Officially in the Middle

19 February 2010 | Filed Under Tales from the Author's Desk 

Earlier this week, I ended Chapter One and officially entered: The Middle.

Ask any writer – especially those who take part in NaNoWriMo – and they’ll tell you that the hardest part to writing a novel is the middle. Beginnings and endings, you usually have some idea of what you wan to do. But figuring out how to get from Point A to Point B? Not so easy.

The Middle is where you are most likely going to go astray, plot- and character-development-wise. The Middle is where you write twenty pages and then realize there wasn’t conflict in a single line of it. The Middle is where you sputter out and give up because you can’t take it anymore.

Sounds like a great place to stay, right?

*insert evil laugh here*

Planning is supposed to keep you in The Middle for as short a time as possible, but it’s still a trial no matter how much you’ve outlined. You can saturate yourself with pep talks, but none of them can keep you from quitting if you lose your spirit. (Can you tell how much I’m looking forward to this?)

Every distraction is potentially fatal. Your brain becomes too tired to focus on this novel anymore. It starts throwing new [easier] novel ideas at you in the hopes you’ll come to your senses and give up. Of course, mine’s been doing that since Day 1. (Heck, I came up with a new idea just last night, and I really want to work on it! But – discipline!)

Your only hope is to plug on through and hope you have something useful when you arrive safely at the end.

Comments

One Response to “Officially in the Middle”

  1. Oh, Winston | A Single Bell on March 5th, 2010 12:01 am

    [...] Officially in the Middle [...]

Leave a Reply




  • Welcome

    new haircut

    Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

    You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
    jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

  • Official Progress


    4/21 segments

    A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

    Status: Second revision



    1,639/70,000 words
    A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

    Status: First draft



    1,087/70,000 words
    When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

    Status: First draft





  • All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
    Jennifer Johnson © 2010