I just finished the third draft of my first novel in a new space opera romance series and sent it off to my publisher. By the end of the week, I'll be working on the next one. One of the things I work on in the second and third draft is to make sure all my scenes have a reason to exist. If you've studied the craft of novel writing, you're heard the term, saggy middle.
The middle of the novel should build the tension, develop the plot and if it's a romance novel, develop that too. Many writers know how to make the beginning of their novel exciting and the end is always fun and fast-moving. But you have to keep the reader turning pages through the middle so they get to that finely crafted ending.
Here's a few things I check to make sure things stay interesting in the middle. Don't have too many scenes in the same location. Writing space opera romance, it would be easy to have my characters having scenes on the bridge or making love in the captain's cabin for all the romance scenes. But I have to mix it up. They need to make stops on different worlds or space stations.
Your story probably has a big conflict that you're building up to from the beginning of the story. Add some complications. Make it tougher for your protagonists to solve their problem. Add another complication to the romantic relationship.
If you have trouble with a sagging middle problem, the best solution may be to cure it before it starts. Plot it out. Plot those scenes that will keep your story moving along. And then edit, edit, edit when you get to the second, third and fourth drafts.
This coming Friday is Leif Eriksson Day so how about and Irish proverb. A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.
Don't forget your short story ready for the IWSG anthology. Read the details here.
How do you deal with a sagging middle in your novel? Do you have your short story ready for the anthology? Have you ever caught yourself writing too many scenes in the same setting?
42 comments:
Oh yes, the sagging middle. And always reminds me of something else I'm trying to work on. I've been really focusing on making sure each scene advances the plot. Easier said than done.
Best tip I ever heard was have a great beginning, a great ending, and as little space between the two as possible.
It's funny, that's one thing I've discovered with short stories. Every scene has to count because there's not a lot of room.
This is great advice, I'd better check my WIP for a sagging middle!
One of my novelette stories has a saggy middle at the moment. I'm still trying to decide what to do to punch it up a bit.
I always struggle with the middle of longer stories/novels so I appreciate these tips.
And I could definitely use a good laugh and a long sleep right about now, but I'll settle for a giggle and some iced coffee. :)
I've never heard it called saggy middle before, but that's a perfect description.
I just keep the go go go and hopefully avoid the saggy middle
Great tips! Right now I'm actually more concerned with my ending than my middle, but I'm sure there are plenty of things to fix in there, too.
I think I've grown adapt to cliffhangers, which kind of alleviates that problem, yeah? But I supposed I'd have to let someone else read it to see if it actually works well, especially the middle two books of my fantasy series..
- Madilyn Quinn @ NovelBrews
Hi Susan - yes we definitely need to draw readers in .. but I'm not sure which would be worse a sagging middle, or a drooping end - hate loose ends too. Cheers Hilary
Congrats on getting so far into the first novel and starting the second. Sounds like you have the bug.
And those are some tried and true tips. Mixing up the scenes is key. I'll give my latest project a look through to make sure I'm not making that mistake.
Dave Emanuel
Usually when my story begins to sag, and I'm getting bored, I make something happen. Throw in an event or situation that I didn't see coming and has the stakes rise as a result. Best wishes as you plug away on those drafts! :)
The middle is always a challenge. Thanks for the great tips! And I love the quote. Enough sleep, when I get it, does help me feel better.
I like that idea about mixing the setting up. Hadn't thought of that before. Thanks for the tip!
Love the "Don't have too many scenes in the same location" advice. It's too easy to forget to change the setting - I've been guilty. Thanks for the reminder!
Excellent tips, Susan. The middle doesn't get near the attention it should. Happy IWSG day!
I try to treat every chapter as a short story with the next chapter being a sequel. This tends to help the flow from 'where we were' to 'where we're going'. However I do sometimes find myself with a 'sagging middle', only it is typically due to too much rather than too little and I find I have to whittle!
I always try to make sure something is happening. I keep in mind where I have to go, and figure out how to make getting there interesting. But that doesn't always happen, so edit, edit, edit.
Oh I like that proverb!
Thanks for the saggy middle reminder. I'm still in the outlining process for my next book, but I know I'll be editing a lot when it finally gets written.
Thanks for the saggy middle tips! And, I love that quote - good sleep and laughter cure nearly everything. :)
Great advice re middles. Middles don't seem to be my problem, though. It's endings. I struggle so much with endings.
Great advice. I've even cut a character before because she served little purpose and I could shift her burden to another more important supporting role. No fluff. We're writing books, not making beds!
Sounds like your writing life is going awesome. Well done! And good advice on middles. It is hard to keep ramping tension without getting a bit repetitive.
Nothing like some good old fashioned creative murders to fill in the middle void.
Congrats on finishing the draft and getting it sent out. Also, your comment about why an egg would sit on a wall, made me laugh out loud.
Enjoyed the post. I'm still learning how to deal with it all. Congrats on the finish.
Juneta Writer's Gambit
The middle really is the hardest to keep the tension up. I always want to push to the resolution.
Woo-hoo, congratulations on getting that draft off! One of my big revisions is to go through and make sure I've put enough emotion into the story. Checking the middle is next.
Congratulations on completing the third draft!
The middle is always the hardest part to write for me, because as delorah says, I just want to push on to the ending. Plotting definitely helps.
Congratulations on completing the third draft!
The middle is always the hardest part to write for me, because as delorah says, I just want to push on to the ending. Plotting definitely helps.
Great tips! This is one of the reasons why I like to be such a thorough plotter. Would hate to fall prey to Saggy Middle Syndrome for any of my projects! And oh, how exciting about that third draft. Best of luck with your new series!
A good laugh and a long sleep. They do do wonders!
This is great advice.
Thank you for sharing.
Heather
Great post, yes it's always the middle that's the problem......a bit like a woman's stomach all those spare tyres.
Yvonne.
Haha, yes I've written too many scenes in the same setting. I think I've combined a few, taken the better elements out of both. Alas...I won't be writing a piece to submit for the anthology. I just have had too much going on. But I wish everyone the best of luck. Can't wait to see it's completion!
Oyvey, the dreaded sagging middle. I hear you. I'm all about trying to tighten that story and move things along. Congrats on finishing the first book! :)
Congratulations on the new book, Sue! And great advice on the sagging middle!
Saggy middle syndrome? I've heard so much about it!
Congrats on finishing the third draft of book one in the new series!
Great advice! I definitely suffer from saggy middle syndrome. I downloaded Scrivener...I'm hoping that will force me to outline a little more but I'm only thinking ahead a chapter or two!
Hi, Susan,
Thanks for the tips. I do the same. KEEP the intensity going and keep BUILDING so the reader keeps reading!
Congrats on finishing. I really admire how much writing you do... keep it up!
Those are fantastic suggestions for helping with the middle. Have a great rest of the weekend! :)
I am not an author, so I have never faced this. But this is pretty solid advice, Susan. I have seen this in far too many books. They start off with a bang, and normally have a perfectly done conclusion, but the middle seems to drag on forever. I am a finisher, so I normally pull through (unless it is absolutely terrible), but have seen so many others give up on some good books halfway, which is such a shame.
Post a Comment