--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Write backwards. Start from the feeling…" description: "\"Write backwards. Start from the feeling you want the audience to have at the end and then ask \"How might that happen?\" continually, until you have a be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg" --- # Write backwards. Start from the feeling you want the… ![“Write backwards. Start from the feeling you want the audience to have at the end and then ask "How might that happen?" continually, until you have a beginning.” quote by Lucy Prebble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg) > “Write backwards. Start from the feeling you want the audience to have at the end and then ask "How might that happen?" continually, until you have a beginning.” [Lucy Prebble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She advises starting with the desired audience feeling and working backward, repeatedly asking “How might that happen?” to craft a beginning. **In simple terms:** Begin with the end feeling and reverse‑engineer the story. Key Takeaway Design narratives from desired impact outward. Themes storytelling creative process audience engagement Mood strategic inspired Type instructional creative When to use this quote - scriptwriting - marketing campaigns - educational design Key Concepts reverse engineering emotional mapping Questions to Reflect On - How does this method shape narrative structure? - What emotions are most effective to target? A Different Perspective May be time‑consuming for simple projects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards/) [Backwards Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards-start-2194525/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-audience/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-backwards-1897232/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I tried to write backwards so I could take a picture of it and the word not be backwards in the picture but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-crosby/i-tried-to-write-backwards-so-i-could-take-a-picture-of-it-and-the/) [Cassandra Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-crosby/) > [In my next life I want to live backwards. Start out dead and finish off as an orgasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/in-my-next-life-i-want-to-live-backwards-start-out-dead-and-finish/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“Hajime," she began, "the sad truth is that some things can't go backwards. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/hajime-she-began-the-sad-truth-is-that-some-things-can-t-go-backwards/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I want an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/i-want-an-audience/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [You've got to work. You've got to want an audience to sit forward in their chairs sometimes, rather than sit back and be bombarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-mendes/you-ve-got-to-work-you-ve-got-to-want-an-audience-to-sit-forward-in/) [Sam Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-mendes/) > [You want the audience to be uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thompson/you-want-the-audience-to-be-uncomfortable/) [Richard Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thompson/) > [I want to give the audience the whole package, and for me, the whole package is to give them something fresh as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-want-to-give-the-audience-the-whole-package-and-for-me-the-whole/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I try to make all my work as honest as possible. I want the audience to feel like they're watching two people talking-having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-burstein/i-try-to-make-all-my-work-as-honest-as-possible-i-want-the-audience/) [Danny Burstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-burstein/) > [I've always traveled with the films because I want the audience to be my teacher so that I can learn for the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-potter/i-ve-always-traveled-with-the-films-because-i-want-the-audience-to-be/) [Sally Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-potter/) > [I want to expand jazz; I don't want to keep the audience limited. I want to reach people who have never come to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-haden/i-want-to-expand-jazz-i-don-t-want-to-keep-the-audience-limited-i/) [Charlie Haden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-haden/) > [In fact, I think more broadly about what an audience requires, but I want an audience to be fascinated by the process of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/in-fact-i-think-more-broadly-about-what-an-audience-requires-but-i/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I just want the audience to see that the performances are a real representation of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taeyang/i-just-want-the-audience-to-see-that-the-performances-are-a-real/) [Taeyang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taeyang/) > [I don't want the national award... I seriously do not need any such thing. I would only want the audience to go and watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareena-kapoor/i-don-t-want-the-national-award-i-seriously-do-not-need-any-such/) [Kareena Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareena-kapoor/) > [I want to be a star. It doesn't mean that I'll act any less. My performance will be at par, but I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taapsee-pannu/i-want-to-be-a-star-it-doesn-t-mean-that-i-ll-act-any-less-my/) [Taapsee Pannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taapsee-pannu/) > [Those trying to drag me down through piracy, I want to tell them that I will somehow achieve what I want. I am focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-deverakonda/those-trying-to-drag-me-down-through-piracy-i-want-to-tell-them-that/) [Vijay Deverakonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-deverakonda/) ## More by Lucy Prebble > [That's our mirror. Every dip, every crash, every bubble that's burst, a testament to our brilliant stupidity. This one gave us the railroads. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/that-s-our-mirror-every-dip-every-crash-every-bubble-that-s-burst-a/) [Lucy Prebble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/) > [Maybe the biggest misconception humanity has about itself is that by gaining more power over the world, over the environment, we will be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/maybe-the-biggest-misconception-humanity-has-about-itself-is-that-by/) [Lucy Prebble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/) > [Feeling intimidated is a good sign. Writing from a place of safety produces stuff that is at best dull and at worst dishonest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/feeling-intimidated-is-a-good-sign-writing-from-a-place-of-safety/) [Lucy Prebble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/) > [There's a strange thing goes on inside a bubble. It's hard to describe. People who are in it can't see outside of it, don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/there-s-a-strange-thing-goes-on-inside-a-bubble-it-s-hard-to-describe/) [Lucy Prebble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/) [Explore all 5 Lucy Prebble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Write backwards. Start from the feeling you want the audience to have at the end and then ask \"How might that happen?\" continually, until you have a beginning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lucy Prebble" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-you-want-the-audience-to-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-you-want-the-audience-to-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/lucy-prebble-58303_asks_write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-y_1123038.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Write backwards. Start from the feeling you want the audience to have at the end and then ask \"How might…” — Lucy Prebble", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lucy Prebble", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-prebble/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Write backwards. Start from the feeling...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-you-want-the-audience-to-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-prebble/write-backwards-start-from-the-feeling-you-want-the-audience-to-have/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```