Can You Write A Story Back To Front?

Like A Tarantino Movie?

With the new Quentin Tarantino movie out right now, I wondered if you could write a story in the way some of his movies progress. We all remember Pulp Fiction and the way the timeline jumped from place to place. At the time I found it quite refreshing and wondered if the script was written in a sequential timeline and then hacked up to make the final film.

I guess he wrote it in the way we saw it. His brain just works like that.

But the benefits of this was that we got to piece the story together in places ourselves. The endearing mystery of Pulp Fiction is linked to the fact we still don’t really know what was in the suitcase that Julius protected with his life or why Marcellus has a plaster on the back of his neck. Or even if these two were connected. I’ll let you look up all the fan theories on this.

So, how can you write a novel in this way? It isn’t as difficult as you think. You don’t need a brain like Quentin Tarantino to make it happen. Here is what you need -

A Mapped Out Storyline

Jumping here and there in the final version of the novel is one thing. But to do this when writing can be really confusing. This is where you need a definite plan, written down, preferably large on a wall near you to guide the process.

The kind of whiteboards that come on a roll and static helps them to stick to the wall. This will help you map out the different elements of the story in the order you want to tell them. But it will also give you the scope to see how they link together.

Strong Characters

When you have a story like this, your reader needs to feel like they want to make the journey with you. The effort involved in reading a novel like this is a little more than reading any other novel. give them a reason to keep on reading.

The characters in the novel are a great way to do this. In the example of Pulp Fiction we identify with Vincent Vega, Mia Wallace, Butch and all the others. They are strong, interesting characters. We care about what happens to them. Make it the same with your novel. The characters are the reason people will read your broken up novel.

Don’t Be Afraid

There will be all kinds of advice out there on writing your first novel. They will tell you to write about what you know — and to keep it simple. They will probably tell you that this isn’t the way to write an initial novel. I’d suggest that you ignore that advice and write what you want to write. Writing to satisfy the urges of other people rarely works. Write your own novel in your own way and the passion you have for your story will shine through.

Happy writing!