Perhaps, we know something about the main character and what
goes wrong in their lives.
(Obviously, something goes wrong, or there wouldn’t be a story)
Maybe, we can imagine a hint of how that character’s problem
is solved. Perhaps not.
A character with a problem needing resolution might give us
a short story, but a full-length novel or even a novella, that doesn’t make. At
some point we have to fill 200, 300, 400 pages of what writers like to call sagging middle.
This post won't work for some. True pantsers hate plotting
in any form, but for those who need some direction, here’s my solution, my
suggestion, my system.
On a blank sheet of paper, draw this silly looking diagram
that I fondly call my amoeba.
 |
| Thee "amoeba" for my one published novel, "Victoria and the Ghost." |
Write the working title at the top, the main character’s
name to the top left along with what it is that they want. Then, I write on the top
right the antagonist’s name and what they want. In a romance, this would be the
spot for the hero’s name. On my drawing, I could’ve put the ghost, or any one
of Victoria Victoria
At the #1 tip of the amoeba, write where the story starts, the "inciting incident," as some call it.
This may be all we have when we begin, but we can add as we write and as we
decide what happens next, or we can write suggestions at each tip of the amoeba
and aim for that. Either can work. It depends on how we prefer to plot. We all
plot at some point, or we can’t write a book.
Tips for Picking Up Sagging Middles
- Give the protagonist a new complication to reaching her goal
2, Give
the protagonist an extra problem to solve separate from the main goal
- Give a secondary character a problem to solve.
4. Make a
list of things that could thwart the protagonist from getting their goal.
Usually the items
at the bottom of your list will be most interesting. We
start with obvious problems.
5. Ask
the question; what would my main character never do? Then, have him/her do
it. This
could start a whole new plot twist.
A quote that points us in the right direction when trying to
come up with new plot twists comes from Nancy Kress in her book Beginnings, Middles, & Ends.
“The forces developed in the middle
must emerge naturally out of the characters and situations
introduced at the beginning.”
This comes back to what your main character wants, and why
he/she can’t have it.
As I add plot twists to the swerves of my amoeba design, I
realize something that helps me. While I’m writing my novel, and I reach plot
twist number 3, I’m halfway around the amoeba which means halfway through the
book. This is a guide. If I’ve reached this point and my word count is 20K, but
I’m writing a novel of 60K, I’ve got a problem. This clues me to the fact that
I need to develop plot twist #2 more, or I’ve added plot twist #3 too quickly.
I hope my simple suggested way of plotting helps.
Let me know if you have other ideas on how to help sagging middles or think up new plot
twists. I’d love to hear from you. I always need help.
