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Hot take: starting with the ending first made my stories way better
Everyone in writing groups always says outline your plot from beginning to middle to end. I tried that for like six months and kept getting stuck around chapter 3. So I flipped it and wrote the final scene first, then worked backwards figuring out how characters got there. It felt wrong at first but now I finish drafts way faster. Has anyone else tried reverse outlining on a long project?
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sandra7152mo ago
Oh this is a TERRIBLE idea for most writers honestly. Working backwards means you're forcing the characters into a predetermined destination rather than letting them make choices that feel natural. I tried it once for a murder mystery and ended up with a plot full of convenient coincidences and characters acting totally out of character just to reach that final scene. The middle felt like a broken escalator jerking from one moment to the next.
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jennifer_west15d ago
Sandra out here acting like reverse outlining is the same as strapping your characters to a roller coaster with no seatbelt lol. Meanwhile my chapter 3 was a graveyard of abandoned drafts so bad even my beta readers ghosted me. Quinn is totally right, chapter 3 is the Bermuda Triangle of writing. Maybe your murder mystery just needed more duct tape and bad vibes? Who knew characters hate being told where to go lmao.
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