Readers expect resolutions to the conflicts that arise during the course of a tale. Compelling narratives use literary tools like purposeful digression to create suspense and to introduce the element of surprise. The key to a good narrative is balancing the right amount of digression or tension with the right amount of progress toward the end.
A narrative structure usually progresses from a state of stasis, through a disruption of the stability, and at the end returns back to a point of equilibrium accompanied by a deeper level of understanding. "Epistemophilia," or the desire to know, is what drives readers to stay with the story. The end of a story usually provides answers to questions that are raised during the course of the narrative and especially during the period of disruption.
However, the literal ending of a story is not necessarily the answer; the answer may be cloaked in...
Narrative theory suggests that stories are dual-layered. On the surface is the level of the story itself: the events linked together by time. Below the surface is the level of discourse, which is the act and the impact of telling the story as well as how the story is actually told. Therefore, one important feature of narrative is the relationship between the narrator and the listener or reader. A narrative is not an island; it is connected to both reader and writer, listener and teller. The point-of-view of the narrator in many cases determines the tone and meaning of story: whether the story is told in first-person or third-person, for example. Moreover, a narrator may employ an "implied author" who tells the story. Narratives also imbue the teller with power and can influence the thoughts and actions of the listener, which is why political propaganda relies on stories.
