Work Backwards

This is a writing technique that might work for you, especially if you're in the beginning stages of a story.

Start With the Ending

I've been writing/editing/whatever Yesterday's Gone for a number of years now, and I think I'm finally getting to the endgame. (Taken with a grain of salt, as I've said the same thing for...many years now. ;-))

Anyway, I read a suggestion somewhere that sometimes knowing the ending and working your way back to the beginning gets the juices flowing.

But, you wonder, how might it help me, the Person Who Already Has the Ending and Needs a Spark to Get Back Into Writing Again?

Well...this particular idea might not spark a damn thing, but you never know.

It Might Make You Rethink a Thing or Ten

Ugh, you're thinking, rethinking means editing again. Yeah, I know, brother, do I know! If I didn't like the characters of my current WIP, I think I would've trashed it a long time ago. I also think the story is worth telling.

I decided to try a workback from the ending, and almost immediately came up with another idea to make the ending (and what comes just before it) a tad more interesting (Rita had better keep on her toes!). I also rethought certain parts I'd last inserted and realized they were boring and didn't really do anything good for the story. Cut, cut, cut! (Although I haven't gotten to that point, as yet.)

An Example (Sort of)

Let's say you want to write a murder mystery. You start with the ending, where the murderer is uncovered. Maybe before that your heroine is smooshed in the fact with a pie with a stick of dynamite in it. (I figure if cartoons can have a plethora of TNT without any good reason, so can I.) Before that, the heroine is running through the spooky mansion, trying to get away from someone she thinks is coming after her with a knife (psst - no, no, Ms. Heroine; it's D-Y-N-A-M-I-T-ETM).

I think you get the idea. This might just open up a portion of your brain and tweak it in such a way that leads to some really great ideas. (But skip the dynamite stuff above; I have trademarked that idea, as you can see by the little "TM" above). :-))


With me, I usually have the ending all figured out in addition to the beginning; it's the stuff in between that makes me want to pull out my hair. ;-)

It's basic, but it just might be the trick that helps you get your story written - or rewritten.

Love and kisses.

~Nancy Beck