The Ease of Writing Endings: A Personal Perspective

As a writer, my favorite part of the writing process has always been crafting the ending. It's not just the very last scene; it's the entire second half or last third of a story that I find incredibly fun and relatively easy. Once the characters and setting are established, it's like a playground, where you get to manipulate their lives and outcomes. In contrast, the beginning can be quite daunting. The tension of needing to introduce all the necessary background information and set the scene makes it challenging, but as you progress, it becomes a breeze to write.

Crafting Ideas

Coming up with ideas is the first enjoyable step for many writers. I find myself overflowing with ideas, and if all you want to do is brainstorm, we could do it all day. However, the real challenge begins once you have to turn that initial spark into a saleable story. It's a meticulous process of transforming an idea into a compelling narrative that engages readers from start to finish. Finding the right angle, weaving the plot, and making sure the story has a satisfying arc can be quite challenging.

Opening Scenes

For me, opening scenes are the easiest part. Yes, other writers might find them particularly difficult, but for a discovery writer like me, crafting a strong start is where my creative juices flow. The first paragraph of a story set the tone, creates atmosphere, and hooks the reader. It's all about setting the stage for the journey to come, laying down the foundation to support the narrative that follows.

Example: Opening Scenes

Fantasy Excerpt: On Aarlen's eleventh birthday, Father gave her a sword and said by the time a year passed, she would take a man's life with it. Now the bone-colored courtyard walls seemed to close around her. She gripped the sword’s hilt. The cool metal numbed her calloused hand. The rankness of smoke and decay hung in the air. Father's words of a year ago gnawed at her. Today was Aarlen's twelfth birthday.

Sci-Fi Excerpt: All Atrius remembered was the sound of the blast and the impact as the force exploded against his skull. His fuzzy recall could only bring back fragments beyond that chronon: the blurry image as the ground rushed up into his face and the delayed sensation of shock and pain. It had not been a good day to awake from a million cycles of stasis. In fact, he'd never thought much of any day that involved dying.

These opening scenes not only establish the setting and provide essential context but also immediately engage the reader. You lay the groundwork, creating a sense of the story's journey and setting the expectations for the reader.