--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I didn't know the ending of a story, I…" description: "\"If I didn't know the ending of a story, I wouldn't begin. I always write my last lines, my last paragraph first, and then I go back and work towards it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/anonymous-1_firsts_if-i-didn-t-know-the-ending-of-a-story-i_1554510.jpg" --- # If I didn't know the ending of a story, I wouldn't begin… ![“If I didn't know the ending of a story, I wouldn't begin. I always write my last lines, my last paragraph first, and then I go back and work towards it. I know where I'm going. I know what my goal is. And how I get there is God's grace.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/anonymous-1_firsts_if-i-didn-t-know-the-ending-of-a-story-i_1554510.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/anonymous-1_firsts_if-i-didn-t-know-the-ending-of-a-story-i_1554510.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/anonymous-1_firsts_if-i-didn-t-know-the-ending-of-a-story-i_1554510.jpg) > “If I didn't know the ending of a story, I wouldn't begin. I always write my last lines, my last paragraph first, and then I go back and work towards it. I know where I'm going. I know what my goal is. And how I get there is God's grace.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting with the ending gives direction and purpose to the writing journey. **In simple terms:** Begin with the story’s conclusion. Key Takeaway Write the ending first, then work backward. Themes writing process goal setting creativity Mood thoughtful strategic Type process method When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenplay development - academic essays - personal journals Key Concepts Narrative structure reverse engineering Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing the ending affect your plot? - Can you adapt if the ending changes? A Different Perspective May limit spontaneous creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [God 's grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-grace-2/) [God'S Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-grace/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Would I want to know the ending to my own story? No. I want the adventure that comes with finding out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-vogel-frederick/would-i-want-to-know-the-ending-to-my-own-story-no-i-want-the/) [Heather Vogel Frederick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-vogel-frederick/) > [I always know the ending; that's where I start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-always-know-the-ending-that-s-where-i-start/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't repeat chapters. The ending of the story will never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-repeat-chapters-the-ending-of-the-story-will-never-change/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not repeat chapters, for the ending of the story never changes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-repeat-chapters-for-the-ending-of-the-story-never-changes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't know who I am any more. I have no bloody idea. ... I don't know who I am. Or what my goal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-don-t-know-who-i-am-any-more-i-have-no-bloody-idea-i-don-t-know-who/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [“That I may know Him," was the goal of his heart, and to this he sacrificed everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/that-i-may-know-him-was-the-goal-of-his-heart-and-to-this-he/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Dont imitate. Write what you know about, that has to be your goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-coppola/dont-imitate-write-what-you-know-about-that-has-to-be-your-goal/) [Roman Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-coppola/) > [“know that the goal is not to get entangled in the world, but to use the world to reach Divinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-bhagavad-gita/know-that-the-goal-is-not-to-get-entangled-in-the-world-but-to-use/) [The Bhagavad Gita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-bhagavad-gita/) > [Know your goal, make a plan and pull the trigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/know-your-goal-make-a-plan-and-pull-the-trigger/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) > [“Stephen Covey, in his book The 8th Habit, decribes a poll of 23,000 employees drawn from a number of companies and industries. He reports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath-dan-heath/stephen-covey-in-his-book-the-8th-habit-decribes-a-poll-of-23-000/) Chip Heath & Dan Heath > [I'm not in competition with anyone but myself, and I think once I know I work hard enough for myself and I know I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-mclaughlin/i-m-not-in-competition-with-anyone-but-myself-and-i-think-once-i-know/) [Caleb McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-mclaughlin/) > [We can never be content with being top of the group in the Champions League and going to the top of the league and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-mount/we-can-never-be-content-with-being-top-of-the-group-in-the-champions/) [Mason Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-mount/) > [Don't imitate. Write what you know about, that has to be your goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-coppola/don-t-imitate-write-what-you-know-about-that-has-to-be-your-goal/) [Roman Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-coppola/) > [People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/people-work-better-when-they-know-what-the-goal-is-and-why-it-is/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [I don't know much about football. I know what a goal is, which is surely the main thing about football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-beckham/i-don-t-know-much-about-football-i-know-what-a-goal-is-which-is/) [Victoria Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-beckham/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Ending quotes > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) > [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/) Unkown > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Friendship doesn't has ending...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-doesn-t-has-ending/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 2010, Republicans took control of politics in Alabama by advocating for increased transparency and an end to government corruption, but instead of ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-crumpton/in-2010-republicans-took-control-of-politics-in-alabama-by-advocating/) [Ron Crumpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-crumpton/) > [Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-brought-the-beginning-tomorrow-brings-the-end-and-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Break ups arent always meant for make ups. Sometimes relationships end in order for you to wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/break-ups-arent-always-meant-for-make-ups-sometimes-relationships-end/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/everything-we-do-really-is-just-a-little-marker-on-the-long-road-to/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) Browse all 1,316 Ending quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I didn't know the ending of a story, I wouldn't begin. I always write my last lines, my last paragraph first, and then I go back and work towards it. I know where I'm going. I know what my goal is. 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