Writing with the ending in mind?

When I started writing my first lot of stories, I was clueless about their endings. All I knew was how the story started. After writing nearly three fourths of my first book, I floundered in mid sea, with no idea how to end it. Several days later, my muse dropped in with an ending I considered brilliant; my editor dismissed it as “the resolution is too common.”

The book lost out not just because of the way I had ended it, but also the way I had treated it. I was clueless right from the beginning about major chunks of the story. Neither the conflict, nor the main character’s goals were well defined. And the character himself was a watery version of the one I had in mind.  

 That incident taught me the value of writing out a book or a story in an outline form, before I actually started working on it. Even for the short stories (800 to 1000 words) that I write for the newspapers, I have a one- line outline in mind:  who is the protagonist,  what is their  conflict and how  it’s  resolved. This helps me get a feel of the entire story before I tackle it.

For the longer stories (2500 to 4500 words) that are used in anthologies, I do a one paragraph outline before I sit down to write the story. This one paragraph outline tackles the protagonist, his/her or conflict or goal and the antagonist or forces against them.

For the books my initial outline is pretty detailed.  I try to get the basic plot points or turning points, especially the ending down before I start writing the story. As this particular outline is just for my benefit, I even add a little about the other characters who assist or provide stumbling blocks to the main character. Several twists and turns the plot takes too are thrown into it. Getting the basic plot points down is crucial.

After the initial hiccup I have decided never to write a story/book until I have an ending in mind. Once the ending is clear in our mind, we can start building towards it, by adding the twists and turns that lead to it. 

Do you all write with an ending in mind? Do you all follow the policy of writing a book/story  in an outline form?  Or do you all just go along and see where the story and characters lead you?            

Update on Grammarly. I have used it a few times. It’s good, but can scare you with a tendency to find too many errors. As creative writers, we do take liberties with certain words and sentences, so these errors are perfectly allowed to creep into our writing. We should just pay attention to the grammatical errors and maybe the use of passive voice.

Sharing few plot points

I am still undecided whether I am a plotter or a pantser. For my last story I had plotted in detail. At times I found it restrictive, at other times it was a blessing, as I knew I had to move within the tracks I had designed for the story.

I am in the midst of writing my current WIP, about half-blood angels and devils. Though I have a rough idea of the way the story will begin and end and also bits and pieces about its middle portion, for the major part of it I am free floating, winging it with my imagination.

Even though, at times I love being a pantser, I have certain plot points I base my story on. I am sharing these plot points with you all.

Inciting Incident. Every story has this event. The Inciting Event is responsible for throwing the protagonist headlong into the path of trouble/conflict or problem.

Plan. It’s what the Main Characters decides to do, to thwart the obstacle, to bypass the roadblocks and overcome the Antagonist. This is a course of action the MC decides upon to tackle the problem at hand.

Game. Every conflict is like a game where there is only one winner; either the protagonist or the antagonist. The result depends on who plays smartly and aggressively. The game and its rules come into play here. Who has the odds stacked against them? Who is the Dark Horse?

Changing Obstacles. These obstacles in the story keep changing, very often they grow not only in size, but also change their direction and shape. The introductory of sub - plots comes into focus here. This change of direction can get the protagonist into more trouble and make the antagonist more powerful.

Plot Twist. These curves in the path of the plot help to set the pace. Many times plot twists happen when new characters arrive or the old ones wave a goodbye.

Sometimes even the unexpected actions of few trusted characters bring about a twist in the plot.

Dark Moment. This is the moment when the Main Character is left completely alone. He or she has to now trek the route to victory only on the sheer strength of his or her own efforts. External help may or may not come. But the war started has to be waged and the battle fought.

Epiphany. The moment of Epiphany brings about an illumination. It’s the moment when things fall in place and the path ahead is clear as though someone has showed the protagonist a roadmap complete with detailed directions. A light bulb literally lights up.

New Plan. With the moment of Epiphany a new course of action is charted, new plans made. Once again there is a change of speed.

Cliffhanger. The Cliffhanger sees the execution of the new plan/s. Will they bear fruit? Will the protagonist fall flat? Will the antagonist win because of the protagonist’s foolishness. It’s the moment that adds tension.

Climax. The final battle is fought. The protagonist is all set to do or die, while the antagonist is all ready to kill or be killed.

Ending. Where perfect resolutions find their true place and the loose ends are tied together. 

When I start  plotting, I base the outline of the story on these  plot points. I feel it helps me sum up the entire story and still gives me the freedom to deviate if I want to.

What about you all?Are you all plotters or pantsers or like me in between? How do you plot your stories? Is there any secret to plotting your stories? We all would love to get familiar with your individual processes, as I am sure we can learn a lot from it.

Do you Write with the Ending in Mind?

