Make A Lasting Impression

An important element of writing essays and articles that many writers overlook is a powerful conclusion. A conclusion is one of the most important aspects of your essay because it is the last words your reader will receive from you. Do you want your conclusion to be forgettable or would you rather make a lasting impression on your reader?

Your conclusion is your final opportunity to drive your message home to the reader and to emphasize the most important points you wanted to make. Your conclusion is the destination that you promised your reader at the beginning of your essay. If you did not fulfill your promise then your reader is going to leave your article with a sense of disappointment.

So how do you create a great lasting impression? You must write a conclusion that is energetic, emphatic, and empathetic.

Energy is essential to a powerful conclusion. Too many writers are so glad to reach the end of their essay or article they simply throw a few blah sentences and call it a day. However these are the last words your reader will receive from you so you should spend time with careful selection and organization. Make sure to include active verbs, such as run, shout, or jump, and avoid "be" verbs such as am, are, is, was, were, been, being, etc. Also use strong, active descriptive nouns to strengthen your conclusion. Instead of writing: she was worried, you could write: The worried mother paced the length of the waiting room.

A powerful conclusion should also emphasize the main point the writer wants to make. Remind the reader of your thesis and draw the discussion to a close. Remember that your conclusion should deliver on the promise made in your introduction. All questions should be answered and all points should be supported by this point.

Finally, a conclusion should be empathetic. Have you given your reader something to care about? Have you given your writing emotion? Humans reason and think but often emotion has the greatest impact on our decisions and actions. Politicians and sales people know this and so do effective writers. If you want your conclusion to have an effect on your audience then you must create a sense of empathy with your ideas.

Knowing the three essential elements to a powerful, effective, and compelling conclusion does not mean every writer can instantly deliver one. Even experienced writers know that planning and experimentation are key to creating a compelling conclusion that delivers all the essential elements as well as matches the tone and mood of the introduction and body of the essay. The more you practice writing effective conclusions the easier it will be to deliver a satisyfing ending to your reader.

Deanna Mascle shares more writing tips and advice at Word Craft