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I’m pretty sure a lot of people are going to disagree with this sentiment. The path of the pantser if fairly common. Not the way I do things, but I’ve run into many who simply fly into a story to see where it goes. There could be an ending in mind or it could just be a beginning or middle that they have. One thing I can be sure of is that it differs from person to person. Then again, I’m a severe plotter, so I shouldn’t speak as if I understand the other side of the pasture.
While I don’t come up with my endings first, I do like to have them in mind before I start writing. This helps me keep things on track and avoid running the story into a brick wall or minefield. Some would say that the downside is that your writing becomes too linear and dull because you remove the chaos of creation. I can see how you can come to that conclusion, but deciding on the ending doesn’t mean you know how you’re going to get there. Most of my books had the finale planned out, but I only had a general idea of how to get there. That goes for chapter and book endings. Probably why I had the outlines and still had that excitement of not really knowing what will happen.
Sometimes, I like to think of writing like driving. Biggest difference is that I really enjoy writing and driving is just something I do to get around. Anyway, you know where you’re supposed to go, but there are different routes to get there. Of course, you have the most common one that you know the best and is kind of obvious. Yet, there could be an accident or broken street light that forces you to take a detour. Maybe you forgot about a parade that closes off a bunch of streets. Either way, you need to get to your intended ending by a different route. I’m reminded of how people say it’s the journey and not the destination that’s important when it comes to traveling. Well, the same can be said for writing for both the author and reader. As long as you get to where you’re going, it should all work out.
Again, this is personal taste. I like dealing with as many known entities as I can because the unknown can drive me up the wall. Some of it is a good thing because you can’t know everything. It’s when I don’t have a plan or the plan I do have is too flimsy to give me comfort that I have issues. So, knowing my ending gives me a target and faith that I can finish the project. Maybe it goes against my more roving and rambling nature, which I had in high school too. After all, I had a bad habit of turning a short story into a novel because I kept building on things. That ending means I can’t go over the top and risk destroying everything because I keep thinking up ‘cool twists’. So, it’s a personal restraint on my creativity that I psychologically require.
That’s all just me though. I’m sure many opinions are waiting to appear in the comments if they haven’t already. So, what do you think about knowing your ending?
Legends of Windemere 
Reblogged this on When Angels Fly.
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Thanks for the reblog.
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Welcome Charles
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I think at minimum, you must have a vague ending in mind. Otherwise you have no plot at all. You don’t need to map it out right down to the body count. My example is Lanternfish. It’s basic plot is a save the princess story. (Without an actual princess in sight.) All the weird crap happens between her abduction, and saving her, but without that goal there is no story.
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Minimum is definitely an easier way to go. Leaves it more fluid. You can even have a ballpark idea of body count. For example, I knew at least one champion had to die at the end of Legends. Didn’t know who or if I’d stop there, but I couldn’t have all of them live.
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I like that concept. If you know at least a vague idea of the ending, you can head that direction. By the time you get there, you will have removed many possibilities from the ending and it will practically write itself.
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One could hope. I will admit that I spent months toiling over who gets to finish the battle. That was harder to figure out than who died.
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You lived with those guys a lot longer than I do with mine. I understand.
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They still turn up at times. Dead ones tend to yell.
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I surfed back through. Looks like you’re getting some great interaction today. Good topic.
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Yeah. People really responded to this topic.
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Any stories or poems I’ve done, get started off by an idea or theme coming into my head, then something, or someone, seems to take over my thinking and the events up to the ending are a surprise to me. Guess that means I’m a Pantser?
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Interesting. So, the ending is a mystery even to you. Definitely pantser. Ever find that some of the middle doesn’t match the end?
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Sometimes, but that has either been resolved with a bit of thought, or, led to a different path and ending LOL
I read them out loud to myself several times to check for flow and continuity, then ask my wife to do a final check on them – she’s an ace at finding issues 😂
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Cool. Guess you would simply get a different ending as long as none of the pieces are forced.
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My characters seem to just do their own thing 🤪
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I hear you.
