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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35335
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35335
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Write the ending. Do it now.

You can revise it later, or scrap it and write it over, but get your tears out of the way. I think you dread writing the outcome; face that dread and write it. Make it a done deal **in your life** , you won't dread it as much while writing.

I am a discovery writer; I often don't know who will live and die even amongst secondary characters. However, the biggest problem with discovery writing is always **The ENDING** , so I always keep **some ending** at the end of my writing document, in detailed notes (i.e. it is not crafted in prose, but the notes tie up my loose ends).

If I am writing along and find a twist or logic demands some char act in an unexpected fashion (to me), I demand of myself I revisit that ending and see if it will still be viable. If not, I must either find a new ending and commit to revising the whole story to fit with it, or abandon the char's action in favor of something else plausible, or kill the scene I was writing and find an alternative that fits with my ending.

I say that in service of this: Write your ending so that end-point is in your mind as you progress. Unlike me, perhaps do more than notes, do as much as you must to have your own cathartic release of the MC; so you have already experienced that death and finality. Then your other writing is like historical writing.

We know John Kennedy died and how, most of us have seen his murder on video. But we can still enjoy his speeches and appearances on video, his laughter and happiness, his embarrassments, even knowing the tragedy that awaits him. The same is true for other historical figures; I've seen video of John Lennon laughing and laughed with him. My advice is to turn your character into a historical figure for yourself, and it will be easier for you to write about his triumphs and failures, happiness and sorrows and embarrassments and angers. Write the ending.

Original score: 13