Kickers
Lots of writers have asked me over the years about the best way to write endings, or kickers, to their stories. This is an especially difficult question to answer when you’re telling a depressing story. How can you leave your readers with something other than an utter sense of hopelessness?
And, given the seriousness of, say, global environmental threats, should you even try to do that?
My answer is yes.
As to the how, whenever possible try to find a life-affirming aspect to whatever story you are telling, and close with that. It takes some additional reporting and some hard thinking to locate the set of facts or perspectives that may allow readers to absorb all of the bad news and still feel empowered to go on, better informed about dangers, but not necessarily bereft of hope.
Endings are as natural as beginnings. At the very end of my own stories, I like to find something to leave readers with that can encourage them to find even a small piece of inspiration going forward.
If only a joke from The Onion.
(I published the first version of this short essay 19 years ago.)
HEADLINES:
US and Iran begin peace talks in Pakistan, according to Iranian state media (CNN)
Vance departs for talks in Pakistan, as Israel bombs Lebanon (Al Jazeera)
The high-stakes diplomacy that led to Pakistan hosting US-Iran peace talks (BBC)
The US-Iran ceasefire is under strain ahead of talks, and shippers weigh unusual routes as high air cargo rates and ocean gridlock persist. (Reuters)
Gulf states rethink security in light of US-Israel war on Iran (Guardian)
Trump started the Iran war with 5 goals. How far has he really gotten? (WP)
Fact-checking Trump and Hegseth’s claims of U.S. ‘victory’ in the Iran war (PBS)
It’s Not a TACO. It’s a Surrender. (Bulwark)
The War Is Bad. The Cease-Fire Doesn’t Exist. The Future Is Awful. (American Prospect)
China helped broker Iran truce, but it’s wary of deeper involvement (WP)
Iran war kicks US inflation into high gear after gas prices soar (AP)
European stocks end higher, defense shares tumble on Ukraine-Russia deal progress reports (CNBC)
Israel is winning wars but losing American public opinion (The Hill)
NATO Labors to Avoid Becoming Another Casualty of the Iran War (NYT)
A president and a pope: The world’s most influential Americans are at odds over Iran (AP)
Swalwell Faces Sex Assault Accusations and Calls to Quit Governor’s Race (NYT)
Every company is now a media company—and every boss a star (Economist)
U.S. Government Moves Toward Automatic Registration for Military Draft (NYT)
RFK Jr.’s CDC Delays Report Proving the Covid Vaccine Worked (TNR)
Too young for the MMR shot, babies are at high risk in measles outbreaks (AP)
Fewer and fewer older Americans are working (Axios)
What Will Humanity Do With the Moon? (Atlantic)
Artemis II Astronauts Exit Spacecraft After Successful Splashdown (NYT)
Melania Trump blasts claims about Jeffrey Epstein and her (CNBC)
Melania Trump tried to sweep the Epstein saga away, but she ended up reviving it (CNN)
At 100 days, Mamdani is already a different kind of mayor (Politico)
Meet Abi, the AI-powered robot companion for senior care (WP)
Why a ‘terrifying’ Elon Musk robot dog is roaming San Francisco (SFC)
Powell, Bessent discussed Anthropic’s Mythos AI cyber threat with major U.S. banks (CNBC)
‘How are you using AI?’ Your therapist should ask you that question, experts argue (NPR)
Is Schoolwork Optional Now? (Atlantic)
AI could vastly streamline policing. Skeptics urge caution. (WP)
MLB Rookie Still Can’t Believe The Sunflower Seeds Are Free (Onion)
David, I agree with your approach to somewhat hopeful endings for most news and investigative stories,. But, for me, essays which are persuasive in nature and are designed to have an impact, can have different endings, to accentuate that impact.
For example, in one essay I wrote entitled "To procreate on a burning, dorwning planet," I argued that nowadays, newborns, who, when they are elderly, say in the year 2100, will face rising ocean levels that will have made many, if not most, coastal cities disappear, and a world, much of which will have become a desert, where food and water will be in short supply, climate scientists warn.
So, I ended the essay like this. "One reason I never had children was not wanting to face them eventually asking me: “Dad, since I didn’t ask to be born into this world, one you knew would become increasingly unlivable, why did you put me on this hellish planet?” It’s a question that people wanting children might ask themselves, among the many others that go into making such a momentous decision."