An End Worth Waiting For by Deborah Lytton - September Theme

The best endings stay with us long after we've closed a book.  Sometimes I have to confess I might even read them over several times (or more) just to savor them.  To me, a great ending is one which gives a reader what we hope for, but also adds something else, something unexpected to the closing sentences of the book.  Finding the balance between fulfilling the promise made in the opening pages without being completely predictable is difficult and something I strive to do every time I write a manuscript.  I hope to write the kind of ending that makes a reader sigh and hug the book.  The only way I know to do this is to continue to push myself to grow as an author, to challenge myself to open my imagination to taking the road less traveled and to rewriting until it's just right. 
One of my secret weapons is chocolate.

The other is The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler.

Mr. Vogler bases his work on Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces which breaks down stories into the patterns that connect all stories together.  In using the analysis set forth in Mr. Vogler's work, I am able to see where the mistakes in my stories can be fixed, and most importantly, how to create a powerful and long-lasting ending.  What are your secrets to creating the perfect ending?