The Middle
I was overwhelmed by all the great Beginnings posted on my blog and shared with me. Fantastic, wonderful beginnings of books I hope to read someday.
Now we tackle the Middle. For me, it's more like The Dreaded Middle.
As a non-outliner, it is very likely that I will get into trouble somewhere in The Middle. At some point, in every book, I feel boxed in by the path I've chosen, the plot. Or, I will get well into The Middle and someone ELSE will turn out to be the Bad Guy, the Love Interest. It's unexpected, but . . . well, for me The Middle is like that. It's like being lost in a dark forest and I just keep plunging forward hoping to head toward sunlight sometime soon.
One thing I have learned though, is not to abandon my book in The Middle. I usually find that much of my angst in The Middle is simply that, angst. I have anxiety about where the book is going, but if I stick with it, don't abandon it, and most of all DON'T PANIC, I can usually write my way to the other side of the forest.
So how about you? How is The Middle for you?
Now we tackle the Middle. For me, it's more like The Dreaded Middle.
As a non-outliner, it is very likely that I will get into trouble somewhere in The Middle. At some point, in every book, I feel boxed in by the path I've chosen, the plot. Or, I will get well into The Middle and someone ELSE will turn out to be the Bad Guy, the Love Interest. It's unexpected, but . . . well, for me The Middle is like that. It's like being lost in a dark forest and I just keep plunging forward hoping to head toward sunlight sometime soon.
One thing I have learned though, is not to abandon my book in The Middle. I usually find that much of my angst in The Middle is simply that, angst. I have anxiety about where the book is going, but if I stick with it, don't abandon it, and most of all DON'T PANIC, I can usually write my way to the other side of the forest.
So how about you? How is The Middle for you?
posted by Erica Orloff at 9:54 PM
23 Comments:
I like what Raymond Chandler said about middles: If you ever get stuck, send in two guys with guns.
I don't outline either, Erica. Middles are tough. I'm struggling with mine right now. The hardest part is maintaining the tension you worked so hard to build in the beginning. I think somewhere near the middle your protag must experience his/her darkest moment and emerge changed and more eager than ever to solve the problem he/she faces. After that, you can start building toward the climax which, to me, is the funnest part. The thing, I think, is to keep tension on every page, even if your character is taking a bath or eating lunch.
Yeah. Send in two guys with guns. Works every time.
Jude:
I never heard that quote, but it's a good one.
In my chick lit books, I usually just pile on calamity. In Spanish Disco, every time she thought things could not get any worse--they did, all to comic effect. Because in comedy, you can get away with the absurd, I just pile a lot of absurd in there because I think that's the way life is. Murphy's Law.
In my dark books, like The Roofer, I use the principle in a different way. Just when you think the stakes cannot get any higher . . . they do. In The Roofer, that means murder or prison or the return of the evil that plagues her.
I really put my characters through a lot. :-)
E
Hi Erica - I do plot and outline, and the middle is still a scary place. Despite the nice boundaries I've made where everything makes sense, the characters do something absolutely different that deviates from The Plan. It is usually better and truer to what the character would really do, so I've learned (the very hard way, lol)that it is easier to change the The Plan than to try and force the story. I one hundred percent agree with you that you have to work it through!
traci
Yeah, I think Chandler was talking, metaphorically, about throwing in more complications, more obstacles, and raising the stakes. Depending on the story, "two guys with guns" could be anything, any complication that moves the plot forward.
That's one of my problems with middles, falling into exposition and backstory and allowing everything to sag a bit. Some of that's okay--the reader needs an occasion break--but if we can keep the wire tight, keep the screw always turning clockwise, then readers are less likely to skip pages in search of more tension.
Sending in a metaphorical two guys with guns provides immediate conflict--the essence of drama, of any good story. I think that's the key to writing good middles, keeping conflict and tension on every page, gradually increasing the complications and raising the stakes.
Traci:
Not forcing it is HUGE. I really believe the more organic you can make the plot and characters, the better off you are. You shouldn't be able to "see" the puppetmaster pulling strings in the plot. It should all feel natural.
