Writing the end early on

[EmilyMiller]

I find this often helps me a lot.

If I’m struggling with what next? - or lacking motivation to keep writing - or not sure that I’m hitting my objectives for the story - I often go to the end and write at least some of it. I mean actually write, I already often have a outline.

This seems to clear the cobwebs away, lets me better understand what to focus on in the narrative, how to better shape the plot, and gives me the motivation of some text to link up to. It can also give me a more detailed understanding of what the story is about.

Do any of you do the same?

 

[SimonDoom]

I often write the end of the story -- the last sentence, or the last few paragraphs -- before I have written much of my story. I find it very helpful as a way of giving my story a focus. If I know the note on which my story will end, then I have a better sense of what notes to write to get me there.

 

[Privates1stClass]

I think knowing how my story ends makes it easier to fill in the blanks from the introduction to the end I've decided on. However, there have been times that I've changed my mind about the end, because as I'm writing the middle, I've had a few more thoughts about how to end it. That happened recently during my writing of my story, A Natural History of Testicles. https://www.literotica.com/s/a-natural-history-of-testicles

 

[EmilyMiller]

I think knowing how my story ends makes it easier to fill in the blanks from the introduction to the end I've decided on. However, there have been times that I've changed my mind about the end, because as I'm writing the middle, I've had a few more thoughts about how to end it. That happened recently during my writing of my story, A Natural History of Testicles. https://www.literotica.com/s/a-natural-history-of-testicles

There is a difference between knowing the end (or indeed having written some notes about it) and actually writing a chunk of the end - like 2,000 words.

And yes, I’ve often gone and changed the pre-written ending to accommodate my ideas evolving.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

One of the greatest advantages that we have today over authors of yore, is that we are not constrained to writing in a sequential or linear fashion.

It's not only the end, but it's any scene within the story that we can switch over to and write when we get stuck someplace else. Everyone benefits when the take advantage of this.

 

[PrincessArianrhod]

I don't generally have any idea what the end will be until I crash into it.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Even authors of yore had multiple sheets of paper they could put together in any order! (my A-level homework comes to mind...)

I do often draft the end early on, and then whatever middle bits take my fancy - it's often hard to tell what needs to be at the beginning until the rest exists. And my beta readers often tell me I've still got that wrong (half the time I even agree!)

If someone needs to die, then I need to write that first before writing and getting to know them. I have one draft set 10 years before a published story, when a guy has been a widower for 5 years. So the draft needs his wife there, or probably fiancée if it's just before the wedding. It feels most uncomfortable writing someone into detailed existence who is going to be dead later.

 

[Writer61]

Not immediately, but I often do when I am struggling to make progress somewhere in the middle.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I've done it once or twice. Not a regular thing.

 

[peregrinecat]

More or less. I really only write short-form smut (~1500-4000 words), but I'll have ideas for specific dialogue or actions so I'll put those in later in the doc and then when I get stuck I just work on connecting the dots between the bits.

 

[EmilyMiller]

More or less. I really only write short-form smut (~1500-4000 words), but I'll have ideas for specific dialogue or actions so I'll put those in later in the doc and then when I get stuck I just work on connecting the dots between the bits.

Yeah - this is more a novella / novel thing for me.

 

[StillStunned]

I've very rarely skipped ahead to the ending but I sometimes write "towards" a scene.

But just the other day I wrote a 1k word scene that will be part of the climax of my sword & sorcery series. I have no idea how far away that will be, but it's there.

 

[WittyUserName]

I find this often helps me a lot.

If I’m struggling with what next? - or lacking motivation to keep writing - or not sure that I’m hitting my objectives for the story - I often go to the end and write at least some of it. I mean actually write, I already often have a outline.

This seems to clear the cobwebs away, lets me better understand what to focus on in the narrative, how to better shape the plot, and gives me the motivation of some text to link up to. It can also give me a more detailed understanding of what the story is about.

Do any of you do the same?

I sometimes have an idea of the ending early on, but I'm a fan of the 'make it up as you go along' strategy. Occasionally something clever comes up and, yeah, I pretend that was my brilliant plan from the start...

 

[EmilyMiller]

I sometimes have an idea of the ending early on, but I'm a fan of the 'make it up as you go along' strategy. Occasionally something clever comes up and, yeah, I pretend that was my brilliant plan from the start...

I normally have the end in mind (though that can change while I’m writing). It’s more actually putting flesh on the bones of the ending which is sometimes of help to me.

 

[dirk2024]

I find this often helps me a lot.

