“How you begin a sentence determines its clarity; how you end it determines its rhythm and grace.” – Joseph M. Williams in Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace
I wish I had read that sentence much earlier in my writing escapades. But perhaps we hear things when we are ready for them.
Williams’ simple yet powerful directive for writing resonated with me last week, and has indeed been shaping and reshaping my writing for several weeks now. That sentence is not only gold for the writer looking to improve craft, but I see parallels in it for story as well.
How you begin a story determines its clarity; how you end it determines its rhythm and grace.
I recently critiqued the first few chapters of a story and about halfway into the first chapter I made a large notation: START THE STORY HERE. Where to start a story is critical and makes the difference between sweeping the reader in or leaving them yawning. But even further, it clarifies what the story is about – its theme, its driving plot line, its main character arc. Something about that story NEEDS to be in the very beginning, to make clear to the reader why they should continue to invest their time in reading. It is not often easy to see where that beginning should be (hence: betas).
How you end a story determines whether the reader has that satisfying feeling that they crave. Not merely a Happily Ever After ending (although those are very fine), but a sense of resolution or a closed chapter in your protagonist’s adventure, at the least (if there are sequels). A good ending gives the story its final downbeat of rhythm, the last grace note to complete the work.
I’m drafting the ending of my current WIP, and I keep changing my mind about that last line, where the final breath is exhaled. I haven’t found that satisfying feeling and probably won’t until the words are actually on the page and revised several times. And probably passed through a beta or five.
Loverly writer friends: Do you struggle more with beginnings or endings?
UPDATE: Read this post on the Rejectionist about writing endings. Fab.
Endings – no question. In fact, I've been struggling with my ending re-write for way too long now, because I keep putting it off. 🙂
Endings for me as well. In fact, I think I've re-written every ending to every story I've written. And not just revisions – I'm talking completely reimagine what the ending should be. But, apparently, I have to write the bad ending first, before I can get to the good one. Sigh.
All of the above… but usually beginnings more so.
I usually know my ending or at least have an approximate idea before I write the first sentence. It helps me determine where to start the story. In my current WIP, a bit of exposition to catch the reader up to the current event is needed. So I opened with the event and filled in exposition as I went in the hopes of grabbing the reader right away and making the exposition all the more interesting since the reader knows where we're going. But that's MG and there's not a word to be spared for something that is not story.
When I right adult horror and I know there's going to be swearing, I try to drop a swear word in the first page or two to warn readers who would be turned off by that sort of thing before we get too far along. The beginning should appropriately set reader expectations as well as hook them. Good post.
I'm definitely an ending struggler. I do beginnings pretty well, but I'm a last words kind of guy, so there's so much I feel like I HAVE to put in the ending that I know it can kill it.
Ninja – I used to think I knew my ending before I started. Then I got there and the ending just wasn't right (revision, revision, revision). Right you are about the spareness of words in MG! I think everyone should have to write one MG story, just to try to fit a whole novel into 50-60k words.
Void – Those last words dog me in my sleep. I think I imagine them a hundred times before they ever make it to the page. As writers, we do have that luxury of always having the last word!