The One Secret I used to get from the 'Mushy Middle' to 'THE END'

Unleashing the Power of Writing Your Ending First

So you want to be an author?

Easier said than done. Photo by hannah grace on Unsplash

Me, too. 

Have you felt the pain of getting that first draft onto the page? The words… so many words. 

But … I just typed THE END on my current work in progress. What a feeling!

I’m so excited. I just can’t hide it. Photo by Patti Black on Unsplash

I want to celebrate: dance, cry, sing, drink. All the things.

But I’ll refrain. Many of you are likely in the same position I was two months ago. I feel your pain, your frustration, and your almost irresistible desire to throw your laptop out the window of a moving car … and in front of a train. 

Stupid laptop. Photo by Michael Denning on Unsplash

I had the inciting incident early, the love interest (including the spicy (first time, just saying)) drafted, even the climax in my head. But I had the hardest time getting the story from there to the ending. I knew I wanted to write, but not how to get there. 

Fiery hot! Photo by Pickled Stardust on Unsplash

Every blank page was daunting, and the blinking cursor felt like it was taunting me. 

The Solution

So I did it. I jumped to the end. (Well, not the VERY end, but the ending.)

And I wrote it. 

It was good (if I do say so myself) and so much fun to write.

When I went back to the middle, knowing precisely where I needed to get, the words flowed. 

Now I’m a pantser that makes only the most basic outlines, so take this advice with as much salt as you need, but it worked for me. 

And let me tell you, the feeling of finishing that first draft is chef’s kiss. Elation, relief, and pride. You’ll want to shout your accomplishment from the rooftops, though I’d suggest social media is safer. (Ladders and all.) You’ve birthed a story from nothing.

That’s a big nope for me, Bob. Photo by Cam Adams on Unsplash

So keep writing even when every keystroke is a struggle and your characters move like they're in quicksand. And one day soon, you’ll be here, basking in the glow of accomplishment.

Before almost instantly remembering that you have to edit. And the monumental task that is. 

My first draft will make me feel this way soon. Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash

But not today — today we celebrate.