How to Prevent Dragging Middle

Both of those are definite possibilities.
But if the exposition holds enough potential then there should be no need for either.

I think a far more helpful way to approach this is just to make sure that something is always happening. I'm not a fan of the extreme end of this, where you've got the thriller formula of "ONE TWIST A PAGE, AT THE VERY LEAST!", but I think you should always have something imminent crashing in. This isn't necessarily a literal approach, that "something" can be a really snappy bit of dialogue instead of pulse-pounding action, but every page should be tweaking the reader's collar just a little.

I find when you do this, the problem changes from "Man, I've got a really weak middle" to "HOLY HELL, HOW AM I GOING TO END THIS".

Alvah said:

2. Introduce a new, unexpected plot twist. This can work, but it has to be done in a way so it doesn't look contrived; the surprise plot turn must seem to flow naturally out what came before.

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In screenwriting it's quite common to have a major turning point at about the mid point; it can either be something in the major character's life that causes their life to go from good to bad, or bad to good, or bad to even worse, etc. That sort of set up the next part of the story.

A truss helps.

caw

blacbird said:

A truss helps.

caw

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Yeah, but ab/core exercises are even better.

But really, in the end, you can't reduce mid-section dragging/sagging and get that tight midriff by spot-reducing with ab exercises. High intensity cardio does the trick better than anything.





Barring that, explosions help.

I just did a blog post about this last week.

My favorite technique is the Mid-Point Reversal. where something happens in the middle to send the story sideways and up the stakes. I've found it gives me something to drive the story for the first half of act two, and gives me something to deal with in the second half, which also keeps the story moving.

I've also found spacing out the mini-set pieces every chapter or two helps keeps things moving as well. I'll alternate between an action piece, info revelation, loss, etc. so it stays unpredictable, but there's always something throwing a wrench in the plan in some way to keep the protag moving.

My last story has a mini-climax halfway through the book. The whole first half is mostly set-up for this, and after everything changes, subtle stylistic things, the nature of the tension, etc. The thing is, I didn't plan it this way, it just sort of happened. And I actually expected my last half to be more boring and was rather surprised to go back and find that it was actually more suspenseful than the second half.

I think what was said before is the important thing. As long as something is always happening and there is always conflict, preferably escalating conflict, it's okay. I'm not really sure how to plan for this. For me it just kind of happens, and I can feel if things are starting to drag. I know when I get later in the story I have shorter sections, more cliffhangers, etc. to help keep things moving.

Introducing a character might work, though most books I can think of work just fine without adding anyone new. The twist thing is alright as well, but could come off as hokey. That's always the danger of a twist, though.

Personally, I think it's best to go ahead and write out the story, and then once it's on paper you can always go back and look at the pacing and see if it's working or not.

Danthia's post was really awesome. Another good thing to read for suggestions is Jim Butcher's piece on The Great Swampy Middle.

All hell should break loose in the middle. How can that be boring? The protagonist is in crisis (nature of crisis depending on genre and story, of course) and should proceed to mess things up even further in his/her attempts to remedy the situation.

Formulaic, yes, but it works.

Vorhaus's formula for comedy works pretty well here, regardless of genre: protagonist starts out by overcoming a challenge without having to undergo any significant change. At about the quarter point, a monkey wrench is thrown in the works, and he struggles to take control of the situation. At the halfway point, his world falls apart. At about the three-quarter point, he goes through a dark night of the soul, where he has to address his own fundamental flaws. And then you bring the story home.

This is not, of course, the only way to structure a story, but it is a fine one, and should prevent sagging middles.

And Jim Butcher is a fountain of good advice.

I don't think a sudden burst of conflict alone can save a boring book. When I read a book that doesn't hold my interest, it's almost always because the characters bore or repel me and no plot injection can fix my apathy.

On the other hand, if a story's got fascinating, original characters that pop off the page, have their own distinct voice, and an empathetic viewpoint, I'd read chapters of that character sitting around or doing the dishes and I won't be able to put it down.

For me, discovering a great book is like discovering new love. If I really like the person (character), we can do just about anything and I'll have a great time. On the other hand, if I don't like the person/character, then it doesn't matter how many gifts he lavishes on me or how grand an adventure we go on--the love falls flat.

Plot twists alone can't prop up a sagging book, and things seldom get boring when you've got an amazing cast of characters to explore.

Salis said:

I think a far more helpful way to approach this is just to make sure that something is always happening. I'm not a fan of the extreme end of this, where you've got the thriller formula of "ONE TWIST A PAGE, AT THE VERY LEAST!", but I think you should always have something imminent crashing in. This isn't necessarily a literal approach, that "something" can be a really snappy bit of dialogue instead of pulse-pounding action, but every page should be tweaking the reader's collar just a little.

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This reminds me of the "micro-tension" approach of Maass, which seems to come rather naturally to me. Unfortunately it's the only thing that does.

Kitty Pryde said:

Danthia's post was really awesome. Another good thing to read for suggestions is Jim Butcher's piece on The Great Swampy Middle.

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SWEET!!!! I actually did all of this and didn't even realize it!!! Yaaaay. <3

(See? I really do just suck at beginnings and not middles or ends).

Rock on!

(*grumbles and crumples yet another first chapter draft*)

If the middle is sagging, your characters are not doing their job. They should be doing something that keeps the reader interested. If that's not it, you're probably closer to the ending than you think..

That's where I start dealing a bit more closely with subplots, but I think I got that from Jim Butcher.

There's the time bomb effect- have everything in the book slowly gathering intensity. Your reader will read on because in light of what's happened/what will come everything will be wonderfully tense.