Okay, I’ll admit it. I read the ends of books often before I read their beginnings. (Yes, even Mockingjay. Hangs head in shame.) I also flip to the middle of romances to find the sexy scenes to “preview” them. I read Survivor spoilers. I read the Big Brother threads at Survivor Sucks so I already know who won HOH and the power of veto days before CBS airs the competitions. I usually know who gets kicked off So You Think You Can Dance about three hours before it runs in my time zone. Ditto with The Biggest Loser.
My name is Claire and I have impulse control issues.
This lack of control, however, bodes well for me as a writer. I’ll explain. I love a good mystery. I love secrets. I loved that I figured out Bruce Willis was one of the dead people. I loved that I was almost as clueless in Memento as the protagonist. I love knowing stuff the rest of the general population doesn’t. I love figuring out puzzles before anyone else. If I invent the puzzle, I achieve that by default, but it must be a thought-provoking puzzle.
I’ve yet to settle on a single genre in which to write but I suspect it will always encompass elements of mystery and deception. The challenge is to be better at it than my readers without cheating. If I do that, I will have succeeded.
Claire Gillian 
Ha! Lindsay and I were just talking about this 2 days ago! I always read the end first in the books because I like to watch how the characters act (esp. villain) during the progress of the story. Not sure if that’s impulse control or me trying to be a smartie pants. Like, ha ha, I know more than the characters do! 🙂 Also, when it comes to movies (i.e., “Knowing”) I have to read spoilers first to see who dies. This way, I don’t become invested in a character they’re just going to kill off anyway. This is big for thrillers. There’s nothing worse than rooting for a character then having them die off the 2nd before last. Ugh.
It’s sort of writer’s research, watching the types of clues the author gives or doesn’t give the reader. Always make me think of that Chekov quote: “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.”
Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater (I am currently living vicariously though my 6 year olds). 🙂
But as you know … I do the same thing. 🙂 Ha!
Yes, I see my fellow guilty writer friends fess up. THEY understand.
*waves hello* 🙂
How’s this for sad, instead of flipping to the last page of a book, I’ve been known to go to Amazon and obsessively read through all of the reviews to find out what happens! (though I tend to do this more when I’m losing interest in a book, to find out if I really want to bother continuing).
I think good mystery in fiction is all about sleight of hand. And since all of my ideas generally include some degree of mystery also, I’d love to learn how to pull it off well.
Hiya Silver! If that’s sad, then I’m cryin’ along with ya cause I do that too and read the forums I see there about that book. It’s a sickness, truly. LOL.