So What Endings It’s not enough to just tell a good story. Autobiographical writing makes your reader wonder…”why did the writer include this?” Readers expect you as a writer to include WHY this event was important.

So What Endings Strong autobiographical writing reflects on: Why the subject (person, place, event) was significant Why it matter to the writer What it means to the author *At the end of your writing, your reader should be able to answer these questions*

So What Endings Important life transitions- shows the writer dealing with important life changes. A new baby A marriage Sibling moving or going to college A death in the family In writing about any important transition time of your life, the point is not so much the specific event, but rather why it was important to the writer and their life.

So What Endings How to do this??? You may have to add a few sentences or paragraph at the end of the chapter/event to explain the “so what” aspects.

Example of So What Ending Bobby was baby number five. He sat in the playpen happy as pie like he had no idea what was coming, which of course he didn’t. How could he? How could any of us? Bobby seemed no different from the rest of us—he ate, slept, played, argued, laughed, watched TV, took baths, rode the school bus, complained about having to go to church. But he wasn’t like the rest of us. Bobby never got the chance to grow up. In his last year of high school he was killed in a car accident. When he was little I remember walking into the kitchen and seeing his head through the slats in the playpen. The front of his shirt was soaked with drool. Mom said he was cutting his first tooth but he seemed content, talking to himself as he turned the crank on his jack-in-the-box. I tried to sneak past but Bobby saw me and made a loud sound, extending his little arms straight up into the air like: touchdown! Which meant: Pick me up! I’m a sucker for that move. No possible way I could ignore it. “Okay, hold your horses, hold your horses,” I told him. Bending down, I grabbed him firmly under both armpits, and he made a happy gurgling sound, like a baby’s idea of a song, as I lifted his soft little body into my arms. He was a real good baby, and a terrific brother. Not a day goes by that I don’t’ miss him.

So What Endings Reflect on how the event fits into the larger fabric of you life. Handle delicately…do not hit your reader with, “This is important to me because…” Whisper a reflection, not shout.