Write the Last Page First
Fix the destination before building the story that reaches it
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 98%
Rabe learned from Sesame Street writers to determine an ending before constructing the events that lead to it. They would begin with an absurd final situation, such as Abbott and Costello pushing a piano across a jungle bridge toward a gorilla, and ask how the characters got there. Rabe applies the same mechanism to children's books: she writes the last page first, then creates the plot that arrives at that page. The method is especially useful in children's writing because the last page is the final thing a child hears before the book closes. Fixing that final message gives every earlier scene a destination and creates a simple test for whether the story's sequence supports its intended resolution.
Origin
Tish Rabe learned the method by watching Sesame Street writers construct stories backward from their endings, then adopted it for her children's books.
Core principles
- 01The ending determines the story's destination
- 02The final page carries unusual weight because it is the last thing the reader hears
- 03A fixed destination makes the preceding narrative easier to construct
How to run it
- 1
Draft the destination
Write the final page first, including the message, resolution, or emotional note the audience should retain.
Pro tip Treat the page as the last thing the audience will hear before the book closes.
- 2
Ask how the characters arrived
Work backward from the final situation and identify the conflict, choices, and events required to make it plausible.
Pro tip Use the Sesame Street writers' question: how did they get there?
- 3
Build toward the fixed page
Draft the beginning and middle so each major event advances the story toward the ending.
Watch out Do not let an entertaining detour weaken the final resolution.
- 4
Test the last impression
Read the complete story and confirm that the final page still delivers the intended message once the preceding context exists.
In the wild
Rabe first wrote a final page saying that, like the I Believe Bunny, a small bunny can make a difference. She then built the book around the bunny helping a friend who cannot swim, bringing the narrative back to that predetermined conclusion.
→ The plot supports a concise final message about making a difference regardless of size.
Sesame Street writers described Abbott and Costello pushing a piano across a jungle bridge while a gorilla approached, then asked how they had reached that situation.
→ The ending became a concrete target from which the writers could construct the preceding story.
Common mistakes
Drafting without a destination
A story can accumulate scenes without earning a clear final resolution when the ending is left undefined.
Treating the last page as an afterthought
In a children's book, the last page is the final thing heard before the book closes, so a weak ending can dilute the whole story.
Is it for you?
Best for
Writers who know the message or emotional destination they want a story to leave behind.
Not ideal for
Writers deliberately using open-ended discovery writing with no predetermined destination.
From the transcript
“But the big thing I learned from the Sesame Street writers and it has saved me many many many times is that they wrote the…”
“So as an children's book author, I always write my last page first.”
“It's a very important page in children's books cuz it is the last page they hear before the book is shut.”
From the episode
#854: Tish Rabe — 200+ Children's Books, Getting Picked for Dr. Seuss, Lessons from Early Sesame Street, How to Write 300+ Songs, and More
Tish Rabe