Making the Middle of Your Story Awesome

I read a lot about writing strong story openings, and also about writing awesome endings, but for me, the hardest part of the novel is the middle. You know, that tricky part where the characters try to solve their problems and reach their goals but aren't really getting anywhere--except into a giant tangled mess of plot threads.

One of the problems I find with the murky middle is that the storyline can go in different directions, depending on the choices I make as the writer. Sometimes, I get stuck thinking about how I can't go on if I don't get the pieces right in the middle. Or the right order for the scenes. Or...you get the idea. There's always something. So, the best solution is to just dive in and try something. But what?

What I usually do first when I get to feeling lost with my writing is to stop and think about my characters and what they really want. How can I help them get there?

Then I look back at my outline and think about whether what I planned to write will actually get them to where they need to go. Maybe there's something wrong with the outline. Or maybe I've gone off in a different direction and something needs to be changed, either in what I've written or in the outline.

I recently discovered a couple of good ideas to help with the "getting stuck in the middle" syndrome:

1. Gary Korisko suggests, "Accept that stuck is sometimes part of the creative process." [This Is What Blocks Your Writing (And How to Bust Through), Write to Done, September 30, 2013].  An interesting point in Gary's post is how having too many ideas can get you stuck in your story. Like in the middle, where there are lots of different possibilities for where the storyline can go and you feel stressed about choosing the "right" one.

Sometimes the solution is to just wait it out, take a break, and let the ideas sort themselves out in your mind. Some stories take longer to write (or revise) than others.

2. If you know the ending, write backwards! Over at The Blood Red Pencil, Elspeth Antonelli reminded me that there's more than one way to get through the middle [Your Manuscript's Menacing Middle, October 2, 2013]. Why not start at the end and work back?  It seems like a great solution to try, especially if the middle is really messing with your mind.

Focusing on the ending could help make it easier to see which choices in the middle are most helpful in guiding the character through to the next big plot event.

Do you have any other tips to help with the "messy middle" problem?

 

Two Stars and A Wish for My Novel Ending

I've been struggling with revising the ending to my novel. I've gotten great feedback from my critique partners. I've revisited my blurbs and summaries. I've scribbled notes and arrows all over my writing notebook. And all I have to show for it is a jumble of confused thoughts and a cursor stuck on Chapter 26. 

I finally gave up and walked away from it on Wednesday, hoping that taking a break for a couple of days would spark some new ideas. It's so discouraging when a part of the writing just isn't working, it starts to me thinking that the whole thing is terrible.

So, today I'm going to borrow a trick from my day job as a teacher. When students reflect on their work, we sometimes  ask them to think about two things they liked or did well with, and one wish for something they could have done differently or improved on. I'm going to try that with the ending of my novel. I hope it will help me appreciate what IS working as well as to help me pinpoint exactly what it is that I need to fix.

What is Your Top Writing Frustration?

I love writing, but sometimes it makes me so frustrated I could scream (actually I take it out on the Inkies in my fav Wii game, de Blob). Here are some things I find frustrating:

1. When it takes so long to get in the right mind space that the time I have for writing is almost all gone.

2. The length of time it takes to finish a novel/wait for feedback/write a query/hear back about a query.

3. When I know there should be another way to say "she waited" (or "she looked") and the options my thesaurus and I are coming up with just aren't right.

4. Endless revisions.

5. When you think you have a great idea and later find out it creates a huge plot hole.

What do you find the most frustrating about writing?