E
Jude:
I look at books as film, in some ways. I have a LOT of back story in my head . . . and only a fraction of it ends up in the book. I agree . . . keep it moving! In fact, that is something I have to guard against. I often don't slow down to give any description.
E
I'm an outliner. That's not to say that my stories actually "follow" the outline I prepared, but I try.
I like to think of the story arc as Carl Jung's 'Journey of the Hero'... such that the middle is the lowest point in the journey for the MC. That's where all the junk comes flying at them. So, that's when I like to really start piling it on.
On the other hand, if you just keep turning up the heat you can really see what your MC is made of.
When I start to feel remorse for puting my MC through all of that, I try to remember Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series about being able to jump into books, literally, and interact with the characters. He does a good job of allowing the book characters express what they feel about their lot.
My first series mostly writes itself. No problems. The second series that I started is moving slow. I'm still getting to know the characters who by the way writes the novel. I just type it.
Lisa:
I tend to feel that way, too. My characters feel so flesh and blood, and I usually have a certainty of where they're going and what they're going to do.
E
LOVE the middle! It's my #1 favorite part. The beginning scares me a little bit because of the pressure to hook the reader, and the ending REALLY scares me because I have to find a way to wrap everything up and explain everything without the villain making the proverbial confession to the heroine as the heroine is tied up and about to die. I keep wanting to do that all the time! :-(
Karm
Ewoh:
Great comment: On the other hand, if you just keep turning up the heat you can really see what your MC is made of.
That is absolutely how I feel. I think you really don't know what you're made of, any of us, until you face something very dark. It's easy to have faith when life is going your way, for instance. It's having faith when everything about life tells you to give up that is inspiring. I love taking my characters to that precipice.
Did you see V for Vendetta? Without spoiling it . . . that moment when Evey loses all fear. Brilliant, in my opinion. That sort of crossroads is what I strive to write.
E
Karm:
You amaze me! I hate the middle! I love the beginning, and I love the end. I always have a little smile on my face when I write The End, because I usually end with a line I'm really fond of, just like the Beginning!
E
No, actually I have not seen V for Vendetta yet. I don't get to watch too many movies... just have other priorities right now :) (house remodeling, two small children, two WIPs, day job...).
However, I will look at getting it for the next time we rent a movie. Thanks for the suggestion.
When you push a person to their limits, a change occures. Reflecting this in the MC is important to the development of the character and the story. The nature of the change determines the outcome of the story, or at the very least flavors it.
Karmela:
Make you a deal. I'll write the beginnings and endings, and you can write all my middles for me. :)
BTW, I think you must have read the ending to my first attempt at a novel. :(
Jude -- DEAL! Can we seal it with tequila since it's Cinco de Mayo today?
And yep, sounds like your ending and mine are identical.
I saw the funniest sign outside a restaurant near Coco Beach last year. It said COME CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO, MAY 12TH. I should have taken a picture and sent it to Leno or something.
Yeah, we can seal the deal with tequila, some chiles rellenos, panecillos borrachitos, and a case of Dos Equis. Sounds good to me. :)
Jude, Karm:
Three of my four rugrats are half Mexican. We LOVE Cinco de Mayo!!! God, this is making me crave Mexican food.
E
Let's party!
I'll bring my guitar, and we'll sing "Margaritaville" over and over till sunrise.
Erica:
When I was working on my first book I thought I knew how the ending would be, but it was totally different. All I know is how many crime scenes and fight scenes are going to be in the book. My MC tells me where to put them. I love my characters.
Hi Lisa:
While I don't outlines, sometimes I do almost like a flowchart and chart "peaks and valleys" of action to backstory/slower scenes, just so I can see that my pace is even.
And I hear you about those characters taking over. :-)
E
Well, I'm at work tonight, so I'm having to settle for some stale tortilla chips and a bottle of Aqua-Fina to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. :(
Wonder if I'm getting holiday pay?
Middles are also good ground to explore your character's internal conflicts and dilemmas, as they relate to the story.
Jude:
That's a really good point. While you don't want your middle to sag, you tend to open with a bang, and then the middle is where you can get to some of the meat of the character.
E
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