The Midway Slump

Lisa Cox · Jul 23, 2009

I tried searching for this, but no matter what terms I used, I couldn't find a thread with this topic -- even though I *know* it's been asked before. :/ But I suppose there's no harm asking again.

So, the midway slump. I'm 40k into my novel -- for the genre I'm in, that's about midway. And I've hit the slump. You know, the part where your motivation's draining, you're unsure if what you're writing is any good, you start to doubt if the book will even be worth submitting...

It's not that I've hit a boring section. I've tried my hardest when outlining to make every scene important, exciting, etc. I have some action scenes coming up, and my romance subplot is hitting its stride. I'm not really sure what the problem is, only that I'm finding it difficult to sit and write with any sort of enthusiasm.

I know I'm not the only one, so I ask you: How do you get through it? I'm sure once I slog through the next few thousand words, the fire will burn again -- it's just getting there, you know? I still love my story and my characters. I suppose my attack of self-doubt is paralyzing me in some way. Which I absolutely have to snap out of.

So aside from the standard advice, which I'm already trying to follow -- "Get your butt in the chair and start typing!" -- what other advice would you offer for those of us who are experiencing this for the first time?

I don't ever want writing to feel like a chore, so I'd really appreciate some input on how to break through the slump so that I can go back to loving every minute of the process.

TIA.

lucidzfl · Jul 23, 2009

lisamarie84x said:
I tried searching for this, but no matter what terms I used, I couldn't find a thread with this topic -- even though I *know* it's been asked before. :/ But I suppose there's no harm asking again.

So, the midway slump. I'm 40k into my novel -- for the genre I'm in, that's about midway. And I've hit the slump. You know, the part where your motivation's draining, you're unsure if what you're writing is any good, you start to doubt if the book will even be worth submitting...

It's not that I've hit a boring section. I've tried my hardest when outlining to make every scene important, exciting, etc. I have some action scenes coming up, and my romance subplot is hitting its stride. I'm not really sure what the problem is, only that I'm finding it difficult to sit and write with any sort of enthusiasm.

I know I'm not the only one, so I ask you: How do you get through it? I'm sure once I slog through the next few thousand words, the fire will burn again -- it's just getting there, you know? I still love my story and my characters. I suppose my attack of self-doubt is paralyzing me in some way. Which I absolutely have to snap out of.

So aside from the standard advice, which I'm already trying to follow -- "Get your butt in the chair and start typing!" -- what other advice would you offer for those of us who are experiencing this for the first time?

I don't ever want writing to feel like a chore, so I'd really appreciate some input on how to break through the slump so that I can go back to loving every minute of the process.

TIA.

Maybe you should take a few days off? Write something else? Watch some movies? Go to the beach?

You're in ireland right? Get sloshed!

I had a slump kind of like yours, but earlier than the 14K mark. I ended up rewriting some of it though because I just couldn't focus on where to go next.

Sometimes when I don't want to write in the novel at all, I sit down and write an enormous back story for one of my characters. This way I'm still doing something, and it helps me learn a little bit more about where they're coming from.

It may never make it into the book, but it shows in their personality just the same.

Mr Flibble · Jul 23, 2009

Sometimes when I don't want to write in the novel at all, I sit down and write an enormous back story for one of my characters. This way I'm still doing something, and it helps me learn a little bit more about where they're coming from.

I do that too - and I've had one of them turn itself into its own novel!

Or maybe skip ahead and write a scene you know is coming and you're looking forwards to.

Or sit there and say 'OK, this scene may or may not be worth putting in the final, but let's just start with one sentence and freewrite to see what happens'. This almost always gives me a new twist on the plot or a character, at the least, so even if the scene never makes the cut, it's been useful.

Salis · Jul 23, 2009

I've been there. Still sort of there. "Get in the chair and start typing" doesn't work too well for me. If I can't write, I can't write. You just have to trust that in time it will pass--and keep trying to write, even if you can't, just so your focus doesn't go away and you forget all about your WIP.

I've been in the "mid-way slump" for something like 20-30K words. So, uh, I guess that goes to show that it does keep progressing... just a lot slower.

As far as tips to get out of the slump beyond just slogging through it... well, I think it greatly depends how picky you are on your writing. If you want (like me) to continue writing in a very specific place in your MS, it may not work out so well. If you're okay with skipping around, my experience is that tends to be easier to continue writing, since you can sort of find a little inspiration in that way. Other than that, I suspect it's highly personal. When I'm having trouble writing, sometimes going for dialogue helps me out a lot. I can almost always write tons of dialogue. It's fun. And oftentimes it gets me going enough to continue on from there. Of course, that will be meaningless if you don't like dialogue.

Kathleen42 · Jul 23, 2009

I'm there right now but with edits and revisions. I keep wondering if there's any point to finishing - even though I know that there is.

lucidzfl · Jul 23, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
I do that too - and I've had one of them turn itself into its own novel!

Or maybe skip ahead and write a scene you know is coming and you're looking forwards to.

