Stuck in the Middle

Ben walked into my novel writing class, sat in his usual seat and declared, “I got nothing to share tonight. Things flowed better for me in the beginning. I’m halfway done, and I feel stuck, like I’ve actually contemplated abandoning the whole project.”

            “Welcome to being a writer,” I said with a laugh before adding, “I guess tonight we need to talk about how to get out of the rut you’re in.”

            “Ah, it’s more than a rut, it’s like the Grand Canyon.”

            Ben was being a bit dramatic, but it exemplified his frustration. And I understood. There is nothing more infuriating than getting that initial inspiration and writing down the story in your head. You run to your computer, feverishly type away, only to find ten chapters in that you have somehow lost that burst of creativity, you don’t know where to take the story next, and you are second-guessing all that you wrote prior. It is at this point that many authors walk away and never return to their manuscripts.

            I did not want this to happen to Ben. The truth was, he had written a funny adaptation of his first years with his wife and meeting her eccentric parents. It was a combination of Meet the Parents and any episode of Seinfeld. In any given class, he would have everyone laughing and falling in love with his quirky but endearing cast of characters. When he would finish reading, we wanted more. That is exactly the reaction any writer wants. So what happened?

            Ben was not experiencing anything new. I have had countless clients who have come to the point of no return; they lack the motivation to continue writing because they do not have a clue as to where to take their story. They often love the beginning and know how it will end, but they cannot seem to build that bridge to bring the anchor points together effectively.

            However, I would argue that the “bridge” becomes the meat or heart of the book. It’s where the build-up to the plot takes solid form, where the climax happens, just before the slow and methodical descent toward the end. It is also the time when the characters become solidified and sometimes experience a metamorphosis; it is a period of learning, growth, and discovery. It is when your reader deepens their love for the story and the characters in it. The middle is the heart of your book.

            If you think about writing a book as synonymous with falling in love, it goes something like this: The beginning is that honeymoon period where the story comes alive and is alluring. It’s easy, and everything flows with great excitement—it’s infatuation at its pinnacle. The middle is when content and characters deepen. It is when the story takes shape, and essential elements are established to create lasting engagement and commitment—it’s the falling in love stage. The end is the moment when the results take form, and all the work that happened since the beginning comes to a successful conclusion—it is when love solidifies into an enduring relationship.

             So, to produce a must-read, how does the writer leave the newness and excitement of the beginning to fill in the gaps, deepen the characters, and develop the story further, unraveling critical details that lead the reader on a journey toward the climax? The answer comes in the form of a critical question: Where is your outline?

            Now, many do not believe they need one, and others simply do not want to create one. I’ve had clients tell me, “It disrupts my creative process to do something so structured.” To which I add, “It doesn’t have to be a task of drudgery. It doesn’t have to look a certain way or be done like anyone else’s. It must, however, layout the story you wish to tell from start to finish. It must give you a foundation on which work. If you have the story mapped out in an outline, even a rough one, it will provide enough information to ignite your creativity when it’s waning.

            For those clients who have the outline and still struggle in the middle. I tell them to revisit it again. Then they should take a step back and envision the entire story in their minds as if they are watching a movie—employ visualization. Walk away for a day or two, putting the story out of their brains. Do something completely different and then go back to it, beginning with a rereading of the outline. From there, if lightning doesn’t strike, visualize the whole book again.

            But what if you have strayed away from your original outline, and now you don’t know where to go? Easy. Revise your outline. Rethink the arc of your story, taking into account what has changed and why. Ask yourself: “Has the ending changed for me, too? And how will I now get my characters from this point to the end?” It’s okay to veer off from your original ideas in your outline, just take the time to go back and revise. Mostly, because you need the structure to go back to, but also, it forces you to step back and look at the whole of your story. Get out of the weeds and reassess and reorganize.

            All of this advice can be placed under the caption: “Pushing the Reset Button.”

            When you hit reset, you can see the story as a whole, which is what gets lost when you are in the thick of writing sometimes. If you read my blog on how to “unstuck yourself,” then you will have many ways to do this when the proverbial writer’s block occurs. But I felt the need to get specific when it comes to the middle part of the book. That is because, if it happens during the middle phase during the critical writing time, there is a greater risk of abandonment. I do not want that for you.

              If you have trouble imagining how things will play out as a whole, go read a similar book, watch a movie, or listen to music that will ignite those creative juices. Trust the process and know that you have it in you to write the story you were so excited to share when you started. You knew what you wanted then, but something went astray in the execution. A rough patch in the middle happens to everyone. The ones who work it through are the ones who publish.

            As always, if you feel nothing is working and you want to walk away, reach out. CLP will help get you back on track. Sometimes you need to talk it through and know that you are not alone.

Happy Writing!

Celeste