The Dreaded Sagging Middle

I wanted to blog about a topic many writers—including myself—dread. It’s the sagging middle. And I’m not talking about out waistlines. I’ll save that weight loss discussion for another day. I’m thinking of the middle chapters of our books. The part of our story that loses its drive, its enthusiasm, and well…its umph.

Others call this midbook burnout. But whatever you call it, the result can be disastrous for both new and established writers. We start out strong. We picture our hero and heroine in our mind with vivid clarity. We know what they look like as well as their initial goals and motivations. We craft wonderful beginning chapters and maybe even strong endings. Then something happens mid-way through. The essence of the story gets lost. The conflict is too simple or too complicated. We sit at the computer for hours in frustration and write little. We decide the writing process is too hard and we even think about giving up.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? The good news is there is a way to work through our frustrations. Here are the four tips that I find most helpful:

Flesh out character development scenes

 My favorite book on craft for writers is Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. He breaks down the twelve stages of the hero’s journey. He calls step six “Tests, Allies and Enemies.” I’ve found this particularly helpful when I’m stuck in the middle of my book. By testing your hero and having him make allies and enemies you are allowing for great character development. You can learn a lot about a hero’s character by the friends and enemies he makes. Romances are all about the character growth of both the hero and heroine. So flesh out these scenes.

Is there enough conflict?

Writers can often give their characters goals and motivate them, but when it comes to conflict the story sizzles out fast. The internal and external goals of your characters have to be tied into the conflict. Ask yourself what’s the big event that’s going to occur in the middle of your book. It must be important enough to raise the stakes. Feel free to torture your characters or put them in impossible situations. Both the hero and heroine have to learn something new about themselves in the middle of the story. Without this conflict and growth, there can be no happily ever after in a romance novel.

Manage your time

I’m not going to tell anyone they have to write everyday. Life happens. Sick children, elderly parents, spousal demands, and yes, even laundry. But a writer should never be away from their work for long. There’s the risk that you will forget much of the story and lose interest. If you have to keep going back and rereading your manuscript pages to familiarize yourself with your own story, you will never move forward. So be protective of your writing time.

Kick discouragement to the curb and keep good friends close

This about says it all. If your so called friend is telling you it’s impossible to make it in this business, then it’s time to “unfriend” her. On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to find a few friends who encourage your endeavors even through the rough times, then keep them close.

 So tell me how do you deal with the sagging middle of your manuscript? What works best for you? Or if you’re a reader, what’s an exciting scene from the middle of a book you’ve read? I’d love to hear from you, so please share!

Tina Gabrielle

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www.tinagabrielle.com

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Posted by Tina Gabrielle on March 3, 2014

https://thevioletfemmes.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/the-dreaded-sagging-middle/