Or sit there and say 'OK, this scene may or may not be worth putting in the final, but let's just start with one sentence and freewrite to see what happens'. This almost always gives me a new twist on the plot or a character, at the least, so even if the scene never makes the cut, it's been useful.

I sat down and wrote 2000 words on the backstory behind the lunatic preacher who leads the revolution which causes the apocalypse.

It was a blast, plus I can drop little hints about what happened behind the scenes throughout this story.

I could EASILY write an entire novel based on this character, and have that book end with the first chapter of this story.

Come to think of it, it would make a BAD ASS book. Especially if I made him start out sympathetic and you saw his mind get perverted over the years as he became more and more obsessed with the end of the world.

Well, shit the bed....Now I wanna write that book. Godamnitsomuch.

bettielee · Jul 23, 2009

Lisamarie - I get this every novel, around page 300 and I just sit there and force myself to do it.

If you don't think this will work, maybe try and outline or sketch where you are going? Take stock of the direction you are heading. That's what I try and do. I don't outline, I go by the seat of the ol' pants, but I write down the steps I know, and imagine the steps beyond. It gets me back into the story.

You could also set a really low goal - like one page a day or something, until you get some foreward motion.

I wish you luck!

Danthia · Jul 23, 2009

When I just don't feel like writing, I either read, or do crits for friends. It always reminds me why I love writing and then I'm excited to get back to it. There's nothing wrong with taking a few days (or a few weeks) off and letting the creative juices restock.

tjwriter · Jul 23, 2009

Uncle Jim calls it the Dreaded Middle Book or something. It's in there and I've linked to it several times.

alyssalynne · Jul 23, 2009

I've found that putting an important event in the mid-point gives you something to build towards.

lenore_x · Jul 23, 2009

With the first novel I finished, I think I was a little over halfway through when I realized, "I'm in way over my head. What I have planned is way too big for me to tackle. There's no way I can pull it off." I got over it with plain old stubbornness. I was imagining a little cartoon devil on my shoulder saying this stuff, and I just kept going, "Yeah, whatEVER devil, I'll show you!" I kept remembering the original "vision" I had for this project, and how much it meant to me. I couldn't give up. (That stubbornness is also the exact same force that will keep you going when you're getting rejections, so cultivate it now!)

Another thing that helps is to remember that nothing you're doing now is permanent. You could botch it royally, and you have a chance to salvage it the second and third time around.

And one more thing: Remind yourself that you have nothing to lose. Try not to dwell on whether or not your writing is good or worth submitting. Those questions are bound to pop up, but you have no way of answering them at this stage in the game. Even if you do end up writing something lousy, you still learned things, you expressed yourself, and you (maybe) had a good time.

Good luck. I hope you recover soon.

NicoleMD · Jul 23, 2009

Raise the stakes? Blow something up? Blow someone up?

Nicole

Salis · Jul 23, 2009

NicoleMD said:
Blow someone?

Seconded!

GD Marks · Jul 23, 2009

I'm not being defeatist, but...

not everything you start is going to run the whole course through. I don't think it should either. Some projects should die at half way, and then take the work you've put in as part of your learning curve.

Sometimes the 'midway slump' can be a tacit realization that the wip isn't quite what you thought it was going to be. And not just because you 'wrote it badly', or 'got mixed up'. Sometimes underlying faults emerge, and it's easiest to quit and forge the good bits into a new wip, rather than trying to save a dead duck.

So I guess I recommend identifing why the hump has come. Then decide if the project as a whole is completely worth the effort to finish. If it is, then finish it. If it isn't, start anew (But do not delete it! You may change your mind with time).

Although, having said that, being stubborn and finishing it anyway will do wonders for your writing skills. So go the pros and cons of beating the midway blues.

<all general 'you's>
gdm

lucidzfl · Jul 24, 2009

Salis said:
Seconded!

Whoa, theres blowing going on?

I'm down!

Aggy B. · Jul 24, 2009

Yup yup. I'm there in the middle slog too. Although mine hit at 30k. (And, of course, I'm in a third draft. But same difference.)

I do not think that hitting a slump means the idea isn't any good. But writing is work. And, while it would be great to say that you should (and can) always enjoy it.... I'm not sure that's really truthful. Sometimes it is just work.

However, when I start getting bogged down I just take a break and work on something else. Sometimes just a day or two is enough. A few weeks back I took a full week off, wrote a couple short stories, bought a new book and started reading.

For me I start feeling the work aspect when I get really focused on how much is left to do. I psych myself out. So, even though it's hard to not keep thinking about how many words I've written and how much more I have to do, I try. And that helps.

For whatever it's worth.

Persephone · Jul 24, 2009

lisamarie84x said:
"Get your butt in the chair and start typing!" --

Hello Lisa

Perhaps that's the problem? Maybe you need a change of scene. I think someone else has suggested getting away from your work for a day, going for a walk, having a bevvy or two, or three, or four. You could also, and this is going to sound dead old-fashioned, try writing in a notebook, away from your usual place to give yourself some impetus.