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I agree, Chris. I’m a pantster, too. I’m frequently surprised by what happens, and I don’t worry too much if I don’t know where the story is going. The characters will act as a SatNav and get me there. (Sometimes I meed to overrule then if they’re taking too big a detour.) However, I usually have a vague idea as to where I’m going.
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Enjoyed the discussion. I always sit down and write out what I hope will be the last three lines before I begin a book. They don’t always remain in place as I wrote them but do provide a destination for my trip.
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Nice technique. That’s more specific than other methods. Have you ever had to change them entirely?
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No. Never had to change them entirely.
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Awesome.
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Charles, I’m a severe plotter like you. I have a structured outline and I’ve written the last 4 chapters already. Now, the ending gets added too as I review and tie things up. Beginning chapters are done, and I’m working on the middle chapters now. Knowing the ending & sticking to a structured outline keeps me writing everyday. 📚 Christine
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I know a few people who write that way. I’m far too linear at times to start at the end. Also, I have a habit of writing a middle that alters the ending. Means I’d have to rewrite something.
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I like having a direction to write TOWARD. And I’ll figure out how I get there on the way. I mean — I write an brief outline… and then I ignore it unless I get stuck.
BUT, if the plot twists on my way, I’m not opposed to revamping my ending.
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Sometimes a revamp is necessary. My outlines aren’t brief though. At this point, I should call per-drafts.
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Another great post!
While I might not always begin a book knowing how it will end, by the time I reach the midpoint, I like to have at least an idea of how the book will end.
I have written books where I knew exactly how they would end. This is why I really admire the Harry Potter series and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Rowling and the Avatar creators knew how their series would end before they really got going. Konietzko and DiMartino even said in their book on the series (which I have read multiple times) that before the project was picked up by the network, they knew how the series would end.
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This reminds me of manga. Several fell apart and the creator admitted that they couldn’t think of an ending. Then you have ‘One Piece’ where the ending is known and it really shows that he knows what he’s doing. Totally recommend that series.
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Ooo! Will have to look for that!
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for the reblog. 😊
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Welcome, Charles 👍😃
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thanks for sharing. 😁
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Reblogged this on The Perils of Improbable Potholes and commented:
Came to this conclusion through many years of unfinished stories. Am dealing with this now as I publish fragments here on “Perils of Improbable Potholes.”. But it is right in a minimum sense. Even better : write at least three different endings and constrain your scenes and characters and plots to make all three work.
Consider : what if the hero gets what they ask for, but not what they want.
Consider : the villain wins.
Consider : neither win, and the ancillary characters feed on the mess left behind (Homework: watch “To Live and Die in LA.”)
Consider : writing something that violates your beliefs.
It is a bit painful, like extreme practice in martial arts (hundreds or even thousands of repetitions of a single technique), but it makes your work champion quality. Or so I have heard.
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Thanks for the share. Not sure I’m the type to set up for three different endings. I like having that final goal even if it’s a general idea. I have heard about that with belief violations. Though I think it depends on the story.
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Hollyweird tends to produce multiple endings and shoot them first, in case an expensive star dies unexpectedly. Beginning is next, then critical scenes, then “gap filter” material. Prevents total loss of big dollar productions.
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Didn’t know that. Wonder what event caused such a system to be created.
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I heard it was the death of Brandon Lee, which almost destroyed the making of “The Crow.” But I have not fact checked that.
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That would be a big one.
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This is a hot topic for me, so I dug into it a bit. Many (other) factors also govern shooting schedules. Example : https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/15-pro-tips-to-create-a-better-production-schedule/
That said, years ago I took a short course with a novelist who had a number of romances published. She had discovered that (in her opinion) the real money was in selling scripts for movies so she RADICALLY altered her writing methods to fit. (Example: most airport scenes are shot on the SAME SET, never changing from movie to movie, a bit like passing around the same actors. So airport scenes are OK. But weird locales are OUT unless you are someone like Lucas shooting with a Star Wars sized budget.)
That said, she told us to read (and master) the Syd Field books (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Field).
