Having just flailed through the middle section of my current WIP, I totally feel for you, man! It's the worst. 
The dreaded middle
So yup, I'm now at the part of the book that I hate the most--the middle. This is where I always start to panic and second-guess myself. And it always happens once I see I'm at the halfway point. It's that "so close yet so far" feeling, where I think, "wow, I'm halfway done." And then the thought that immediately follows is, "wait, all that work and I'm only HALFWAY done?!"
Anyone else feel like this at the middle? I know from years of experience that it's just something that I have to push through, but man I hate this part.
Anyone else feel like this at the middle? I know from years of experience that it's just something that I have to push through, but man I hate this part.
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I'm working on book 15 and can feel this creeping up on me. My focus is wavering, magic mouse getting more taps instead of the keyboard as I worry, and try to distract myself from the worry so as to not get stuck. Sigh. It never gets any easier, does it? It's frustrating, but good too. I figure it means I still love the writing process and remain as emotionally invested in the result as I was five years ago
I invariably run out of plot in the middle, which is where I'm at now and why I am currently making this post instead of writing. 
For the novella I'm currently working on, and for the novel I wrote in November, I've had more of a problem with the end than the middle for some reason. In the case of the novella it's because I don't really want it to end although I know where it needs to stop and that is just round the corner. For the novel I think it was because I rushed towards the end much too fast - have had to add a huge chunk in at around the 80% mark.
That's interesting, Cecilia. For me, the end actually comes the easiest. I usually go on an all-out sprint at the end of the book and end up writing two or three times more than I usually do in a day to get to the end.
I definitely experience this, but usually at around two-thirds of the way in. I hate-hate-hate that point!! 
I am sooo glad to have woken up and found this thread, thanks Perry! I'm right smack in the middle of book 2 in a novella series and I've been second guessing myself and stalling out my word count like crazy. I'm glad to hear it's not just me that has this problem. Has anyone found a solution??
Oh my god I haaaaaate the middle. I think of my books in thirds as my goal is 75,000 words for a first draft. The first 25K is pretty good. Introducing characters and intrigue, etc etc., totally easy. 3K words a day? Bring it! Then I get to word 25,001 and I'm foaming at the mouth and screaming at my monitor, "What is the f*cking point of you!?!? Where is this going? Why do you hate me!? Whyyyyy?" Then I don't write a single word for a week. And then maybe I feel creative and come up with something... "Oh look, I wrote 436 words today, champagne and caviar dreams!" Then nothing for a week. Then I eventually crawl my way to 50K words, dragging my broken and bloodied body over the shattered glass of my artistic dreams. Bawling my eyes out with every key stroke.
Then I get to work 50,001 and it's like. "Oh look, only 1/3 of the book left. Watch me FLY!" And a week later I'm done, having laughed maniacally as I tore through the last 100 pages like a hampster on speed.
About 10 minutes ago I passed word 40K so this thread was like a glimpse into my bruised and battered writer's soul. Very timely.
Then I get to work 50,001 and it's like. "Oh look, only 1/3 of the book left. Watch me FLY!" And a week later I'm done, having laughed maniacally as I tore through the last 100 pages like a hampster on speed.
About 10 minutes ago I passed word 40K so this thread was like a glimpse into my bruised and battered writer's soul. Very timely.
Yep. Like this. My trick is to read through the first section slowly for clues as to what my people actually want. But the second half is slower going. Yep.Stephanie Marks said:Oh my god I haaaaaate the middle. I think of my books in thirds as my goal is 75,000 words for a first draft. The first 25K is pretty good. Introducing characters and intrigue, etc etc., totally easy. 3K words a day? Bring it! Then I get to word 25,001 and I'm foaming at the mouth and screaming at my monitor, "What is the f*cking point of you!?!? Where is this going? Why do you hate me!? Whyyyyy?" Then I don't write a single word for a week. And then maybe I feel creative and come up with something... "Oh look, I wrote 436 words today, champagne and caviar dreams!" Then nothing for a week. Then I eventually crawl my way to 50K words, dragging my broken and bloodied body over the shattered glass of my artistic dreams. Bawling my eyes out with every key stroke.
Then I get to work 50,001 and it's like. "Oh look, only 1/3 of the book left. Watch me FLY!" And a week later I'm done, having laughed maniacally as I tore through the last 100 pages like a hampster on speed.
About 10 minutes ago I passed word 40K so this thread was like a glimpse into my bruised and battered writer's soul. Very timely.
The middle is why I have so many WIP's. I have to figure out a way to get past it.
My forehead is now flat from running into the middle wall. I've been stuck for a while had to go back and put together a better "outline" of the whole book. This is the second in a series something I've never done and have found it much more difficult than I thought.
I have really found Janice Hardy's advice for making an editorial map to be helpful, even on a first draft.
Writing out all 6 points for each chapter has been really good:
Writing out all 6 points for each chapter has been really good:
I've made a separate document with these questions on it, over and over, and answering them has really helped me to keep the POV focused and lay the groundwork for upcoming plot twists.What is the POV character trying to do in this scene? (the goal)
Why is she trying to do it? (the motivation for that goal)
What's in the way of her doing it? (the conflict)
What happens if she doesn't do it? (the stakes)
What goes wrong (or right)? (how the story moves forward)
What important plot or story elements are in the scene? (what you need to remember or what affects future scenes)
I'm at the pre-middle bit. Initial rush of 10k of enthusiasm and now at the OK. So where's the plot? stage!
This is why I outline. I never really have a "middle." Five days a week I have to get through five chapters (10-000-12,000 words). It doesn't matter where I am in a book. I know what has to be written and I just go. I rely a great deal ony outlines and they do help me a great deal.
I don't find middles so hard to write. The middle is where the interesting things that I've been leading up to finally start to come together. The hardest part for me is what I guess you could call the late-beginning, the part that comes a few chapters in. Writing the first couple of chapters is easy, because it's where the characters and setting are introduced. But the bit that comes just after that, where I'm starting to set things up but there isn't actually any pay-off yet, is where I struggle.
I'm a pantser down to the tips of my toes. I've tried outlining but it does NOT work for me. The story comes as I write it and if I'm lucky I may get a bit of a flash of what's to come. The middle would be so much easier if I had a solid outline to work with. But honestly half the time I don't even know who's making it out of my book alive until the last page.YodaRead said:This is why I outline. I never really have a "middle." Five days a week I have to get through five chapters (10-000-12,000 words). It doesn't matter where I am in a book. I know what has to be written and I just go. I rely a great deal ony outlines and they do help me a great deal.
G
I did get stuck in the middle of my WIP. Since I was stuck, I tried self-editing. That helped with my momentum a little. Then I tried outlining the rest of the book just so I can feel better about doing something. I also messed with my cover and blurb. Those things helped propel me past the sticking points. Still bad about outlining though, but it helped me in a crunch.
This also struck me:
This also struck me:
But got over it quickly, because I'm new to writing, I saw the word count and thought, wow... I wrote that many words? Go me! Awesome, high five! (with the dog).Perry Constantine said:"wait, all that work and I'm only HALFWAY done?!"
Ugh. The middle.
I outline, a bit (not too much otherwise the story doesn't surprise me) and outlines do help get through the middle slump.
I outline, a bit (not too much otherwise the story doesn't surprise me) and outlines do help get through the middle slump.
This.MyraScott said:The middle is why I have so many WIP's. I have to figure out a way to get past it.
The middle is horrid.
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