A good technique for a writer is to start writing your book at the end. Start with the climax, that emotional upheaval for everyone and everything, that impactful change to the status quo. Once that’s decided, either outlined or written out at length, then everything in the story is how to get there from the start. Benefits of this approach? Fewer annoying writer's blocks, fewer plot holes, fewer threads that just wander off. None of those 200,000 word epics that just won’t stop. Good opportunities to foreshadow and to link the first scene to the last one.
Related to this technique, to actually tell the story you can also use an “inverted narrative”, working backward from the end to the start. Or start “In Medias Res” near the climax to hook the reader, then fill in everything leading up to it with flashbacks and dialogue. Both can be clever devices, as long as they don’t look like just that and distract the reader.
Do I follow this plan? Sort of. I do an outline before starting, using a three-act “W” structure—more on that next week. I outline down to the scene level, with a very brief synopsis for each one. Hence, I know where I’m going and how I’m getting there, just not the details, and things can change. However, the ending itself often ends up being a consequence rather than a destination that was aimed for. In addition, since my six drafts were all written in NaNoWriMo, if I mamaged to hit the 50,000 word mark before the last scene, the story tended to peter out. Changes will be made in my process. Heads will roll.
Draft Novels - An update. As mentioned before, my plan is to re-read my six drafts, then pick one to start with, my favourite. Here’s a link to an outline of each one. Unfortunately (?) I like them all. 4/6 done so far. Comments are welcome.
Previous status:
Agnes of God - A few glitches stood out, but it has a pretty good structure, so it’s reasonably close to completion. I still like the story, especially this band of characters, and can develop them even more. Fairy Tale crossovers not as popular, but who cares?
Ghost in the Machine - A good story, but some gaps. And since I did this in 2013, AI on phones and in data clouds has evolved, so this needs to be modernized, but that’s easily doable. A wide range of characters, again. Some quite funny ;-) The ending is a little weak.
Latest status:
The Portal - I like the linking of a medieval world with magic and today’s world, via a magic portal. Likeable characters, with some room for growth. I used several POVs, which worked ok. Doppelganger characters led to some interesting arcs. The big challenge will be historical accuracy, as I want it to be close enough for the reader to accept it. And, again, the ending sort of fizzled.
The Managed - I liked the idea, and still do. An older hero, a retired revolutionary, and a government seeking control through embedded personal ID chips. This was written in 2015, but set a few years ahead, to 2026 fact? I would need to add more technology, such as using AI for facial recognition, as well as facial analysis for emotions. A commenter on my “Drafts” post suggested solar flares might be a good disruptor, and I discovered I had in fact used that. Yay me. Standard mediocre ending.