When writing, I begin each new novel by composing the last chapter first. Thus, I have a target toward which to steer my narrative. I often challenge myself by placing my characters as far as possible–emotionally and geographically–from the feeling and setting of my finale.
Just to be clear, I’m not kidding when I declare that I write the endings first. In practice, the initially drafted ending may need to be adjusted when the preceding narrative takes (as it often does) an unexpected turn. Sometimes what I thought to be the quintessential climax turns out to be (as we say in mountaineering) a false summit or anti-climax. But–even given qualifications, caveats, and provisos–writing the ending first continues to help me craft my stories.
I look at it this way. How can a person tell a joke if they don’t know the punchline?
Donald Paul Benjamin is an American mystery novelist. He was born in Greeley, on Colorado’s eastern plains. As a teen he worked on his high school newspaper. Upon graduation in 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving three years as a military journalist, including a tour in Korea. Honorably discharged, he completed a teaching degree at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). In 1982, he earned a master’s degree in college administration at Oregon State University. From 1982-2014, he worked in Arizona higher education. In 2014, he retired to the wild Western Slope of Colorado, where he lives in the small town of Cedaredge, fishing and hiking in the surrounding wilderness. He recently married Donna Marie, his publishing collaborator, who’s a graphic designer and production artist. The two now operate “Elevation Press,” a company which helps self-publishing authors format their Microsoft Word documents into print-ready PDFs which can be submitted to a traditional printer or print-on-demand service such as Kindle Direct Publishing.
Interesting! I always have an idea of the ending, but I’ve never actually tried writing it first. Hmmm…
It seems to help me focus my writing. Probably comes from my work as a stand-up comedian and journalist–needing an ending tag line.