 For Authors: May 13, 2020 Issue [#10167] |
This week: It Has to End Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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For Authors Newsletter by Dawn
Writing has many challenges and one of those is the very end. Some start stories at the ending and others don't even know what that end will be as they work on the stories. Either way, we have to reach the end at some point or abandon the story for shinier projects. The story, and the writing, must end.
"The beginning is the promise of the end." ~ Henry Ward Beecher
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This has to end.
By this I mean the story. It has to end at some point or another because if you keep going forever what might have started as a short story could become an epitome or something so long that no one else will ever be able to read it. A story is believed to have three main components: the beginning, middle and end. Sure, we can write a lot of beginnings and muddle our way through a great about of middle sections but there is going to be an issue if we can't also find out way to some endings. While we might enjoy the stories and worlds, in order to reach other points in the process and end in some form has to occur in order to make progress.
So, the end has to come at some point in the writing process but how do we get there? A couple of options and thoughts come to mind. I'm also curious if anyone else has a particular method for getting to the end because I have found it a challenge even 12 years into my time on this site. I have many more beginnings of stories than I do of endings and I'm probably not the only one. So, how do you reach the ending?
Push on through to the end.
I'm one of those writers that tends to be very sequential in that I usually write a story from start to finish keeping the events in order fo how they will appear in the story. Or at least how I think they will appear when doing the first draft. During edits on occasion a scene or chapter might get moved if determined the new place works out better for the overall picture. On rare occasions during the writing process I might write a scene or chapters out of order if one peeks up and grabs my attention demanding to be written right then instead of waiting for the time to come for that section of the story. However, for the most part I like to keep things in order by starting with the beginning and pushing my way through until find an end point.
Write the end first.
This is advice I've seen before and some authors swear by this method. This is a rather straight forward approach in that they will write the end first. How much of the end gets done before moving back to other sections of the story can vary depending on the writer. For some, it is as much as just a couple of sentences while others will write pages up to the entire last chapter. The general idea is that putting the end first helps to not only get it done but also to create that end goal for the rest of the story to head towards. It's like comparing roads trips where the first just goes wherever they see fit on any given day until eventually going home and the other picks a destination as the end point of the journey before heading out. It's one method that can work and something I should try as well.
Either way, whether writing it first of keeping it to the last sections, we have to at some time or another reach the end of the story in order to make progress. Another question can come into play as to whether or not one can edit during the writing process or if they should just get a first draft done before moving on to the other aspects of writing. Some can go back and edit or rewrite a little before moving forward when writing stories or novels but for others it can become a never ending cycle. It can be easy to get drawn into the lure of trying to fix and make everything perfect each stop of the way, but for many I would say it is better to get that first draft done before giving in to the desire to fix things. Editing is an important part of the process but it's something that could be worked on after the end of the first draft is reached. Because we do have to find the end at some time or another.
To repurpose and paraphrase something my painting professor in college used to say, "a story is never finished, it is only abandoned." We can keep writing and making changes into eternity on any given story but at some point have to give up and move on to something else. So, I'm going to try and write an end first one of these days for a story while still working on just reaching the end for many others. What are you going to do to reach the end of a story?
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How do you get to the ending of your stories?
Last time, for this newsletter I did a little discussion on reading out loud both in the form of audio books and as an editing tool. There are some who really like listening books and some even use the tool for their own edits in poetry and stories. Here are some comments sent in over the topic:
Comment by s 
"Reading out loud for editing"
I find when it comes to poetry, this is almost essential. I used to get my old beta reader to read them out loud to me, so I could hear them from another person's mouth, and that helped me refine so many poems over the years. Short stories, not so much, but poetry - yes.
Comment by hbk16
Reading loud or listening to writing books constitutes a featured method for assessing any writing work, learn pronunciation and assimilate other books or writing items
This is a very interesting issue
Thank you for sharing
Comment by Beholden 
If I have a secret, it is that I read aloud everything I've written. I always write to be read aloud and the only way I can test this is to read aloud what I have written. This reveals the lumps and bumps, awkward constructions and problems that force the reader to start again. When we're writing, it's easy to gloss over such things, unconsciously making new starts when meeting difficult constructions. Reading aloud forces us to admit to such failings.
It doesn't really matter if no one is ever going to read what you write. For them, reading is like speaking the words aloud - they don't know what's coming and so they get caught with every stumbling block placed in the flow of the words. Our effort must always be concentrated in the idea that we're trying to make things easy for the reader, to make the experience of reading our words so enjoyable trhat they'll keep doing it.
Flow is incredibly important in this and reading aloud uncovers all the hidden flaws in it
Beholden.
Comment by Quick-Quill 
I'm hooked on true crime podcasts. Often they relate to a novel. I'v listened to MINDHUNTER and EVIL HAS A NAME and many others. I also have great thriller novels on my audible. Sometimes the reader can make a hohum book sound terrific when it's read. I came across one that at first I almost quit listening but tarried on and it became one I hated to turn off to go to work. Listening doesn't allow me to speed read or skim over the boring expositions. I'm always looking for good books to listen to as I drive to and from work.I'm a bit picky well maybe discerning is a better word.
Comment by Osirantinous 
I read out loud a lot when I'm editing, especially if I've got a sentence that I'm not sure quite on (ie the order of the words). Reading out loud is also good for picking up how many pronouns or names are used in close proximity to each other. I do find it doesn't always help in terms of spelling or if I've missed a word - the brain is so clever it knows what the sentence should say even if it actually doesn't! Audiobooks I can't listen to - I just zone out and then miss stuff. And I could never listen to them while driving because the opposite would happen - I'd listen and then zone out driving!
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Amazon's Price: $ 14.99
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