It's not imperative that you know the ending of the story before you begin, but I've found that when I start I need to see at least the shadow of the end. I had a chance to interview one of my idols a long time ago over the telephone and John Irving said that he has to know the last line of a novel before he begins. That doesn't mean that he knows how the novel is going to get to that last line but he has to have some sort of a lighthouse at the end of the story where he can point his narrative to and make sure that the effective ending that he's hoping for can be obtained. I like to review the endings of novels and movies because I try to understand the question that is answered by that ending that is ask at the beginning of the story and also the emotional effect it has on me after I watch it multiple times. I watched the end of The dark Knight because it is an interesting story that asked the question involving a person's identity. I watched the ending of gravity because I'm pulling so hard for Ryan to make it back to Earth that there's an emotional release when she does step foot on land again. I watched the end of It's a wonderful Life because it reaffirms my belief that family is so important to a person's life and development.the end of your story is important and you hope to have something that is both intellectually challenging and also emotionally fulfilling. At least that's what my goal is.
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