G13's Blag

You should begin it without a definitive path and end it in the way that seems the best for the story. You don't want to automatically decide that it should have a tragic ending if it is unnecessary.

Aye, that's good advice. I've been planning this one for a while but the ending is all that eludes me. It certainly seems like it could be a tragedy, I don't see a happy ending fitting well into the setting. It's a short though, so maybe I'll write multiple endings and post them up to see what you all think.

The problem with planning the ending is, more often than not, you focus too much on getting from Point A (beginning) to Point B (set ending) and the middle part ends up severely lacking in writing strength. If you arrive at the tragic ending without planning, it is usually a better story for it.

Then again, I've written all of one story in the last four years, so take my advice with a grain of salt.