Write the ending first
Most drafts wander because the writer does not yet know where they are going. Starting from the last line fixes that.
Ask a writer why a draft feels loose and the answer is usually the same: it does not know where it is going. The sentences are fine. The destination is missing.
One simple fix is to write the ending first.
What it means#
Before you write the opening, write the last paragraph. Say what you want the reader to think, feel or do when they finish. It can be rough. It only has to be clear.
Now you have a point on the map. Every paragraph before it has a job: to get the reader there.
Why it works#
An ending forces a decision. You cannot write a conclusion without knowing what you are concluding. That decision is the thing most drafts are missing.
It also protects you from the most common structural mistake, which is including everything you know. When you know the destination, you can ask of each section: does this help the reader arrive? If not, it goes.
How to do it in practice#
- Write one sentence that states the point of the piece.
- Write the closing paragraph around that sentence.
- List the three or four steps the reader needs to take to believe it.
- Write the opening last, once you know what it is opening onto.
You will often find the real opening is somewhere in the middle of your first draft, and the true first paragraph can be thrown away.
A small warning#
Do not treat the ending as sacred. Sometimes, halfway through, you discover the piece is about something slightly different. When that happens, rewrite the ending. The point is not to lock yourself in. It is to always have a direction, so that changing direction is a choice and not an accident.
Try it on the next thing you write, even a short email. Start with the last line and see how much easier the rest becomes.