Based on this week’s topic: “Do you ever read books because of the movies based on them? How did they measure up?” I guess this week’s going to be another short and sweet post from me.
If I were going to; I’d be more apt to see the movie after I’d read the book, not vice-versa. IMHO, why bother to read the book if you already know the story and how it goes? That’s the excitement of reading and turning pages to see what happens next!
I don’t like having it ruined by already knowing what’s going to happen next. I’ve never been able to understand the reader who reads the last page first. That would spoil everything for me.
Same goes for movies. If I see the end first, I’m not apt to want to watch it from the beginning.
Do you like to know what’s going to happen in a story first, or prefer a surprise ending?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
I definitely prefer not to “know” the ending of either a novel or movie… but I can frequently GUESS the end. When the author or director catches me by surprise, I am usually quite pleased to have been taken for that ride. Unless, of course, he/she “cheated” by withholding something from the reader/viewer.
As to reading the ending first — if I want to know how many pages a book is (which is a concern of mine, since I don’t like to tackle LOOONNNGGG books), I will very carefully find that last page number without looking at the text on that page. I don’t want even a clue about the end.
My late mother-in-law, however, ALWAYS read the end first… even for books in a genre which almost guaranteed the ending!
I could never understand that, but to her, it allowed her to settle back and enjoy the ride.
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Your m-i-l is the type of reader I mentioned. How could she “settle back and enjoy the ride,” if she already knew the ending? Thanks for stopping by, Jeff!
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We did the reverse last week, Janette and the reason for reading a book after seeing the movie is to see how they differ. I have mentioned it before, but all writers should read “Writing for Movies for Fun and Profit”[the “fun’ is slashed through], by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. It shows how screenwriters usually change as much as possible when they have their hands on a book to transform to a movie.Also, as for the ending, if a movie was made during the days of the Hayes Office, the ending would often be changed,The bad guys in the movies always had to get their ‘comeuppance’, no matter how the book ended…and lovers had better marry or die.
You’ll hear more about it all in my Friday post.
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I think “bad” guys should always get their comeuppance now, too, Tonette! I believe what goes around comes around. There’s a lot to be learned from the way a script is written. Thanks for stopping by with your comment, Tonette! 🙂
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I’m one who always reads the end first. Well, after reading the beginning. If I like the beginning, I’ll skip to the end. And then I’ll read the middle to find out how they got there. Drives my family nuts. But I tend to write that way, too. I write the ending, and then I go back to fill in the hows and the whys.
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I write in parts, too. But I can’t read someone else’s story from the end to the beginning. Thanks for stopping by, Patricia!
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I prefer to be surprised. I don’t like arriving late to a movie, either. 🙂
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I’m there with you on both counts, Laurie! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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