An old librarian showed me a better way to start a story

I was stuck on an opening line for like 20 minutes during a workshop at the downtown library last fall. An older librarian walked by, saw my blank screen, and said 'Just write the last sentence first, then work backwards.' Tried it on a prompt about a haunted diner and the whole thing came together in under 10 minutes. Has anyone else tried writing in reverse like that? Does it work for other types of prompts?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_lane161d ago

Ngl that trick saved me on a prompt about a diner too. I wrote the final line first where the ghost waiter hands the main character a menu from 1952, then backed up and filled in how they got there. Made everything click way faster than staring at a blinking cursor.

finleyl552d ago

Huh, that's a clever trick. What strikes me is that it forces you to know your ending before you ramble through the setup, which kills a lot of meandering. I bet it works best for twist-heavy stories where the payoff needs to land perfectly. For a haunted diner, you could write the spooky reveal first, then build the mundane details that lead there. Might backfire on slice-of-life prompts where the journey matters more than the destination. Still, worth trying on anything with a clear punchline or climax.