The Secret to Avoiding the Sagging Story: What Makes a Good Middle

By Janice Hardy

Many writers dread the middle of a novel—but writing a strong one is easier than you think.

When I was new to writing, every novel I wrote bogged down in the middle. I’d start off well, but then run out of things for my protagonist to do, so I’d start making things up just to fill up space. Soon, it would turn into a complete mess and I’d start over.

I can’t tell you how many times I did this. Dozens at least, if not more.

Eventually, the frustration got to me and I decided if I wanted to break this cycle of despair, I’d have to find a way to get through the middle of my novel.

And I did.

So well, in fact, that my agent said my first novel’s middle was “damn near perfect.”

5 Common Problems With Middles

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The middle is where most of a novel happens, which is why they're often so difficult to write.

For a long, long time in my early writing days, middles were the bane of my existence. I could start a story no problem, but once I got past the beginning, I narratively drove into the deep weeds. I don’t think there was a problem I didn’t run smack into when it came to middles–which is why I spent so much time figuring out how to make them work.

What makes middles so tough is that middles are where most of the plot happens. The protagonist tries and fails to resolve the story problem, the antagonist makes things harder and harder, the character arc unfolds, and all this stuff has to support whatever the beginning set up.

That takes a lot of work and finesse to get right.

Which is why the only thing harder than writing a middle is writing the ending. Except for writing the beginning.

NaNoWriMo Prep: Planning Your Novel’s Middle

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Continuing with the annual NaNo prep posts...we dive into the turning points and problems of writing your novel's middle.

Middles might be the most common tough spot for writers, and with good reason. The middle makes up half the novel, and it’s where all the heavy plot workings happen. We usually have a decent idea of how our stories start, and roughly how they end, but that middle? What do we put in there? That often eludes us.

This is when a lot of novels start to bog down, so there’s a good chance many NaNo writers will stumble here. But don’t worry, because I know a great trick to overcome middle woes. The Mid-Point Reversal!

This is a major event that happens in the middle of your novel that helps bridge the gap between the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end (act one and act three for those using the Three Act Structure). It effectively breaks your three acts into four acts, making each section a little easier to manage.

Story Structure: How the Midpoint Reversal Works in a Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The midpoint reversal is the glue that holds the first and second halves of the novel together.

Like many writers, I used to hate middles. My novels always bogged down halfway through, the plot hit a wall, or I realized it had gone so far off track I was writing a different novel. I can’t tell you how many times I just chucked the whole draft and started over.

Until I discovered the midpoint reversal, and it changed my writing life.

After that, middles weren’t a problem anymore, and plotting became a whole lot easier. I didn’t bog down or fizzle out, and I always knew where my plot was headed.

A strong midpoint reversal just flat out makes a novel easier to write.

How to Drive Through the Muddy Middle of Your Novel

By Jodi Turchin, @jlturchin

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: The middle of a novel sucks many a writer down into its murky depths. Jodi Turchin shares six ways to make it through when the story gets muddy.

Jodi Turchin is a Young Adult novelist represented by Dawn Frederick at Red Sofa Literary. She’s also a photographer, a high school English teacher, an adjunct college professor, and a former actress and director.

Website | Twitter

Take it away Jodi…

The Easiest Way to Fix a Novel's Sagging Middle

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A sagging middle is a problem a lot of writers face during a first draft, but there is one trick that will help get you through it. 

Raise your hand if you've ever had trouble with the middle of your novel.

-hand raises-

I can't tell you how many 150-page drafts languished on my hard drive when I was still trying to figure out how to write an entire novel. I'd start out fine, but then after my inciting event and my first major plot point it ground to a halt. Not every draft was bad, but most of them were, well, boring.

They dragged, they snoozed, they spent a lot of time repeating the same types of scenes or activities and I just stopped working on them, sure that the idea was terrible and I was an equally terrible writer.

Neither was true.

Stuck in the Middle

By Ray Flynt, @RayFlynt

Part of the How They Do It series

Ray Flynt just finished writing YARD GOAT, #7 in his Brad Frame mystery series (railroad aficionados may recognize the title reference). Publication date will be soon. He has also written KISSES OF AN ENEMY and COLD OATH, standalone suspense novels. A native of Pennsylvania, Ray authored and performs a one-man play based on the life of Ben Franklin. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, active with their Florida Chapter, and a life member of the Florida Writers Association. Ray retired from a diverse career in criminal justice, education, the arts, and human services.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Take it away Ray...

The Middle of Our Books

By Elizabeth S. Craig

JH: Elizabeth S. Craig joins us today to talk about how she deals with middles. (And honestly, I think her list of suggestions will work for any scene you happen to be stuck in). If you haven't checked out her blog yet, skip over to Mystery Writing is Murder when you're done here. Her advice is always dead-on (sorry, couldn't resist the pun there) and not just for mystery writers.

Elizabeth’s latest book, Finger Lickin’ Dead, released June 7th. Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries (2012) for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink. She also runs the Writer's Knowledge Base--the Search Engine for Writers. You can find her on Twitter: @elizabethscraig.

Take it away Elizabeth...

One the Road and Talking About Middles

I'm taking over for Sierra Godfrey today while she's on maternity leave. Since I did the inciting event last time I was there, were thought it would be fun to talk about middles this time. (Next time I bet it's endings. Nice symmetry) So pop on over to read about the mistakes we make with them, and how to fix those mistakes.