@sharkimellow asked:
To be sure, this is a matter of personal preference. At the same time, I replied:
There’s a lot a writer can do to set up a twist in order to make it as big a surprise as possible.
And on the other hand, foreshadowing can be used to increase the power of an event in your story when that event finally arrives.
What’s your preference? Do you like to make up the story as you go, or work backwards?
One Comment on “Make Story Up as You Go, Or Work Backwards?”
Sometimes I have to get to the end to discover what has been really going on, so that I can layer in all the themes, and find what is both a logical resolution and enough of a surprise to leave the reader still thinking after the last page. Other times, the ending shows up in my mind very early in the process and I head for it with more clarity.