Beginnings and Endings
Are beginnings easy to write? Do your words slide off the pen effortlessly, or like me, do you find beginnings difficult to compose? Many writers are inspired when commencing a story, but find they run out of words when approaching the end. This article is mainly for those who grabble with the right way to commence and/or conclude their story.
The opening should give the reader an implicit promise of something, depending on its genre, and the end should fulfill its promise. Conflict is essential to the story and must be hinted at in the first few pages. The beginning either shows something is not going as expected, or someone is experiencing disturbing emotions or expecting a life-changing event. The last word at the end of that scene is of the utmost importance and should evoke some emotion.
The writing should also include fresh and original details. Writing well is not essential but it must be grammatically correct. Literary fiction focuses on the use of language and insight into character, but in most genres economical prose is preferred.
Some writers open their stories in media res – a Latin phrase meaning ‘in the midst of things.’ The action in the first few pages can be taken from anywhere in the novel. If the action comes from early in the story, the author could explain some of the back story through dialogue after the opening scene. A novelist often takes the reader to the start of the story to explain the situation, if the opening is taken from the middle or at the end. In media res has been used from ancient times, e.g. Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The advantage of using this method is to hook the audience and place them in the middle of the action.
Book One of my story, Heaven Tempers the Wind. Story of a War Child is written in media res. The story opens with the bombing of Rangoon by the Japanese during World War Two. Subsequent chapters depict life in pre-war days, and then continues on with life during the war.
The denouement – or unknotting – is the conclusion of a narrative after the plot has been unravelled and the conflict solved. A successful ending must be tied to the author’s implicit promise at the commencement of the story and must also be brief, or it will leach all emotion from the climax. A good ending satisfies the reader by wrapping up the story without any loose ends.