Failing that, I find a bar of Green and Black's butterscotch chocolate and Pride and Prejudice on CD (the Colin Firth version) works for me!

scarletpeaches · Jul 24, 2009

lisamarie84x said:
I know I'm not the only one, so I ask you: How do you get through it? I'm sure once I slog through the next few thousand words, the fire will burn again -- it's just getting there, you know? I still love my story and my characters. I suppose my attack of self-doubt is paralyzing me in some way. Which I absolutely have to snap out of.

Get your butt in th-

lisamarie84x said:
So aside from the standard advice, which I'm already trying to follow -- "Get your butt in the chair and start typing!" -- what other advice would you offer for those of us who are experiencing this for the first time?

Oh.

Well.

That really is the only cure but...

Perhaps dividing it up into sections, like, "Today I only have to do X-number of pages," rather than telling yourself, "I have half a book to write!"

Ask someone to read what you've got so far to remind you why you're doing this. Many people say you shouldn't send your book out to betas until it's done, edited, polished and as close to submission-standard as you can get it.

Me? I have thethinker42, who reads everything I write as I write it. She's always ready with a kick in the nuts if I think of quitting or wangsting for more than 24 hours straight.

(Srsly. We have a rule. You're allowed to wallow for 24 hours, then STFU and get back to work).

lisamarie84x said:
I don't ever want writing to feel like a chore, so I'd really appreciate some input on how to break through the slump so that I can go back to loving every minute of the process.

TIA.

Ooh, I know! Have a pile of your favourite books sitting on the desk as a totem.

"One day I too shall be like them."

Or something.

Failing that, get pissed, smoke some pot and eat chocolate like there's no tomorrow. You'll wake up with a hangover and an arse the size of Australia, but hey...you'll be in no fit state to get out of your writing chair, so it's all good.

YAwriter72 · Jul 24, 2009

I write the ending. When I can see where I am going, it gives me a renewed energy to finish. At that point you can make a small outline of what needs to happen between where you left off and where it ends. Sometimes just that little thing can take the pressure off and let you relax enough to get back into it!

Kitty Pryde · Jul 24, 2009

I can't believe no one has pointed you to this awesome essay yet. The Great Swampy Middle, by Jim Butcher: http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/1865.html

AJ Clare · Jul 24, 2009

Whenever I hit that point it's because I'm a rotten outliner and I'm usually in a total plot scramble by then. If that's the case with you too then I'd suggest writing your outlines for each chapter on post-its and sticking them to the wall. Take them down as you complete the chapters and the dwindling post-its will make you feel better.

If you're a better outliner than me (Most people are) and you know what you have to write in terms of content then try making out a table or a spreadsheet - two columns for date and word target. Doesn't have to be a lot per day - 500, 1000 words - whatever suits you. Give yourself weekends off if you need to. But you'll feel so virtuous whenever you cross out another line on the chart. It's pretty mundane but I've found it's carried me through that dreaded mid-book crisis more than once.

Idkwiaowiw · Jul 24, 2009

lucidzfl said:
Sometimes when I don't want to write in the novel at all, I sit down and write an enormous back story for one of my characters. This way I'm still doing something, and it helps me learn a little bit more about where they're coming from.

It may never make it into the book, but it shows in their personality just the same.

I definitely feel that any type of writer's block can be cured by understanding more about the character. It makes them more real. And the more real they feel to me, the more I want to write about them.

n-v-b · Jul 26, 2009

I had a similar problem and decided it was to do with not having a rough outline of each chapter. I mean I knew what I wanted to happen but I found myself fumbling around in various chapters towards the middle. So I opened a new word document and wrote 2 or 3 bullet points for each chapter. Just a few words for each bullet point but enough to give me a goal for each chapter but i still left myself room for things to happen that just occured in the process of writing rather than being planned.

I'm sort of right in the middle at the moment but mainly enjoying it as I have a couple of major plot things happening that sort of kick start the ball rolling to the main event near the end. The only problem I'm having are the odd fill in paragraph, where I feel I need a gap between occurances but they still nee to have a point to be relevant. This is what I'm struggling with.

lm728 · Jul 26, 2009

I hate the slump. This is kind of scary that I'm feeling it already, because I'm only around 12.5K in, and some parts I haven't typed up yet.
I think it's because I'm between two major events in my WIP, and during this time is where I change the MC's character and start the subplots.

Or maybe the slump is because I don't outline.

alyssalynne · Jul 26, 2009

I've experienced the same thing with my WIP. Middles have always been rough for me. This time, I put an important event right in the middle of the novel to keep the momentum of the story strong.

The Midway Slump

Back from the dead

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

You Lie!

crushing on fictional characters

Back from the dead

I'm a sparkly fairy princess!

Danthia

Emerging Anew

Onomatopotamus

You Lie!

...One in a Million...

Back from the dead

Not as sweet as you think

someone let me off this crazy ride

i luv you giant bear statue

Don't get me started

I'm late for life! Shoot.

i'm baaaacccckkkkkk