If I’m struggling with what next? - or lacking motivation to keep writing - or not sure that I’m hitting my objectives for the story - I often go to the end and write at least some of it. I mean actually write, I already often have a outline.

This seems to clear the cobwebs away, lets me better understand what to focus on in the narrative, how to better shape the plot, and gives me the motivation of some text to link up to. It can also give me a more detailed understanding of what the story is about.

Do any of you do the same?

I usually know how I want the story to end when I start it. I do sometimes add a little more or extend the scene. Occasionally, I even blow it up and start with a clean slate.

 

[NotWise]

I don't think I've ever written the end first, though I came close once. For the last few years I've planned the end, but I leave the details of dialog and setting until I get there.

The one near exception was Escape from Cimarron, where the final scene echos the opening scene. The opening scene was written with the idea that much of it would be reused at the end. It's mostly narrative, so that was easy to do.

 

[Katiel3036]

I dont physically write it down but I know how i want the story to end before writing the first sentence.

 

[Mastered_again]

I might have to give this a try...I'm currently stuck transitioning 2 couple's just hanging out to letting it all hang out group sex. My MFC is a novice and getting her commitment is proving troublesome without a suspension of disbelief (and I hate that)

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

For those of you interested in narrative structure, there's a particularly good video analysis by the writer Michael Arndt (he wrote Little Miss Sunshine) that delves into what makes a great ending.

He looks at the endings of The Graduate, one of the Star Wars films, and his own Little Miss Sunshine. It has oodles of info about structuring the 3-act plot, and is very enjoyable about how to create the kind of ending that he calls insanely great - and how that ending ties into the rest of the plot.

 

[Katiel3036]

For those of you interested in narrative structure, there's a particularly good video analysis by the writer Michael Arndt (he wrote Little Miss Sunshine) that delves into what makes a great ending.

He looks at the endings of The Graduate, one of the Star Wars films, and his own Little Miss Sunshine. It has oodles of info about structuring the 3-act plot, and is very enjoyable about how to create the kind of ending that he calls insanely great - and how that ending ties into the rest of the plot.

Thinks. I always struggle with narative structure stories. All mine are first person but I have an idea that would for a story that would be better in narative form.

 

[Voboy]

As soon as I know the ending, I write it down. Not usually as a completed narrative, but always as a synopsis. It doesn't change from there, and VERY often I'll have a specific last line in mind.

Almost invariably, the ending reveals itself when I'm about 10k words in.

 

[Seurat]

I like having the ending done first, but quite often my plotlines have become so intricate that I find myself bouncing all around trying to work in foreshadowing and clues that my ADHD isn't letting me finish things. Plot point 17C needs the buildup of A and B but, when I wrote those in, I accidentally undid plot point 13E, so rewriting to correct that.... The other thing I've run into is recycling plotlines to achieve my goal, which makes finishing things a little more complicated as I try to keep things original (at least to me).

I've been so scrambled lately (read:years) that I recently went out and just got a pack of index cards to help me organize things. One of the first is the ending.

The saying 'it isn't the destination, but how you get there' could be better paraphrased, 'once the destination is achieved, the way you get there becomes the adventure'. If I know where I'm going, I can take whatever path I want to get there.

 

[EmilyMiller]

As soon as I know the ending, I write it down. Not usually as a completed narrative, but always as a synopsis. It doesn't change from there, and VERY often I'll have a specific last line in mind.

Almost invariably, the ending reveals itself when I'm about 10k words in.

Yeah - sounds vaguely familiar. Not every time, but often enough .

 

[Eosphorus]

I find this often helps me a lot.

If I’m struggling with what next? - or lacking motivation to keep writing - or not sure that I’m hitting my objectives for the story - I often go to the end and write at least some of it. I mean actually write, I already often have a outline.

This seems to clear the cobwebs away, lets me better understand what to focus on in the narrative, how to better shape the plot, and gives me the motivation of some text to link up to. It can also give me a more detailed understanding of what the story is about.

Do any of you do the same?

I’ve never done that, but it sounds like a great idea I’ll have to give a try sometime. I have a few WIPs that are stuck in neutral and that might be just the way to get them going again. Thanks, Em.

 

[Djmac1031]

Honestly I don't recall ever writing the ending before, well... getting to the end.

I think I do remember a few times figuring out what the final few lines might be. But still generally late in the process.

I suppose its not a bad idea though and it seems to work well for you.

I am at the very least trying to have a rough idea of the ending in my head if nowhere else before getting too deep into a story because otherwise I find they just stall and I've wasted a lot of time on a story I cant finish.