Middle Book Blues?

It happens everytime. Right around 50 to 65 thousand words into the manuscript I sometimes find myself hopelessly blocked and uninspired to continue on. Actually uninspired is the wrong word--it is more like guilt and paranoia.

I've discovered what the phenomenom is. I know I get to the point where I have totally exhausted my vocabulary, and I fear repeating myself with favorite catch words and tags. I find myself looking for that "and" word and wonder how many times I've used it, along with too many commas, passive voice and other such nusiances. I don't feel my style is fresh anymore--I'm running in the same old boring style and I'm beginning to bore mysef, therefore I'll bore the reader.

I guess it is all an illusion. I know exactly where the story is going--there's plenty of action elements, and the plot is tight. I just lose that self-confidence that every writer goes through--"I've emptied my brain and poured out every clever trick I have in my bag."

Like I say, it's not the cannon but the ammo it takes to load it. I've heard of the middle book blues, or the 50,000 word wall. I believe it is real, but has to do with a complete knowledge drain (everything that you have learned in your life), every clever humorous anecdote, your description, transistions, all of the elements.

I notice that AW member Ben Mears hit a similar threshold, after keeping track of his writing progress every day here, and suddenly quit or put his project away. I haven't seen him back here for a while. I hope he returns and does finish that book. But it certainly justifies exactly what I felt when I reached that (sound barrier wall) again. and was afraid I didn't have what it took to fly past it.

And I have gotten through it 12 times in the past! Still, it harkens.

The only way I've had any luck getting out of this is to go and read another author and take a break away from this self-inflicted marathon. When I read I begin to like sentences again--it's therapy and usually puts me back on track.

There ought to be a law against this "wall." I think it is exclusive to itself.

Tri

Yes, Jim, good link, and I remember that one well. We also have to remember that we are the ones who are writing, re-reading, editing, and redrafting this story. We get tired of reading the same old passages and scenes over and over again. What we don't realize is that the story is always perceived differently in another's eyes--it is fresh and it is new to a different perspective. "It's not crap", they tell you, "wherever did you get such an idea that it was that bad?"

The middle book blues should probably not be confused with the 50-page novel, which can be a nasty little bugger all by himself. That's where you believe you have a terrific idea, but no meat to fill it in. That, or the plot goes askew or unravels, or you hate your character and it's too late to change him, or you've chosen the wrong tense and POV, or it now seems implausible, etc. We've all got those 50-pagers and tossed them ruthlessly aside.

I fear working on another project will distract me and rob the first one. Some people can switch horses and work on many projects at once. Like refusing to eat vegetables I haven't tried that one yet.

At least I prevail and get the books done. But like Maestro says, that nasty little internal editor needs to be given the righteous smack down.

Tri

I just made it to 52,000 and feel that all hell must break loose from now on until the end. It's been a struggle for my characters to define this haunting presense and they have prepared for an onslaught. Now it must come and 200 pages of Storm Trooper type war must take over the rest of the book.

Tri

That's the way I feel--I'm very afraid of starting a new project when there is the possiblity that I'll ditch the big book in favor of the "new thrill." It will have to be one thing at a time for me.

Tri.