Beginning, middle, and end

Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end.

• You introduce some people.
• Some stuff happens to them.
• Everything is fixed.

It sounds so simple when written like that. Lucky for us, it is.

Beginning

In the beginning of a story, your job is to get your readers interested. You got them to start the book, now you need them to keep reading.

Of course, the first logical thing to do is introduce your reader to the characters and the situation. The tricky part is to do this without sounding like a laundry list.

You might decide to introduce the main character first by putting them in a situation that emphasizes their personality. Or, you could begin with a problem, or the conflict, to instantly trap your readers.

In the first few pages, make sure you give them a peek of what’s to come. Hook them in so that they have to keep reading.

Middle

The middle makes up the majority of the story. Now that you hooked them in the beginning, you have to make it worth their while to stay.

Try to avoid long sections of descriptions. Readers often get tired of reading pages and pages all about how the main character spends his weekends. Put yourself in their shoes and write what you would want to read.

In the middle, you will get the characters trapped further into the conflict, make them deal with the conflict, and possibly make it seem as though the situation is impossible. You are getting ready for the big finale.

End

The end should be a big finale. If you lead your readers up to the edge of their seats, you don’t want to finish with a boring ending. In the end, you want to make them glad they kept reading.

If you have a great story to tell, coming up with the perfect beginning, middle, and end should be no problem at all. Just write, and it should flow together nicely!

Back to Structure and Technique Homepage