Self-Editing Tips: The End

Today let’s take a look at the ending you wrote for your nonfiction picture book.

But before we examine the end, let’s look back at the beginning.

How did you start your picture book?

With a question? With a bold statement? With an inspirational introduction? In the middle of a high-action scene?

One very satisfying way to wrap up a picture book is to end it in a similar way you began.

For example:

If you started with a question, bring up the question again and in a brief recap, show how it was answered.

Your beginning:

Did you know blue whales are the largest mammals on planet earth?

Your ending:

So how big is a blue whale? They’re the biggest mammals of all!

If you started with a bold statement, tie your ending back to that same bold statement.

Your beginning:

Frederick Douglass was the Dr. Martin Luther King of the Civil War era.

Your ending:

Frederick Douglass paved the way in his generation for Dr. King and the American Civil Rights Movement.

Using this technique to tie your ending back into your beginning leaves your reader with a high level of satisfaction as he turns to the last page of your book.