Post 29 – The Muddle in the Middle
Posted on | January 5, 2010 | 5 Comments
A few days ago I posted about beginnings of stories, which can actually happen in the beginning, the middle or the end of the written work. Now let’s look at the middle.
Often, I’ve heard that the basic reason that much writing doesn’t quite work is “the muddle in the middle.” I think this can be true. A writer will have a great idea for a story, will know where it starts and know where it ends. He will write a great beginning, and a good or great ending. But then he must get from one to the other and is often confused as to how to do that.
First, remember that confusion is a very high and powerful state to be in. Don’t fight it, celebrate it.
Then, there are things you can do to help you on your way.
What is the middle? What is set in motion in the beginning progresses and develops, often in unexpected ways. Again, pretty basic and simple.
The middle is also most of your story, not just the middle third of it. This intimidates some writers. Don’t let it intimidate you. You’re the one in charge of the beast and your story will thank you if you take the reins firmly. To stretch a metaphor a little. Which can be fun.
So what do you do? First, step away from the computer and do some imagining work. You’ll need to know your characters. You’ll need to know your settings. Imagine them well before you start to write. Give them quirks, if you want. The characters, I mean, not the settings. Although giving the settings quirks might be fun, too.
Once you’ve imagined them, write down what you imagined. This is for you, just notes, not part of the story itself, although much of it may end up in the story.
Once you’ve done this, if the getting from A to Z still doesn’t become clear, throw some circumstances at your characters (or settings. Or both) to see how they would react to them. Again, this is just for yourself, but again, a lot of it could influence your story in very interesting ways.
The main piece of advice I have, however, once you feel you know your people and where and when they are sufficiently, is to imagine the unfolding of the events of the story. Live through it in the senses of your mind. Feel the events, smell them, hear them, see them, taste them. Do this before you are actually writing it all down. If something occurs to you in this imagining, make a note of it, but keep imagining.
Then just tell the tale you’ve imagined. This will be the basis of the story, and, since you’ve come to it organically and have personally experienced it yourself, anything that is missing will become obvious. The muddle will melt and the middle will move meaningfully forward. To use too many alliterations. Which can also be fun.
~Geoff Hoff
Co-author the how-to guide On Writing a Short Story.
P.S. Listen to the replay of our tele-seminar on the process of writing – go to http://CreativeWritingStrategyTips.com/
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January 5th, 2010 @ 11:24 am
This post almost makes me want to become a short story author. I said “almost.”
Kathy – Insightful Nana´s last blog ..The Art Of Listening – Active Listening Exercises For Kids
January 5th, 2010 @ 11:36 am
http://creativewritingstrategytips.com/
And I love the title of your new blog post. I do think listening is an art. I haven’t had the moment, yet, to go read it, but I will!
January 5th, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
Geoff – I love your title “The Muddle in the Middle.”
This whole article applies to life. It is easy to get stuck in the muddle in the middle. Stepping away, observing what is happening and imagining can make the muddle melt.
Sheila
P.S. This week’s finger exercise is taste. I think we will have spaghetti for dinner. I make a mean batch.
This exercise has been so interesting. At first I found myself trying to give everything meaning. Now I am better at experiencing and putting descriptions on my senses.
Sheila Atwood´s last blog ..Internet Marketing Workshops and Seminars 2010
January 5th, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
Sheila,
Thank you so much for continuing to do the finger exercises! They are so powerful, and I’m glad you are finding them useful. Yes, a mean batch of spaghetti would be a great way to jump in to taste.
Unfortunately, I can’t claim the title. “The muddle in the middle” is a term script readers often use when a screenplay they’re doing coverage on just doesn’t work. But I like it, too. Never thought of it in terms of anything but writing, though. Thanks for that.
January 5th, 2010 @ 10:31 pm
[...] pet. You can say it.) Because of this, and because I’ve already covered Beginnings and Middles, today I’ll talk about endings, and use Mr. Shakespeare’s title without compunction or [...]