avatarAugust Birch

Summary

The author advocates writing the ending of a novel first, a technique inspired by John Irving, to ensure a strong conclusion and maintain focus throughout the writing process.

Abstract

The article titled "Why I Write the End of My Novels First and You Should Too" presents a compelling argument for authors to consider writing the endings of their stories before anything else. The author, influenced by John Irving's method of crafting the last sentence first, suggests that this approach sets a boundary for the narrative and ensures that the most memorable part of the book is written with the most energy and creativity. The article emphasizes the importance of a satisfying ending, as it can make or break a reader's experience and impact an author's brand. The author also reveals a personal, unconventional writing process, including writing novels on a phone and using a leapfrog editing method, while maintaining a hybrid 'pantser' approach without a detailed outline. The end is revisited frequently to keep the story on track, and the author challenges others to adopt this method, dismissing purist views that see it as a form of cheating.

Opinions

  • Writing the end first is not a cop-out but a strategic boundary that helps maintain narrative coherence.
  • A bad ending can ruin not just a single novel but an entire series, deterring readers from further engagement.
  • The novel-writing process is likened to an ultra-marathon, where energy and focus wane over time, making the end crucial to get right.
  • The author believes that the ending is the last impression a reader has, which is vitally important for an author's reputation and brand.
  • Regularly referring back to the ending helps prevent the story from veering off into irrelevant tangents.
  • The author dismiss

Why I Write the End of My Novels First and You Should Too

If you don’t know where you’re going you’ll never get there

Write the end of your novel first

Before you shake your head and click away, give this story a chance. The end-first routine is not mine. I learned this method from John Irving. He writes the last sentence first and rarely changes the sentence once he’s finished the work. This is Irving’s process and the method I use now. It may not be your process.

Writing the end first isn’t a cop-out, it’s a boundary.

All genres have boundaries. The commercial novel format is a boundary. Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. This doesn’t mean you’re a sellout if you write a story with those three parts. There’s a boundary You stayed within it.

The novel is a ultra-marathon of writing.

We get excited. Then we get tired. Finally, we’re over it and want to move to the next one. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather write the last thing my reader remembers when I’ve got the most energy into the project. When my eyes are crossed, my fingers are crumpled from typing so long, and my brain has long-been reduced to oatmeal — this is not the time to write the end.

A bad ending will ruin your novel.

Not only will it wreck the book, but a bad ending will also ruin a series. Why would I want to read book two if book one made me feel terrible at the end? You can convince a reader to finish a bad book once, not an entire series.

I write the bulk of my novels and short stories on my phone. Here’s a story I wrote to explain my process:

The end is a big deal. Not only does it signify the final chapter of the story, but it’s the end of a chunk of the writer’s life. We spend many hours typing and we send this stack of paper out to the world. Sometimes the stack of paper brings joy and the people show their gratitude my reviewing it, telling their friends, and buying copies as gifts.

The end of your book is the walk-away feeling you give the reader. The feeling is tacked to your author brand. Think of the last time you saw a great movie and the director phoned-in the end. You walked away angry, sad, upset, or unfilled. If you don’t own your ending with everything you’ve got, your reader will feel the same.

I use a leapfrog editing method and edit the previous day’s work as I go. I also return to the beginning and end of my manuscripts dozens (if not hundreds) of times. Every. Word. Matters.

I refer to the end often to ensure I’m traveling in the right direction.

I’m a hybrid ‘pantser.’ This means I use a framework, but I don’t outline my books (see linked story above). I don’t know the entire story in advance. I have a general idea. I know who the bad and good guys are, but the story unfolds as I write it. I’m the first reader.

Pantsers run the danger of writing off on tangents that lead to nowhere. By revisiting the end frequently, I may curve off the trajectory, but I won’t miss it.

I challenge you to try writing the end first.

You can do this with short stories too. This is very unpopular amongst purists — like you’re cheating yourself knowing the end in advance. I disagree. The purists can have their soapbox. I’ll be over here writing novels people want to read. But you don’t have to listen to me. Follow the master. If it works for John Irving, it’s got to work for the rest of us.

Writing
Fiction
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Creativity
Creative Writing
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