Telling a Story Forwards or Backwards

So I've been working on a story for months. Great characters, interesting plot, very excited about it. Wrote more than half, and all of a sudden hit a complete and total brick wall. Lost all enthusiasm for it. Hated it. All gone to waste, even though I really loved my characters.

I was going to concede defeat, but it really bugged me because I knew very well I had great material.

What I ended up doing was scrapping the whole thing, and writing it over from a different temporal angle. This time I started almost at the end. Whatever I needed for explanation and build up I told through very condensed flashbacks or just built in the relevant information through description. And it all snapped into place. Very happy. Got over the brick wall. Easy and very very enjoyable to write.

This is the second time the exact same thing has happened, and I ended up telling the story a little backwards.

It's apparent to me now the standard assumption you need to progress and "build up" to a climax is just that, an assumption. I'm thinking I won't torture myself trying to fit into this mold next time.

Any thoughts?

Maybe it's just me, but I enjoy backwards sometimes. (It requires the reader to actually follow a plot rather than just hitting the high-spots.) A good story plot that flashes back can be a better story for way it is told. If writing it that way renewed your interest, then it may be a stroke of genius! Let me know when it posts.

I haven't done that with an entire story, but I've done it over and over with scenes that got bogged down; cut to the chase then explain how you got there.

I did that with the first story I wrote for here. It's been taken down and published at Smashwords. I didn't quite start at the end, but pretty close. Then I spent 20 chapters getting there. And another 10 getting to the end.

That's going to be my motto from now on

NotWise said:

cut to the chase then explain how you got there.

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A technique I've mentioned here a few times (but not lately -- I'm getting sloppy) is: visualize the ending, put that ending up front, then plant the players and plot points to get there. So, start with a guy or gal whirling down a slick spiral slide to an unknown fate. How did they get there? Tell their sexy tragicomic tale, then return to the slide. Will they land in a mud pit with naked wrestlers?

I'm not a fan of this technique. I started reading a story today that used a teaser (ignore the POV change):

As he leaned back against it, Mark Jordan's hands gripped the counter top rhythmically as he gazed down at the sight before him. With his shorts around his ankles, his best friends' mom paused to swirl her pink tongue over the pulsing head of his thick cock as it glided up between her breasts. Seeing the glazed expression on his face, the sexy brunette MILF smiled and wrapped her big jugs even tighter around his pole.

"Oh, yeah! Fuck my tits Mark," she moaned as he slid back down the soft valley for another round trip.

Gasping for air, he placed both hands on her shoulders pulling her tighter to his body. He shook his head in wonder at what had transpired to bring him here with his cock nestled firmly between Kay Reynolds's tits.

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The problem I have with this approach is that I know now that Mark is going to be tit-fucking Kay Reynolds in a little while, which decreases the suspense of the story. And because I know that, I don't have a lot of tolerance for plot points that don't lead me to Kay Reynold's naked tits.

I'd think this technique would work better if we didn't know who the MILF was. If she was identified as just a neighborhood mom, then I'd have some idea of where the story was going but not as much. When a mom got introduced, I would wonder, "Is this the mom?"

Actually, I agree.

I once used a teaser. Then I went ALL the way back and started it all from the beginning and didn't return to the teaser again until the very end. Big mistake. Will never do that again. It colors the whole story, limits it and I agree takes away a lot of the tension and surprise.

The approach I'm taking now it not a hard cut between a teaser and the story proper. It all goes forward from where I start, with just gentle reminiscences or flashbacks, when necessary interwoven in, but I never jump completely back into the past.

Seems to work. I used this approach in my last one and I really enjoyed it.

8letters said:

I'm not a fan of this technique. I started reading a story today that used a teaser (ignore the POV change):

The problem I have with this approach is that I know now that Mark is going to tit fucking Kay Reynolds in a little while, which decreases the suspense of the story. And because I know that, I don't have a lot of tolerance for plot points that don't lead me to Kay Reynold's naked tits.

I'd think this technique would work better if we didn't know who the MILF was. If she was identified as just a neighborhood mom, then I'd have some idea of where the story was going but not as much. When a mom got introduced, I would wonder, "Is this the mom?"

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I've often thought about telling a story from two points of view- but not exactly- say one character recounts from point A in the past to point B happening later on (meaning it's happening in real time for them) and another character talks from point B back to point A, filling in and explaining the details (as though recalling).
Yes it doesn't make sense.

There was a television show that did this consistently - Flashpoint. The very first scene was always the scene just before the end. Then they told you how they got there, skip over the scene you already saw and end the story.

