#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 8 Nbr 21 — Do you agree with Rose Tremain, who says you shouldn't plan a book's ending; it must be earned?
These two quotes of hers go together:
Respect the way characters may change once they’ve got 50 pages of life in them. Revisit your plan at this stage and see whether certain things have to be altered to take account of these changes.
In the planning stage of a book, don’t plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it.
In the planning stage of a book, I gather:
Knowledge about the character, especially their problem and their desires.
Detail of what eventually needs to happen so I know when the story ends. It allows me to know what I am writing toward.
As such, I don't agree with her statement about not planning the ending. I do agree with the sentiment that a writer should respect how the character has changed as you write the story. Character development can change the ending. For that reason, sometimes it's good to nip certain changes in the bud and get the story back on track. Usually, I don't change the ending I've planned; however, in the current WiP, the story metamorphosed from a one act story to a three act story. Based on story events, it got a new ending. Twice.
Note, however, "new ending." Composing a story never ends well (pun intended) when I don't know /an/ ending for the story I am writing.
