Are you at the stage where you have a saggy middle?

cj Sez: My first dream in creative writing was to become a screenwriter. In case you don't remember my tale of how I got started, in 2001, I flew from Detroit to San Francisco to take athree-day seminar called Story from internationally renowned, storyconsultant Robert McKee. Didn't take long to discover I probably had no chance at that career. (Drop me a note and ask me why.)

  But the experiencewas invaluable for my writing career, because I learned to visualize my story. Isaw that I needed to create characters who are archetypes not stereotypes and writeaction/dialogue scenes that show their stories. I’m a work in progress in this deep point of view,because I still learn something new every day. How characters react and whatthey don’t say can speak volumes to readers who enjoy trying to solvethe crime or mystery as the story progresses.   One of the ways I dothat is to create a bio for every character, including the antagonist—they're the most fun. Not justthe physical description but a lot of their life/backstory (which must never becomethe dreaded “Info Dump”). Bios help me understand what they would say and howthey might react in the situation I create for them. I do bleed in a bit of theirbackground in some scenes, trying to help the reader see and understand thecharacter’s motivation.
  I’ve talked withwriters who visualize some movie star or other playing a character in theirbooks. Is that something you do?  I can’tdo that. I don’t see a specific person, I visualize the whole characterizationas I’ve written it—I’ll leave it to Stephen Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola tofind the mega-star best suited for the role (ha ha).
  Most writers, and Iam very much included in that generalization, may or may not have an idea on atheme. (They should. See the Jane Friedman link below.). We struggle with anopening hook, but a lot of us also know how we want the story to end, so that’sall set. It’s the middle that can be the real problem. It wants to sag. Like anold married couple, sometimes the excitement fades away, unless, like thatmarried couple, we work at it.   
  Shoring up a saggy middle without adding a lot of blah-blah-blah always takes a lot of editing. 
 To help me out in this process, I read the dialogue aloud asI go along. Does it sound natural? Are the sentences too complete and so fullof blah-blah information that they slow the cadence and pace of the story? Adding unnecessary words can happen anywhere, but it very often happens in the middle part of a storywhen I’m trying to reach the word count I want/need. Often, I have to change acharacter’s name, a story thread, a sentence structure, or, as was true for myfirst novel, the whole genre —itstarted as an action/adventure love story that the publisher/editor changed toa romantic suspense and which I, in 2021, changed to a thriller/suspense, THEDAWGSTAR. 
  A 5-star reviewer didn’t complain about a saggy middle, so I guess Iwas successful. Now I work hard to keep that momentum going for all the rest ofmy works.
  What do you do to shore up the saggy middle of your story?And if you don’t ever suffer a saggy middle, don’t tell me. I’d feel so inept.
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 In a recent post onJane Friedman’s blog, author, editor, and book coach Sharon Skinner writes that“Theme is a critical element of story, but it is more than just the point youare making.” Read more here: https://janefriedman.com/3-ways-to-use-theme-to-deepen-your-story
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  Okay, readers,especially for you: Stop by my Facebook author page (at https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor) to follow my days-long series of posts spotlighting my stories and each day introduce a differentauthor in a different genre. Follow the link to their FB pages for info on whatthey write, and you might just find some new favorite authors there.§§
  That’s it fortoday. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raisingprayers for a happy and safe you. 
cj
Now a note from mysponsors:  Perfect for theupcoming holiday: HALLOWEEN PIECES, the fourth installment of the MobileWriters Guild anthology PIECES series.
  “Once in a Blue Moon,” a paranormal shortstory I’m kind of proud of, is included in this book. Paperback or ebook isavailable—Kindle is $1.99.
  My novels THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPAare fast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with sassy banter and a smidgen ofsweet romance. (Perfect diversions for a quick weekend getaway.) The books are available on Amazon or throughyour favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read theebooks free from Hoopla.
  Little note: TheHaunted Book Shop has some signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER,contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If she happens to be sold out, I have a smallstash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in herown right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) byany author of your choice.
➜ Follow me on . . .  ➜ Amazon:    AmazonCentral Author Page➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6