When writing a book....?

Question

should you know the ending before you start, or does that come as the book evolves ?

Also, is it possible for the book to change direction as you write it, so that the it starts to take on a life of it's own ?

Answer 1

I think a writer should write a rough draft of a novel, outline plot. Then follow that, but allow the story to come to life as it develops, yes.

Answer 2

I am not an outliner - never have been. However, in order to drop clues and hints along the way and not just throw in a "deus ex machina" ending that comes out of the blue, I have to know what my ending is and where I am headed. Like for instance in the book I am finishing up now, for months, I have literally been able to SEE the final scene and I have been dying to get to the point where I could write it. Two chapters - maybe three - and I am there.

Only once do I recall changing an ending and that was because of certain real events here in NYC. And I didnt change it that much, I really just made those events a part of it.

Yes, it is possible for the book to change direction and take on a life of its own. If it does try and go with it, but remember always that you control the book - the book doesnt control you. You are the author and you must keep hold of the reins. Otherwise you will end up with a total mess. Pax - C

Answer 3

You don't have to have an ending in mind when you start, but you should definitely have a good idea of the direction the story line is heading before you get too far into the story, otherwise it will probably go off track. There's nothing wrong with a book changing direction as you write it. After you've started writing the book, you get into it more, and just as if you're having a dream, your mind plays out the story, sometimes differently than you thought it would go when you started. In such a case, you should ask some friends which way they think the story should go, so you know you picked the best route, so to speak.

Answer 4

Books can change direction, it depends on how the authors mind works and adjusts to environmental changes etc..
JK Rowling for example knew how Harry Potter would end very soon into starting writing it, she maintains that the ending is the same but that certain elements have altered (a couple of people died she hadn't planned on and another person got a 'reprieve'). She's kept that ending and last chapter right through writing the series.

In regards to your first question, personally I start with characters. I focus on one and work out what I want to happen to them and how they will deal with it and everyone else just kind of fits around it. Sometimes I have decided on an outcome for the whole story and then worked my way back, other times I start at the beginning and have no idea where I'm going.

I started a book a while back where I wanted a character to have a particular ending but as I wrote it became obvious to me that the ending I'd originally chosen would have been predictable, boring and cliche so I've altered that totally. So yes you can have an edning at the beginning of your writing but that may change as you go on or you may abandon it totally.

Answer 5

That depends how creative you are. I have a few ideas were my story is going but once I start writing most of the time I don't know what is coming next and I really enjoy writing to see what is coming next. Not all people are like this as some can't move one until they have all the eyes dotted and the T's crossed.
If I knew exactly where the story was going and what was going to happen, I would just stop writing that book and start another one.
I write for the fun and pleasure of it, that is possibly why I am not published yet, I won't give into the system and just write for the market.

Answer 6

You don't have to know the ending before you start, but you have to have an idea of what you want. Sometimes, the ending comes as you write the book.
And it is possible for the book to change direction as you write.
Some writers like to know everything the way it's going to happen and just add the details. Soem writers just write and make it up as they go along. A good example of that is me. I don't plan anything out. I just start writing. Another good example is Murasaki Shikibu, the author of the Tale of Genji, the first fiction book ever written and is based around a character and his life-like problems. Murasaki Shikibu didn't plan the story or anything.

You should write the way you feel most comfortable. There is no right or wrong when writing. You just write in your own style.

I hope this helped you understanding this.

Answer 7

It would be helpful to have an ending in mind before you start, so you have an idea of where you're going, perhaps write out part or all of your envisioned last chapter, even a summary of where you would like to have taken the characters by the end. But don't be bound by this ending, let the story evolve naturally and if the ending is unlike the one you initially envisioned, so be it. It's just a good guideline, giving you something to aim towards.

Answer 8

well, before i start writting an story y figure out the characters and how thy will be. Then, i plan the end, the middle and the start in diferent order. When i have done this i start imagening landscapes and situations that could take place. When i have this, i make an outline with this points and order them in cronological order living spaces in wich the story can take another dirreccion and continue having the essence of the first story

Answer 9

I have written two unpublished books, although I have had technical articles published.

I write up an outline and then I begin fleshing it out, adding detail as I do re-writes. My dialog between characters continues to need work.

Other people have different methods. I hear Stephen King wrote Cujo in a couple of days so stoned on coke he couldn't remember writing it, I hear he said something about not even thinking abut it, it just flowed out of his fingers into the type writer.

Answer 10

You should have a rough idea of the ending before you begin, but remember a book is like live and people, constantly changing and evolving, so don't make your guideline too rigid!