Write your story backwards - my top-down hack for binge-worthy content

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Hey—It's Tim. 

I grew up believing good stories came fully formed, dropped in your head by some capricious muse. I’d sit at my desk, scribbling random scenes, hoping they'd magically arrange themselves into something great.

They never did.

Until I discovered ladders.

Ditch the Outline, Draw a Ladder

When I worked in animation, storyboarding scenes that kept people hooked wasn't about perfect drawings - it was about tension.

Ladders > Outlines.

Each rung was a beat of the story, climbing upward, tension rising step-by-step, until the climax.

Why ladders? Because ladders force you to ask one question at every rung:

A ladder doesn't let you skip. Miss a rung, your reader tumbles.

Why this works (the non-obvious truth)

It's not just about having a great payoff. The genius of the ladder is making sure readers always have something worth climbing toward.

Each rung must promise:

• A hint of mystery

• A dash of insight

• A payoff worth climbing higher for

Think about why you binge Netflix. You keep promising yourself "just one more episode," because every episode leaves you craving the next rung. That's the magic we're after.

Ladders don't have to be the whole story.

In reality, a ladder can be just one scene. The resolution might be a tiny step forward. But each step still carries the weight of the problem and the payoff.

Most ladders are actually hundreds of much smaller ladders.

The Perfect Ladder Doesn't Exist

There is no perfect ladder. The example isn't gospel—it's the process that's important. The essence of ladder-building is simple:

• I'm here (the start), I want to get there (the end).

• What steps make that happen?

• What do I need to do to achieve X?

• What do I need to know to do that?

• What could (and has) gone wrong to lead to where I am now?

Each rung is just a thoughtful answer to these questions.

My personal tweak (don’t tell anyone)

The easiest way to figure out your ladder:

Write the ladder backwards. Seriously.

Start at the top.
Start at your resolution.
Then the climax.
Work your way down.

This does two things:

1. Forces clarity - your ending sharpens your beginning.

2. Guarantees each rung naturally leads upward, because you built them from top down.

You can't get lost when you know exactly where you're heading.

See you tomorrow.

✌️ Tim "Stick-Figure Funnel" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

Same brain, different platforms: X, Threads, LinkedIn.

P.S. Next time you're stuck mid-draft, don't fix the scene. Break your ladder. Drop your reader halfway down and force them to climb again. Evil? Maybe. Effective? Always.

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