A lot of writers I know find the first paragraph the most difficult. While there are dozens of proposed solutions for getting over this sticking point, there is one in particular that I’ve seen work wonders many times.
Want to know what it is? Try writing the ending first.
Normally, we slug through the introduction and the body, trying to figure where it all leads as we go along. Even when putting together outlines, many people suffer from the same predicament. The reason for that is because you started at the beginning. Naturally, you won’t know how it ends until you get to the closing.
As an alternative, try writing the ending first. Once you settle on a destination, the route becomes easier to figure out. If you’re concluding an essay with an adversarial tone, then you’ll know exactly how to build up to it; same when you’re composing a sales letter that ends with an aggressive pitch.
Going this route saves you a lot of time planning out different scenarios for your work, probably as much time as a good grammar software can save you during proofing process. Since you know how it’s supposed to end, you are able to narrow the manner in which you’ll present the information. Same with your mental state during the process. More than a handful of writers I know tend to get confused at some point in the piece, often having to backtrack to see how it all ties together. With the ending settled, this becomes less of an issue, as the end game is clear.
Tags: conclusion, ending, writing the ending first
