Describing ionic bonding

Describe the bonding found in NaCl
Sodium has a electron arrangement of (2,8,1) and chlorine has an electon arrangement of (2,8,7). When atoms react they either exchange valence electrons to form ionic bonds of they share electrons to form covalent bonds.
When a sodium atom reacts with a chlorine atom the sodium atom transfers it valence electron to the chlorine atom to form Na+ (2,8) and Cl- (2,8,8). By doing this both atoms achieve a full valence shell and so are stable.
The Na+ and Cl- ions are electrostatically attracted to each other and form a very strong ionic bond.