When I started writing my initial set of stories and my  first book  I was clueless about their endings, only the beginning of the stories  would be  clear in my mind. After writing nearly three fourths of  my first  book, I floundered  in mid sea, with no idea  regarding  how to  resolve the issue. A month later, perhaps  taking pity on me, my muse dropped in with an ending I considered brilliant;  it was promptly  dismissed by my editor as  “a too common  a resolution.”

The book lost out  not just  because of the way I had  ended it, but also the way I had treated it. I was clueless right from the beginning about major chunks of the story. Neither the conflict, nor the character’s  goals were well defined. And the character himself was a watery version of the one I had in mind.  

 That incident taught me the value of  writing out a book  or a story in an outline form, before I  actually started writing  it. Even for the short stories (800 to 1000 words) that I pen for the newspapers, I do a one  line outline:  who is the protagonist,  what is his/her conflict and how  it’s  resolved. This  one line  synopsis helps me  get a feel of the entire story before I tackle it.

For the longer stories (2500 to 4500 words) that are used in anthologies, I do a one paragraph outline before I sit down to  write the story. This one paragraph outline or the one paragraph  synopsis  has the following things:  the protagonist,  his/her or conflict or goal and the antagonist or forces against them, maybe a  few lines about the protagonist and the antagonist.

For the books  my  initial synopsis is quite  long, maybe  two to  three pages ; the protagonist, their current status and what kind of a person  he/she is ( headstrong, reliable, thinker, rash, calm, independent, sentimental ) and which aspect of  their  nature can  get them out of   tight spots and which trait of  theirs can get them into trouble ( this in particular helps me when I am working on the conflicts)  the things that perpetually trouble them (another aspect that helps me in conflict), their aim in life, the antagonist or forces creating obstacles in their path, the antagonist’s strength and weakness, and how the protagonist  jumps over the  obstacles.

As this particular synopsis is just for my  benefit, I even add a little about the other characters who assist  or provide stumbling blocks to the main character. Several twists and turns the plot takes too are thrown into what I call the ‘ Working Synopsis.’

It’s like I write the entire story (especially the main highlights) in an outline form. My last such synopsis was four   pages long. But it helped me get a feel of the entire story. As this synopsis is not shared with anyone else, it more often than not can go the lengthy route. Just writing down that long synopsis took several days, but it brought out the entire story in my mind.

To get the short  synopsis that agents and editors prefer ( who is the protagonist,  what their story goal is and what are the forces against them) the long synopsis can be stripped to its bare essentials and  polished. I have decided never to write a story until I have an ending in mind. Once the ending is clear in our mind, we can start building towards it, by adding the twists and turns that lead to it. 

What kind of synopsis do you all write? Like me do you write a  ‘Working Synopsis’? Do you all follow the policy of writing a book/story  in an outline form?  Or do you all just go along and see where the story and characters lead you?            

My Earliest Writing Influence

What prompted us to start this sometimes amazing, sometimes fascinating, at other times taxing, and many times tiring journey called writing? This awesome journey is filled with thrills, spills, adventure and humour, mystery and suspense.

One of the earliest influences on my writing was my grandmother. Every night while making me eat my dinner when I was around 4 to 5 years old she would tell me stories. These were more often than not folktales, or, stories that revolved around the Hindu Gods and Goddesses and the great Saints of the past. The tales of the various Gods' childhood pranks was absolutely wonderful. It brought each God to life.

The voracious reader that I am now has its roots in my childhood. I was a voracious listener then, never tiring of granny’s stories, craving them long after the dinner plates had been washed. Long after she gave up the practice of making me eat my dinner, I continued to badger her for stories. Granny, I am sure exhausted her well of stories, but, not one to admit defeat she made up stories just for me.

For an entire week she told me the same story giving it different endings. I asked her why she was telling me the same story with different endings, she laughed and said “I am running out of stories, child.”

Each ending changed the entire story. From humorous it turned into suspense, and then moved to the battle of good over evil. Each story was embedded with a moral. I am sure that it was deliberate, to make us (her grandchildren imbibe good qualities and emulate the noble characters who peopled her story). I was fascinated by Granny’s quick thinking. My love for stories: listening, reading and writing started then. One of my first few published articles was the story she had narrated to me during my childhood.

Yes, my grandmother was a truly gifted storyteller. To make several fidgety grandchildren sit through a repeat story with only the lure of how she’d finish it this time was no small task. And she accomplished this beautifully. Though the stories were repeated she never bored us, as she embellished the story with each narration. Sometimes adding few characters, at times dropping few.

This habit of hers has inculcated in me the practical experience of finding out how the same story can end in many different ways. Yes, at times I toy with different endings and finally zero in on the one I think works  best for my stories and books.

What has been your earliest writing influence? Did someone prompt you to start your creative journey? Who or what was it?