Writing Backwards

Authors often complain about the difficulty of planning out a novel and of characters who do what they want, and even a non-fiction book can have its organizational issues. The solution may be to write the book’s conclusion first; then to write the book backwards from the last chapter to the penultimate chapter to the one preceding it so each new chapter written supports the one following it. This strategy can enhance a book’s continuity and focus.

Many an author has struggled with writing a book in an orderly manner. Most begin at the beginning and write one chapter after another, slowly moving forward, although not always clear where they are going. Writing, however, is not always a clear or linear process with a strict beginning or end. And what may start out as a beginning may end up being in the middle of the book while a planned conclusion might end up being the opening scene that then leads to a long flashback that culminates in a new final scene after the original planned conclusion.

Authors also often complain about characters who have minds of their own. Sometimes these characters turn out to be fascinating so the author will let them have full rein to do as they wish; the story may end up being different than planned, but often it is better. However, in all these cases, a lot of rewriting is required so the earlier sections of the book can be reshaped and focused to lead naturally toward the conclusion.

One technique that can help solve these issues for authors is to begin with the end. Writing the story backwards by first writing the final scene and then asking what led up to that scene and writing the chapter before it can result in a focused plot that always has direction.

Starting with the conclusion can be an effective technique because you then have a road map and can plot accordingly. Beginnings tend to be rewritten more often than conclusions, so while it may be helpful to jot down the beginning, as you work backwards from the conclusion, don’t be surprised if the beginning changes.

Even if you are writing nonfiction, starting at the end can work wonders for an author. A good nonfiction book should read like a mystery novel where the conclusion brings together all the evidence compiled throughout the book. If it’s a book about maintaining good health, each chapter should build upon the one prior to it to lead up to the conclusion where all the elements needed for good health—nutrition, exercise, etc.—come together to solve the mystery of how to be healthy. In a history book, the question might be something like “What caused the Civil War?” The final chapter might describe the events at Harper’s Ferry or Fort Sumter that began the war. The chapters prior to it explore the clues leading up to it. If writing backwards, you can explore what the immediate prior events were that led to Fort Sumter—one for example would be the election of President Lincoln. Then you can look at the penultimate chapter that explores what led to the election of President Lincoln, including anti-slavery sentiment, and so on.

Every book, whether fiction or nonfiction, is really a type of mystery. The mystery for the reader is “Where is this book going?” and the reader won’t know the solution to that mystery until the final chapter. A good mystery writer will tell you that the solution must be known up front if you are going to unravel the clues and properly place those clues in the story to lead up to the final solution. Any piece of writing must, in a sense, do the same.

I have given many authors the advice to start at the conclusion and write backwards, so I was pleasantly surprised when I recently learned that Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone With the Wind,” advocated this very technique. In the newly published “Margaret Mitchell’s ‘Gone with the Wind’” by Ellen F. Brown and John Wiley Jr., the authors describe the history of Mitchell’s novel and how it became and has remained a best seller and a classic. Early in the book, Mitchell’s writing process is described. Mitchell sketched out the plot of her novel and then started writing with the conclusion, a technique she had used as a newspaper reporter. She would jump around in writing one chapter or another depending on the mood she was in, but she always began with the conclusion and tried to write backwards because she claimed it gave her better control of the characters. The authors state that “Working from the end made the rest of the story flow more easily, she [Mitchell] claimed, because she knew where it was headed. It also helped her control her characters: ‘I had every detail clear in my mind before I sat down to the typewriter. I believe…that is the best way to write a book—then your characters can’t get away from you and misbehave, and do things you didn’t intend them to do in the beginning.’” Mitchell’s technique resulted in one of the most famous books ever published.

Since “Gone with the Wind” is so well-known, let’s just look for a minute at what writing it backwards would mean. Imagine you are Margaret Mitchell and you envision a married couple—Rhett and Scarlett—in love but both stubborn and strong-willed so that they have marriage difficulties. You decide in the final scene that Rhett will leave Scarlett, and she will be heartbroken. With this dramatic conclusion in mind, you write this scene, then ask yourself, “What would lead to this moment? What would be the breaking point that finally makes Rhett leave Scarlett?” The answer for Mitchell is that Scarlett’s friend Melanie has just died and on her death bed, she told Scarlett to look after her husband, Ashley, with whom Scarlett has always been secretly in love. Rhett assumes Scarlett will now want to be with Ashley so he decides to leave her.

Mitchell had to ask further: “What would lead to Rhett marrying Scarlett in the first place, and what was their marriage like that would result in Rhett finally giving up?” The answers to these questions would include the death of their child, scenes where Rhett learned of Scarlett’s love for Ashley, and Scarlett’s reasons for marrying Rhett. Each of those scenes would lead to more questions as the author moves backwards. For example, why did Scarlett marry Rhett? Part of the answer is his money. Where did his money come from, especially during the Civil War when most of the Southerners became impoverished? From being a blockade runner. Each scene results in questions that can be used to write the prior scene.

Mitchell did not always write each scene backwards, but she plotted backwards and kept the scenes all in her head, then wrote different parts of the book as the mood struck her. Any author could do the same. By starting at the end and then asking questions about what led up to that scene, an author can successfully outline a novel so the characters will be under control and less likely to do as they wish than if the author wrote forward, leaving the characters with possibilities for their futures. Instead, the characters become subject to the author’s own form of predestination.

No right or wrong way exists to write a novel or any book, but having some sort of organizational plan or outline will help the book to retain its focus during the writing process. Beginning with the conclusion means the destination is known and the steps to reach it can then be plotted. Even if you’re in the middle of writing your book, if you’re stuck, try the writing backwards technique by writing the conclusion and then the chapter before it. Eventually your end and your beginning will meet to create your middle and you’ll have a completed book. Writing backwards may get you started—or finished—faster.

 

Irene Watson

Picture of Irene Watson, our editorIrene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

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