When you write a story, do you have the end in mind, or does it just come to you

1. 89

   cheryloneposted 12 years ago

   When you write a story, do you have the end in mind, or does it just come to you as you write?
   
   Is the average higher or lower that you already have the ending in mind when you start a story?

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2. 60

   katyzzzposted 12 years ago

   Sometimes but not always, often the story just takes over, love the cat Cheryl

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      cheryloneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, katyzzz, I like to tell everyone he's a bit light headed (doesn't he look it?)  LOL

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3. 87

   M. T. Dremerposted 12 years ago

   Usually I'll have a very vague idea of how I want it to end, but it never goes in that direction anyway, so I try not to put too much thought into it. Every once and a while I have a good twist or a thoughtful ending that I really want, and I'll fight for it, but for the most part I just let the story tell me how it ends as I go.

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4. 68

   carter06posted 12 years ago

   I guess you are meaning hubs as well and I find that whatever I write more often than not evolves as I keep writing, new ideas come from writing a paragraph and can change the stories structure. Thanks for asking as it was good to think about this.

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I will have a general idea how I want the story to end, but sometimesI am surprised at the turns it takes while writing.  So sometimes what I initially want does change over the course of the writing.

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   kj forceposted 12 years ago

   Funny you should ask this question..sometime ago I was daydreaming and came up with a scenario, , it was an end result of I didn't know what. Anyway it interested me where the idea came from, so I am working backwards on a story.
   Not sure how it will turn out, but can't be any worse than some garbage that has published..hehehehe..Most of my writings come from life experiences ,whether mine or others..I write humor..and trust me life/ society hands me more than I can handle,so anything that crops up, ends up in a journal to be used at another time ,  I have enough to live to be 137 years old , anyone runs out of material to write about , contact me...great question Cherylone..aren't you glad you asked ?

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   larakernposted 12 years ago

   Typically, no but as the story develops I begin to know how it will end. Usually this feeling strikes me half way through of how it should end but it seems as if my work is ever changing. I find myself going back and adding different details that I did not see the first time.

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   Julie Fletcherposted 12 years ago

   It depends. In non-fiction articles for clients, I have to have an end in mind. For my fiction - it evolves. I've only had one story where I knew the ending and I hated writing it.I'm working on a blogged novel now, I have no clue how it will end.

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   cjv123posted 12 years ago

   With fiction - I have a general idea of a story/plot, but no ending - I have a number of possibilities I think about though. Currently, I'm writing a fiction series and I don't know how it will end. With non-fiction - I know what the ending is usually, but it's the style of how I present it that will vary depending. I tend to try and "wrap it up" and bring it full circle so I generally incorporate the opening in the ending.

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10. 52

    Trafalgarposted 12 years ago

    When I write a story I usually have very little knowledge of how it will end. Sometimes, I'll have the ending line in my mind, which helps give me sometime to aim for. I find that having an ending in mind takes away from the fun of writing a story though, since I've noticed that I end up discovering more possible plot ideas if I don't have a concrete ending in mind.
    So no, I don't often have endings in mind, rather I like to try and discover them when I write.

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    Dreamlinposted 11 years ago

    When I write a novel, the ending always comes to me first, and usually it’s a fantastic ending that moves me deeply. And I also have a general idea about the beginning. It’s the middle part that I spend most of my time on.

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    iloveyoujennyposted 11 years ago

    I usually just freewrite and I don't think about an ending until it just comes naturally into the write. It's weird but I've never been able to organize my thoughts through outlines, I just like the idea of starting with nothing and writing whatever comes to mind.

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13. 81

    dohn121posted 11 years ago

    I'd say that about 90% of the time I do know how my stories will end.  Having this knowledge certainly helps me to write the story entirely.  Knowing how your story is going to end helps you to carefully plan each and every act and scene: It's like knowing your destination before you start a long or even short trip.  Imagine it like going to the grocery store.  There's probably more than one way to get there.  What's more, I never start my stories from the beginning, rather, anywhere BUT the beginning.  It's much easier that way.

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