I’d venture to guess that many writers out there don’t usually write very linearly. You may write the beginning of your story, then jump around to flesh out other key elements, perhaps even writing an ending. But going from Point A (the beginning) to Point B (the ending) in one straight line? I rarely do that. Others of you, I don’t know. (Maybe you do, maybe you don’t, so let me know.)
But have you ever written a story backwards? I’ve been thinking about the works of David Maine, particularly his novel Fallen, a story told in reverse chronological order.
Fallen is the story of Adam and Eve and their offspring after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. It starts with the first couple’s son Cain, an old man, haunted by his horrific crime (murdering his brother Abel), and it ends with Cain’s parents being cast out of the Garden.
The expulsion of Adam and Eve
It’s a compelling read, even if you know how the story ends, er, begins. And that’s my point: How much do you like stories that have unconventional beginnings, and have you written any?
As far as reverse chronological stories go, one of the most famous comes in the form of a movie, Memento (Warning: Some language, so NSFW):
It’s a great film from Christopher Nolan (of The Dark Knight and Inception fame), a murder mystery and thriller, starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss. And it’s great, I think, because it’s so unconventional. Yes, there are some plot twists, but generally speaking, you’re not at the edge of your seat waiting for the surprise ending, because you’ve already seen the ending. (And yes, those of you who have seen it will say that you’re waiting for the surprise beginning, but hopefully you get my point.)
At least in the case of Memento, you have a thriller that does keep you guessing. In the case of Fallen, you don’t have that. Still, even though I knew how it ended, I couldn’t wait to see how it wrapped up.
Has anyone experimented with this kind of storytelling? I often have an ending in mind for my stories, and usually I write it long before the story itself it completed, but beginning at the ending is something different for me. Any thoughts? I’d love to hear them. And if you have any other good examples of unconventional narratives or reverse chronological stories, let me know.
C.T.
C.T. Westing 