If You’re Bored Writing It, We’re Bored Reading It

Tricks for keeping the in-between scenes alive

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I’ll confess something. I’m smack in the middle of one of those “boring” stretches in my own manuscript right now. The good stuff is already sketched in my head. I can see the big confrontation, the heist, the fireworks. But to get there, I’ve got this stretch of story that connects some of the pieces but feels like driving through Kansas.

And I keep thinking, why does it have to be this way? Why do we treat boring parts like a toll booth between the exciting ones?

Here’s what I’ve been reminding myself (and now, you):

1. Maybe it needs to go.

If writing it feels like slogging, that’s a clue. Cut it. Or at least trim it down to the bones. A surprising number of “necessary” pages turn out to be scaffolding the reader never needed to see.

2. Write the good stuff first.

When you’re stuck, jump ahead and write the scene you’re itching to get to. Once that’s on the page, you can look back and ask, “What has to happen to make this scene possible?” Suddenly, the in-between parts have purpose instead of padding. I personally struggle with this. I tend to write very linearly. But I’ll do it if I am stuck.

3. Find the pain.

One trick I stole from Orson Scott Card (filtered through other writers,) the most interesting viewpoint is usually the character who’s suffering the most. Ask, “Who’s hurting right now?” and write from their eyes. Pain is rarely boring.

4. Shake the snow globe.

If you’re sick of writing the same flavor of scene, change it up. Switch point of view. Change setting. If your thieves always meet in the alley, have them meet in a crowded bathhouse. If your POV has been the action hero, try the guard on the wall watching the action hero come flying at him. Same story beat with a fresh lens.

5. Throw in a wrinkle.

Does conflict always have to mean sword fights or shootouts? Sometimes it’s a horse losing a shoe or a nosy aunt showing up at the worst possible time. Tiny obstacles can be just as tense as ninja ambushes.

6. Play another note.

If your story has been pounding on action, try suspense, romance, or humor. A novel that only plays crash cymbals is exhausting. Let the flute have a solo now and then. (Rock flute is an ongoing joke with my wife. She is not a fan. Jethro Tull anyone?)

7. Lean on side characters.

Drop in an interesting supporting character, even just for a chapter. They can add color, voice, or a complication that makes the “boring” scene pop. Just stop them from stealing the whole show.

8. Watch for the “finally” trap.

If you catch yourself typing “Finally, they arrived at the city gates,” there is your red flag. Cut back and see if the three paragraphs before that word really earned their keep. Odds are, they didn’t.

So here I am, staring at this swampy middle stretch, trying not to bore myself. That’s my new north star, if I’m bored writing it, readers will be bored reading it. And if I can twist the knife, shake the snow globe, or skip the slog entirely, I owe it to the book, and you, to do that.

Because no one opens a novel hoping to read the boring parts.