The Problematic Middle

We authors have no shortage of advice on making sure our stories open with strong, action-packed starts and end by tying up loose ends with definitive resolution. But what about that long, wandering middle?

This week found me rummaging through my hard drive for a note filed-somewhere-on the ancient city of Ephesus, needed for my current project, Seraphim. I came across a folder of creative fiction links and advice used as I sat to write my first novel.

Since that time, the world of writing/publishing/marketing has made me wary of 'experts' and much of it, experience has reduced to drivel. But a few items caught my attention. So if you're having trouble filling the story's middle with prose that will hold attention and add richness and texture, here are three tips that might help. The first comes courtesy of Ian Briggs, another British blogger to the rescue. I took the liberty to amend and extend his example.

The Five Why's

So you're merrily writing along, adding one or two chapters a week, then, bonk. You know where you want to go but become stuck on how to get there and not stretch credulity by dropping a miracle from heaven.

Let's say a dastardly wife needs to shop without her husband finding out. Time for the first 'why'.

Because their finances can't justify another pair of shoes to fill the last remaining spot in her closet. Why? She has a taste for shoes made from the very expensive underbelly of Australian, two-year old, salt-water crocodiles. Why? She once, on an Australian holiday, seduced a young man whose left arm an Australian, two-year old, salt-water crocodile had made a stump. Why? Because their passionate love-making always ended with him fondling and suckling her feet and toes. Something her husband rarely does. Why? Because he's protective of the extra income her foot model moonlighting brings in.

Note that each response to why opens rich avenues for exploration and character development, not to mention interesting backstory an imaginative writer can use to good advantage in shaping a page-turning middle. As an aside, did my example stretch credulity?

The True Antagonist

This one I had forgotten about and would have caused a restructuring to one novel I wrote had I remembered it.

We always default to conceptualizing our plots in terms of a single protagonist and a single antagonist. I have difficulty imagining a story with multiple protagonists, though I don't rule it out, but enter the True Antagonist.

Often stories open with a shocking crime or event that spurs an intrepid hero to action. He or she hunts down the perpetrator and delivers soul-satisfying justice. Then the same shocking crime or event occurs again. The first antagonist did commit the crime but on orders from someone higher up.

As you can see, the prospect of a successive line of antagonists creates wonderful opportunities for unpredictable twists and turns. Equally important, the setup and backstory needed for each makes for a middle that won't lose its punch or interest.

Betrayal

At first blush, this might seem a time-honored technique, and it is, but nothing adds drama and tension like betrayal. The appearance of a betrayer should always be a surprise and/or shock that demands proper setup. My take on it, however, is one of timing.

An alternative is the traitor who appears, only to the reader, as early as possible. It won't dilute the shock value and the opportunities for rich, delicious dialogue with the protagonist, and indeed all other characters, make for a middle that recalls the cliche, edge-of-your-seat writing.

If coupled to the True Antagonist technique, the betrayer can now become the instigator who places the protagonist on the trail of expendable underlings. It turns the concept of twists and turns on its head as the reader knows what's going on but it's the protagonist experiencing them. As a writer, the deep vein of protagonist despicableness opened can make for a fat middle that will have the reader cheering at the denouement.

Finally, though I do not consider Mr. Briggs on a par with Emma Darwin or Caro Clarke, he does have many insights on writing that some may find useful.

Writers Relief

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.

P.S.

I consider myself a suspense writer of mixed genre novels. Literary agents think that makes me confused.

The other day I came across a quote Fantasy writers might enjoy. "Never let reality get in the way of a good story".

I've yet to write a Fantasy novel but I did write about an urbane, sophisticated gentleman who has to deal with also being a werewolf. Deciding whether it's Horror or Supernatural confuses me. Maybe the agents have a point.