (the whole article is here):

Connect the ending to the stakes of the story. What possible outcomes were in play in Act 2? Why did they matter? By the end we should care very much.
Make the climax resolve, deepen and reflect the MC’s (Main Character) story arc.
The outcome may in general be inevitable and obvious, but plan for it to happen in a surprising way. Work hard at this. Reverse expectations to extent possible. Make the resolution emotionally creative. Try:

The MC wins but loses something.
A supporting character reverses loyalty.
Plant the seeds of the resolution in Act 1. When we see it in Act 3, we will reconnect with the whole story all over again.
Be devious, ruthless, original, emotional. But you know, subtle!

Make sure the MC fails at exactly this same thing earlier. How else will she learn, if not from failure? Don’t make this explicit in narrative. The reader will get it if you dramatize it well.