Kurt Vonnegut advised to ‘Start as close as close to the end as possible’.
The American writer had 8 Rules For Writing. Gems of guidance for creating an interesting story. The above is #5.
Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules for Writing
Vonnegut’s writing put humanity on display – and it often wasn’t pretty.
Perhaps he was lazy. The closer you start to the end – the shorter the journey so the less you need to write. Perhaps starting close to the end is a story design method so the writer stays true to the intention of the story.
Each conversation is a story. Even if that conversation in a dark 30 seconds on a downtown street is between strangers, full of swearing, worrisome and in full public view. What happened was this big and tall guy darted in front of two walking women (mother and daughter) and ‘BOO!!’ he yells out of nowhere. The daughter screams back; her mother said don’t. Daughter pursued him down the sidewalk to share her fright but he wasn’t interested. He already got what he wanted and wasn’t about to listen. His sudden scare manoeuvre works to steal some good energy. In this case: Female energy; high potency anger energy; the beautiful energy of being the focus of the ‘conversation’. All of this makes him feel important and makes up for a lack of relationship in his life.
Dirty business tactics on his part. The business of energy management –
we are all in the same business of energy: give and take, diminish and elevate.
The big, tall guy on the dark, downtown street was using guerrilla tactics. And he started quite close to the end of the intention of his story – which was to steal good energy. It only took him seconds. End of story. For him.
Does that mean he is good at what he does; steal? Or that he has no art? No energy art.
What about the others in the conversation?
Still recovering from the disturbing encounter the mother was coaching her adult daughter as they resumed their journey. The residue on the daughter from the experience is anger. Next time ‘listen to your mother’.
And if her mother isn’t there next time then the daughter would do well to activate her strength of resistance. Meaning make the continuance of her life ( like the walking conversation with her mother) more important than a grown man who is blind to his own value (due to self esteem or illness).
Resist the low. Adhere to the high. You are important. Standards are important.
So, tonight when you lay your head down – wonder – ‘what is true because of you?’
What do you want to be true because of you? This is like Vonnegut telling his students to start as close to the end as possible. If you have a good day what is the energetic residue? If you have a bad day, what is the energetic residue? If you are alone? If you are accompanied?
Close your eyes and know:
Because of you there is a marriage with a sense of loving and being loved;
Because of you a woman has no fear of violence in her marriage.
Because of you a colleague knows they are valued.
Because of you nature spirits flourish.
Because of you …
Life will jump in front of you and scream ‘BOO!’ now and again. When it does, resist the low. Maintain your standards that seek the good.
The Wild Coach 