Those books use “Witness” as a model for screenwriting. Apparently, some controversy exists regarding the ending, and I have heard some people wonder if other endings exist. (This could be a “big deal” for a screenwriting book that many great as “Canon.”)
More than a few other movies had alternate endings: https://mentalfloss.com/article/58013/alternate-endings-28-famous-movies
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Interesting thing about the airport scenes. It is unfortunate that you have to stay within the same locations though if you want to get a script taken. Kind of limits the creativity.
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Yes! I agree with that! The person teaching the course was thrilled to pass it on. And I understand why it is done : as a “cost containment” measure. But it does silence certain voices and viewpoints.
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I usually have ‘an idea’ about the ending for my stories but whether that’s the same ending that makes it to the final cut is quite debatable. The ending of my current WIP changed a heck of a lot in the writing process and now looks quite different from the original outline. In one of Harmony Kent’s Story Empire posts she spoke about some writers being a mingle of Plotters and Pansters; a Planster. I firmly fit into this category as in, I have a reasonable outline (including ending), but during the journey anything goes! This way I keep the creative chaos (great expression by the way), but have the comfort of a semi-structure to guide me.
Great post Charles.
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I think I straddle the line a bit too. I plan a lot beforehand and then I see where the path is. Kind of like planning the stops of a trip, but not the exact route. Tend to adjust things as I go too. You never know if a scene will work until you try it.
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I have to know the ending before I get started. It’s the whole point of the story. As to how I get there, I plan ahead, but not far. The road can be twisty without a lot of signposts. Sometimes there’s a detour or dead end, but I always have the destination in mind.
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That sounds a lot like what I do.
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I was always taught writing a story is like filling the sandwich. You need to have the bread before the filling. I realise it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes changes do need to be made. Sandwiches these days often only have one piece of bread, so that does mean anything can happen.
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True. There is the open-face sandwich. What about pita? (Sorry. Had to make the joke. It is a great analogy.)
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Sometimes my endings take me by surprise, generally because the characters do something much better than my original idea!
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That’s happened to me a few times. Never sure if I’m happy or annoyed by that.
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If I didn’t know my endings in advance, I’d probably still be writing my first novel. And it would be LOOOOOONG.
But in the end, I’d never tell someone they had to do it that way. Writers have to do what works for them.
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It would be the true Neverending Story. Good point on authors following their guts.
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I’ve written a couple of books where I had a definitive ending in mind. I’ve also written others with an ending in mind that has totally changed as the book evolved. Of course, there are others where I start with a title and hope for the best. No method to the madness that is my writing. Great post.
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A fun and exciting way to live. 😁
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from Charles Yallowitz that asks: Should You Know Your Ending?
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Thanks.
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You’re welcome.
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I always write to an ending, or at least an idea of an ending, it gives me direction. All the surprises and discoveries are made on the journey, like solving a mystery.
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Idea of an ending. I like that phrase.
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Thanks!
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I’m like you. I usually know where I want my story to go. But I’m open to changing that if circumstances dictate. Honesty is very important to me in story telling. If the ending I planned would not be honest, then I follow the truth.
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I think adjustments are necessary since you can’t predict everything. Some plot points simply don’t work when you try to enact them, which can change up everything.
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I would like to say I have a ‘general idea’ about how my book ends. But I admit, I experienced the one or other surprise. 😀
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General ideas seem to be the most common. Gives you a target with some flexibility.
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Pingback: Should You Know Your Ending? – Written By Charles Yallowitz – Writer's Treasure Chest
Personally I tend to have a beginning, rough end and a rough event that happens in between in my mind when I am writing. These aren’t set in concrete and are adapted more often than not but it helps me keep a focus so my creativity is kept under control and knows the direction it’s supposed to be going in
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Focus is why I make my outlines. I’m seeing now what happens if I don’t pay much attention to it. Not pretty.
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If I don’t have any set points in mind to focus on that’s it, I will never get anything done. To be honest I think I should start outlining a bit more thoroughly to get a better finished project
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I’ve found setting a plot or character goal for each chapter helps. I know approximately where I want them.
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I think I might try to see if that helps me
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per chapter: good idea, thank you.
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You’re welcome.
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