Screenwriting : Begin or end - what is easier for you? by Elisabeth Meier

The hard part is the middle. I usually have the beginning and end before I start.

Definitely have to agree with Kerry. If I run out of material (if the scenes I planned out don't cover enough ground) it is always the middle that suffers. It's often the point where I also think 'Oh, this is probably just shit'. But most of the time I plough on to get that first draft finished.

I ALWAYS have an idea about the ending before I start. I need to know what my characters are working towards. Getting my characters to the end is the story. So I guess this is easiest. I have found beginnings fairly easy too I suppose.

I know the beginning, middle and end before I start, but the end stresses me out the most, because I hate bad endings. I have always felt it is a bigger sin to start strong and drop the ball half way through the movie , then to start slow and finish great. Yes I know the goal is to write great from beginning to end (-:

Beginnings are by far the easiest for me, middles are harder and I really suffer with endings. I guess it depends on every person though.

I always have problems with endings, whatever I've written and produced it stars good but my ending is always weak. I try to know from the start the ending, but I'm just not good at coming up with twists for the ending.

Beginnings and endings, no problem. It's that darn long middle that's my challenge!

Thank you all. The middle hasn't been a real problem yet to me as I know the core and then I simply write - when I finally write and found my beginning. So, isn't it interesting how different it is for all of us?

Beginnings are easier for me. I always have a clear vision of how the first scene should go. Endings take a bit more work being I always want to keep going or end on a cliffhanger or something - which is why I decided to go into television!

I tend to start with an idea, with no clear idea of how the story will end - usually work that out as I go along - as the characters come alive, various options spring out of that. Sometimes I will have a couple to choose from, and have to decide which best serves the story I want to tell... it may involve several rewrites until it feels right... I don't think I have ever started from the end! (Maybe I'll try that... :-) )

I´ve no problems with the beginning or the end. It´s just when I move on to the middle how to develop the story line properly so that my script will keep flowing.

I like to have a basic 'road map' worked out, covering the beginning, middle and end... obviously things change as the characters start to make their own decisions over the course of the writing, but it helps to have something to work towards.

I tend to know my beginning through the middle pretty well. I have an idea on how I want to end my concepts but at times it feels like a Fiat trying to cross the Rocky Mountains. Sure it will be rocky and a hard, long road. But eventually I will get there. The more I flush out in my outline the better I can develop it. I always seem to write my openings without having to outline or do it from notes first.

Do you mean beginning as in the scene or where to start the story? I think of it like a joke, get in late and leave early. Meaning what's the closest I can come to introducing the character to you without you going "huh?" And I ask why the story that's that day? Why today? How is this day like any other day, how is it not?

They're both tough, the beginning because of the "first 10 pages to hook the reader" rule of thumb and the ending is always horrible when the resolution becomes a new story then it's like, the end but not really.

The excitement of ACT II can be hard in a "pitch". I actually think writing the skeleton of any screenplay or teleplay is pretty easy since I usually have most of the story in my head. Its the research details and rewrites that are b#^&h. With that said I absolutely love when the story starts to breathe a life of its own. Here lately; like the last couple of months I don't even want to dedicate time to read others stuff. I did that a lot when first starting out though and probably should again from time to time. My most recent study was The Fault In Our Stars. I think it should have won an Academy Award because its been a long time since I've read or seen a screenplay and movie of so many well worked out parallel thoughts which led to an awesome non-cliche' ending. Perhaps the beginning and ending came pretty easy because the writer understood parallels. Just an opinion and simple observation. Perhaps it was difficult for the writer too, who the heck knows. I think when a writer understands their parallels to any body of work the rest will come naturally and breathe a life of its own.