Friday, March 7, 2014

Figuring out the End to Know Where to Begin

I'm forcing myself to develop this story. Not because I'm not interested in it, but because it's so dauntingly blank. I know so little about it.

But today I had a breakthrough. I began working on the ending. In particular, I chose the lessons that the main character will learn about what's going on inside herself and where she's been going wrong in dealing with others. Then I have her clearly see the correct path in righting her wrongs against others. Will she take it?

I immediately became excited when I limited where the story could go. Weird, huh? A lot of writers would say they'd lose interest if they knew the end. Yet, I don't really know the end, the end. I don't know the climax of the story. I just know the resolution. That's different. I know how she solves her problem, but I don't know how she will confront it; I don't know how the battle will turn out. I don't know if she will win or lose.

I still have many choices to make. Knowing that makes narrowing down the ending freeing. And now I know more about where to begin, at what point in the story is the starting point. I know more clearly what my first words will be.

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