Several other shows also did this with a few episodes.

NotWise said:

I haven't done that with an entire story, but I've done it over and over with scenes that got bogged down; cut to the chase then explain how you got there.

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I did this with one chapter of my Serendipity story and I think it worked out really well.

8letters said:

I'm not a fan of this technique. I started reading a story today that used a teaser (ignore the POV change):

The problem I have with this approach is that I know now that Mark is going to be tit-fucking Kay Reynolds in a little while, which decreases the suspense of the story. And because I know that, I don't have a lot of tolerance for plot points that don't lead me to Kay Reynold's naked tits.

I'd think this technique would work better if we didn't know who the MILF was. If she was identified as just a neighborhood mom, then I'd have some idea of where the story was going but not as much. When a mom got introduced, I would wonder, "Is this the mom?"

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I find it weird that someone is using the person's whole name! This is always weird to me though in real life and in stories. I very rarely even have a last name for my characters.
And in my real life I always will ask people who call someone by their full name why they do it? Unless you know multiple people with the same name, just a first name usually works.
But this is just me being weird and I know it. I haven't read that story so maybe they needed to use the full character names for some reason.

Kimikimidoll said:

I've often thought about telling a story from two points of view- but not exactly- say one character recounts from point A in the past to point B happening later on (meaning it's happening in real time for them) and another character talks from point B back to point A, filling in and explaining the details (as though recalling).
Yes it doesn't make sense.

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I was just sitting here considering doing this! Like five minutes ago I was thinking, maybe this would work better if I told the story from both their points of view.
The story is about a couple and it's so far told from her point of view, but the guy is about to go out and earn some money by meeting up with an older guy at a hotel and I'm thinking maybe I should switch to his point of view for that part?
It might be confusing. I think I'll write it both ways and ask my friend which she thinks works best.

...........

I feel your pain, Carnal.

I often find myself writing thousands of words as I explore a character, often coming up with elaborate backstories that I think are sheer gold until I read the entire story and realize, "Um, okay, that was all unneeded shit."

What I wind up doing would be informing myself about my characters. There are times when that exploration becomes completely unneeded for my story and I lose all those words.

I guess I'm not telling the story backwards - but it's my own demon.

BuckyDuckman said:

I feel your pain, Carnal.

I often find myself writing thousands of words as I explore a character, often coming up with elaborate backstories that I think are sheer gold until I read the entire story and realize, "Um, okay, that was all unneeded shit."

What I wind up doing would be informing myself about my characters. There are times when that exploration becomes completely unneeded for my story and I lose all those words.

I guess I'm not telling the story backwards - but it's my own demon.

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Just 'cause you don't use it in the final draft doesn't mean it's wasted. Even if the readers never know where my protagonist grew up or who her parents were, it helps me write her.

For me, also, it's about writing Incest. I actually hate writing all the build up and hemming and hawing and oh my god we can't of the typical Incest story arc. I can't write it. Yet you cannot just jump into the situation either. I was able to allude to difficulties overcome, past "confessions," etc. without going into all of it. All of the usual stuff takes place in the past. Felt like I was really going against the grain, but found you can still incorporate guilt, reluctance without spelling it out step by step.

Also I agree--all that background doesn't go to waste. You do know your characters really well.

BuckyDuckman said:

I feel your pain, Carnal.

I often find myself writing thousands of words as I explore a character, often coming up with elaborate backstories that I think are sheer gold until I read the entire story and realize, "Um, okay, that was all unneeded shit."

What I wind up doing would be informing myself about my characters. There are times when that exploration becomes completely unneeded for my story and I lose all those words.

I guess I'm not telling the story backwards - but it's my own demon.

Click to expand...

Bramblethorn said:

Just 'cause you don't use it in the final draft doesn't mean it's wasted. Even if the readers never know where my protagonist grew up or who her parents were, it helps me write her.

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I know of old-time SciFi writers who created elaborate drafts (with diagrams etc) of worlds they were building for their stories. The background text wasn't published but it certainly infused the finished work. I often write about real people in real places. I don't detail the geography and history but those details inform my writing, help me visualize who's doing what where, and why, to whom, or whatever.

The first thing i ever wrote ended up being a 20 chapter novel. I was about four chapters in when i realized I had left part of the story out so, chapter one became like chapter four in the finished work. Flashbacks work great.

The classic / obsessive model for telling-the-story-backwards reverses time and follows the protagonist from being lifted from their dark grave, back through their life, to being placed into their mother's womb. Reverse orgasms are fun to visualize but tough to write.