Fortunately/Unfortunately

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

Perhaps you've heard of (or played) a game called "Fortunately/Unfortunately".  It's been around since the 80s, although I only learned of it recently. Apparently I travel in the wrong playgroups.

This verbal game requires nothing more than people to play it. You simply take turns making up a story, alternating sentences with the first words "fortunately" and "unfortunately".  For example:

"Fortunately, I won a trip to Paris."
"Unfortunately, my car had a flat tire on the way to the airport."
"Fortunately, a friend picked me up and I made it just in time."
"Unfortunately, I forgot my ticket."
...and so on.

It's a creative way to fill time, like on a long car ride.  It's also good exercise for both sides of the brain, since logic and imagination must work together in order to keep the game going.

But this concept has even greater possibilities for a writer.  Isn't "fortunately/unfortunately" the pattern followed by the classic stories?  For example:

The Wizard of Oz
(skipping ahead to the good parts:)

Fortunately, a good witch gives Dorothy magic shoes to protect her.
Unfortunately, a wicked witch wants the magic shoes.
Fortunately, the Wizard of Oz can help Dorothy return home to Kansas.
Unfortunately, it's a long walk to the Emerald City.
Fortunately, there's a yellow brick road to guide her.
Unfortunately, she gets lost at a crossroad.
Fortunately, she meets a scarecrow who points the way.
Unfortunately, he doesn't have a brain.
...and so on.

Following this pattern of "I have good news and bad news", the audience enjoys a roller coaster of ups and downs to keep things interesting.  And, as I elaborated on in a previous post, it's helpful if the writer knows how it's all going to end so that each scene furthers the plot in the proper direction.

It's not uncommon for a writer to insert several "unfortunatelys" between each "fortunately". Problem may pile upon problem before a reprieve temporarily breaks the tension.  This is especially common in a dark tale or an action drama.

I get this a lot (bad news/good news from Firefox).

And the "unfortunately" doesn't always have to be the direct antithesis to what comes before. It can be something completely unpredictable that turns everything on a dime. Who would have anticipated that a cyclone would interfere with Dorothy's running away from home?  Any roadblock to the overall goal can do the trick.

Just as when playing the game itself, allow your imagination to come up with fortunately/unfortunately scenarios spontaneously and without overthinking.  Let the muse do the work, and in no time at all you could have a working outline for your next novel.

Ending Is Better Than Pending

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

Over lunch some years ago, I was taken aback when a friend declared that he usually reads the last page of a book before deciding whether to read the whole thing. It seemed like a highly irregular approach to me. Since then, however, a smattering of other acquaintances have echoed that they too engage in this practice.

"Why would you want to read the book after you know how it ends?" I ask.  The answer may vary, but it invariably involves a defense that it doesn't diminish their enjoyment.  They argue something about a good story standing up to repeat visits, like a favorite movie.  At that point the conversation turns into a discussion of our favorite movies, and we never get back to the original subject.

If some booklovers like to start at the finish line, more power to them. In fact, starting at the end isn't just a favored trait of the odd reader, it is also a winning strategy of many writers.

Mystery authors in particular must possess a sense of whodunit and howtheydunit long before the climactic chapters.  How else can clues and red herrings be strategically planted along the way?

Truth is, foreknowledge of the finale isn't just for mystery writers.  No matter the genre, there are multiple benefits to be had, even for pantsers devoted to writing freeform.

Having decided on the ending allows for preparing for the big finish in ways that will enhance it. Imagine an ending where the newlywed heroes are driving off into the sunset in a purple Corvette. Pleasant enough ending. But it can add an extra layer of emotional satisfaction if, earlier in the story, that very vehicle was out of reach to them in a showroom.

The opportunity to foreshadow is another plus to knowing where you're going.  If the young man's future father-in-law is the CEO of a boat manufacturing company, how much richer would it be if his own dad took him fishing every weekend?

Perhaps the biggest benefit to having the ending already mapped out is that it will keep you from wasting time writing nonessential scenes that don't push the plot in the right direction. Your first draft will have more focus and there'll be less to leave on the cutting room floor.

Whether we're working toward a bitter end or a happily-ever-after, a well-planned finish from the start can become a story's be-all and end-all.