I've been bitten!

[karaksindru]

By the writing bug ... again ... I think ...

I'd like to continue the adventures of Ex Machina.

As risenphoenix has oft suggested / demanded, authors should know ahead of time how the story will end and when

Comments

[minnesattva]

I don't think writers need to know how and when their stories end before they get there. I imagine that works for some people, but I'd rather just make it up as I go along. The rare times I'm writing fiction that's any good (it's not my strong point), I think of new things as I go along, the characters sometimes seem to change in ways I didn't expect, and I end up with a story differnet than the one I first imagined, but no less good. So don't worry if you don't know everything yet.

[risenphoenix]

The trick isn't know when it will end, the trick is knowing that it will end.

The tragic flaw of any series (book, TV, movie, or otherwise) is that the series continues long after it should have ended. Dragonball Z is a great example of this: there can only be so goddamn many ultimate enemies.

So, the trick with a series is to know what, exactly, you're steering the series towards. Literally anything you want can happen in between, but know where the ending is. And when you reach the ending, END IT. Don't continue the story, because there's only so much your characters can realistically accomplish.

So, I'm not saying write the end of a story before you start. I'm saying, if you're planning a series, know what you're aiming for at the end. That end can change as the series evolves, but it should still be there. In effect, you should be building to a climax over the course of several novels, always leaving the reader wanting more, and then ending the series in a way that is satisfactory and completes the damn series.

[laurenlydon]

You can add me :)