Perseverence - keep going during those middle hard yards

[Andrew Marsh]

I have written several novels and almost without exception the middle is the hardest part to write. The euphoria of getting started and having that dramatic thing happen has long past and you are not anywhere near the end where you can wrap things up and solve or leave a cliff hanger. The middle yards are where you need to just keep on at it, maintaining progress without padding or bringing in superfluous characters or sub plots just to "make up" the middle.
It can be hard but you need to stick to your guns and allow the story to flow even if you can't face your computer for another day of writing.
It will be worth it in the end.
What parts do you have the most difficulty with in writing your first draft?

 

[Geoff]

I would say the finale. I generally start off knowing roughly how things are going to end, but by the time I get to there, I usually have another two or three options, which could mean changes further back.

 

[Nikky Lee]

I'm most definitely in the same boat as you @Andrew Marsh -- the middle is hard! Usually, I know how a story starts and roughly where I want to go with it, but getting from A to B is a real challenge. In my head I usually think, "oh it's just a couple of scenes, easy!" while in reality, it turns into 20+ bloated mess to get all the characters in the right place.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Before beginning to write, I always know the mood of the beginning of a story and what state of mind my protagonist will be in at the end. The middle of a tale, be it a poem, short story, novella or novel always makes itself known via the word count...which can be disconcerting, making me think things like, "Well, you've pushed the plot this far up a hill, how are you going to descend to The End Mr Smart-Arse?" I don't want to state the blooming obvious, though it's often wise to give a reader what they hope for, but nor should I throw in unlikely twists.

I've found, without really intending it as a tactic, it just sort of happened, that the middle of my novels are a time of reflection for my main character, with more internal dialogue than usual as he appraises the criminal investigation and his relationships with his detectives and friends...what he's doing with his life. I attempt to create an atmosphere that draws the reader in privy to his thoughts, which might well be erroneous, as often the reader knows stuff about the crimes that my detective hasn't discovered yet.

Also, I have at least two subplots on the go, other crimes or some crisis in a regular character's life. I've always found it unrealistic in crime novels where only one case is pursued. Having other baddies scurrying around breaking the law adds variety and gives me and the reader a break from the main plot line. It helps to obscure the dreaded flab around the middle.

 

[Tim James]

Several famous writers are credited as having said that a book consists of a start, a muddle and an end. It's the muddle in the middle that is always the hardest part for me. How do I get from start to end?
Sometimes the actual end I end up with is nothing like I thought it would be when I started.

 

[Andrew Okey]

The beginning. That's the hardest. I don't think that at the time, of course -I write some killer first sentence ("My Master is making angels" say - yup, I'm still really pleased with that one) and launch in with loads of extraneous details, action that goes nowhere, characters that will never ever be relevant. The rest goes along OK and then, when its all done, I suddenly realise - the beginning is total BS and needs some very severe work!

 

[Nikky Lee]

I'm doing a bit of an interesting exercise at the moment with a concept called Story Grid. In a nutshell, it's a way of mapping out your story after you've written it to track how plot and characters change over the novel and how crucial plot and character developments come (or don't come) together.

I signed up out of curiosity and had a five-day email course sent to me (which I actually followed!). I'm still in the process of mapping my work out, so can't speak for its benefits just yet, but as I said, it has been interesting and given a bit more insight into that middle-muddle process that I typically struggle with.

 

[Andrew Marsh]

The beginning. That's the hardest. I don't think that at the time, of course -I write some killer first sentence ("My Master is making angels" say - yup, I'm still really pleased with that one) and launch in with loads of extraneous details, action that goes nowhere, characters that will never ever be relevant. The rest goes along OK and then, when its all done, I suddenly realise - the beginning is total BS and needs some very severe work!

Hi Andrew, thanks for the reply. I am the opposite, I start knowing the beginning well and have all that youthful enthusiasm until I get to the middle and I find myself thinking "am I just padding? or is this adding to the story?" with every page. Then, out of nowhere the end is in sight and its a final burst to get there.

 

[E G Logan]

I have written several novels and almost without exception the middle is the hardest part to write. The euphoria of getting started and having that dramatic thing happen has long past and you are not anywhere near the end where you can wrap things up and solve or leave a cliff hanger. The middle yards are where you need to just keep on at it, maintaining progress without padding or bringing in superfluous characters or sub plots just to "make up" the middle.
It can be hard but you need to stick to your guns and allow the story to flow even if you can't face your computer for another day of writing.
It will be worth it in the end.
What parts do you have the most difficulty with in writing your first draft?

I am beginning to think I have painted myself into a very uncomfortable corner -- and I have started asking close friends and family to please shoot me if I ever suggest doing it again. Or at least to advise I bang my head against a wall until I think of a better idea.
I have completed, roughly, the beginning two quarters and the final quarter of a novel. I'm reasonably happy with them. I have a list of the events that need to form the third quarter, including a couple of relationships that need to move forward, but at this stage it is like pulling my own teeth. Without a mirror.
I wish I had read Fay Weldon's advice never to try to pull together a bag of bits into a novel -- I am paraphrasing her -- before I had started out on this uphill struggle.

 

[Leonora]

I am beginning to think I have painted myself into a very uncomfortable corner -- and I have started asking close friends and family to please shoot me if I ever suggest doing it again. Or at least to advise I bang my head against a wall until I think of a better idea.
I have completed, roughly, the beginning two quarters and the final quarter of a novel. I'm reasonably happy with them. I have a list of the events that need to form the third quarter, including a couple of relationships that need to move forward, but at this stage it is like pulling my own teeth. Without a mirror.
I wish I had read Fay Weldon's advice never to try to pull together a bag of bits into a novel -- I am paraphrasing her -- before I had started out on this uphill struggle.

I think Hilary Mantel patches her stories together like a mosaic and it works for her.
I'm doing something similar at the moment and am trying to love the individual scenes I need to write, and make them as memorable and enjoyable as the beginning and end scenes, rather than just a means to join one bit to another. But I've been casting my hands up on here as well. Plots - who'd have 'em?

 

[E G Logan]

Sounds like you do what I do -- write the 'memorable' scenes that (for me anyway) almost write themselves, then add the narrative, moving-forward, bits between. It worked for my first book, though it has fewer characters and the plot moved in more of a straight line.
This time I'm beginning to think I might have to do the old Graham Greene cop-out: 'And so it was that I found myself, five years later...'

 

[Leonora]

Sounds like you do what I do -- write the 'memorable' scenes that (for me anyway) almost write themselves, then add the narrative, moving-forward, bits between. It worked for my first book, though it has fewer characters and the plot moved in more of a straight line.
This time I'm beginning to think I might have to do the old Graham Greene cop-out: 'And so it was that I found myself, five years later...'

I reread The Human Factor as preparation for my current WIP. I don't think you can go wrong following Graham's lead.

 

[Tim James]

Sounds like you do what I do -- write the 'memorable' scenes that (for me anyway) almost write themselves, then add the narrative, moving-forward, bits between. It worked for my first book, though it has fewer characters and the plot moved in more of a straight line.
This time I'm beginning to think I might have to do the old Graham Greene cop-out: 'And so it was that I found myself, five years later...'

My advice would be take a step back for a while, perhaps you are trying too hard to make all the ends meet.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

An intriguing loose end is memorable, making a reader say to themselves "But what about...will he ever find out who...how did they?" It mustn't be a colossal omission that exasperates the reader, just a detail to leave them wondering if it'll be resolved in the next story in a series. Tying things up neatly may be satisfying, but only if the knots are strong enough for the job.