November 11, 2025
I was on my morning walk with Uno and I had two epiphanies. The first is, ending a story is so difficult, why not write the ending first? And the second epiphany was, as we were walking by the White Buffalo Corral, a mother and her calf came trotting towards us.
The White Buffalo Corral
I told Uno "someone wants to say hello," so he naturally ran over to stick his nose through the metal slats when the mother reared back and rammed the fence with her head—hard! The message seemed clear: "If this fence wasn't here, I'd kill you both."
Good to know. And, for the record, that is a good ending to a story.
"I hate endings. Just detest them. Beginnings are definitely the most exciting, middles are perplexing and endings are a disaster. The temptation towards resolution, towards wrapping up the package, seems to me a terrible trap. Why not be more honest with the moment? The most authentic endings are the ones which are already revolving towards another beginning. That’s genius."
—Sam Shepard
How to tell us you didn't listen to the Tube's Backwards "Completion Backwards Principle" album closely upon its release in 1981 without telling us you didn't listen to the Tube's Backwards "Completion Backwards Principle" album closely upon its release in 1981. ;)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4LWb_V0KWc&t=2s
BTW: Next thing up on my YouTube queue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKUB2Mz4XYY
I have written stories, with the ending in place when I started. But those ending always sounded like a flat tire slapping the road.
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