November’s Saggy Middle

All right, scribblers, we’re nearly at the middle of the month (aka the saggy middle), and it’s time to take a hard look at where we are. If you’re already at—or past—your mid-month goal of 25,000 words, keep typing!

If, however, you’re finding yourself behind, or getting bogged down with feelings of Why did I sign up for NaNoWriMo this year?? then this post is for you.

Before we start, know you’re not alone in this struggle… and here’s a gentle reminder of why you want to finish your book.

Welcome to the saggy middle

If you inhale craft books like I do, you’ve probably read a soft, saggy middle in a novel is a structural problem. But how does that help? Even if you’re feeling like your NaNoWriMo journey is flagging, it’s not like you can flip everything on its head and direct an asteroid to smash into the world… right?

I ask you, Why not?

Asteroid Number One a.k.a. Novel Structure

In novel structure, tension drives a story through the middle of the book. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a peek at the standard story milestones.

Story Structure Milestones

If you’re not familiar with these milestones, a little Google will get you a long way, but here’s the quick and dirty:

• Inciting Incident – an event or new piece of information that threatens your character’s ordinary world or calls them to action.
• Plot Point 1 – The event or decision that catapults your character into the story. Once this occurs, they can’t go back to the ways things were.
• Pinch Point 1 – Your character(s) gets a reminder or preview of the antagonist or antagonistic force.
• Mid Point – This is where everything changes because your character finally understands what they’re up against.
• Pinch Point 2 – Your character sees firsthand how powerful the antagonist (or antagonistic force) is. They may even question how much they’re really willing to risk in pursuit of their goal.
• Plot Point 2 – This is where your character is at their lowest, having just suffered some kind of defeat or major setback
• Climax – The final showdown, usually where your character and story is at the highest point in both action and emotion.
• Twist – The twist is optional, but many writers use a twist to pull readers into the next book (any genre with series or sequel potential), or give the reader a last set of chills (typically thriller and horror genres).

With novel structure in mind, no matter where your character is along their story journey, something exciting is always about to happen.

If you’re at the 25% mark of your story, it’s time for the first plot point. For a story near the middle, it’s time to brace your characters for the midpoint where you will turn their world topsy-turvy. If you’re past the midpoint (go you!), you have a pinch point coming before the tumble to plot point 2.

If Story Structure Is Not Why You’re Saggy…

So what happens if you know what to write, but you just don’t feel like doing it?

This is the time to step back and remind yourself why you started this journey. At some point, you decided you wanted to write a book.

It may have happened when you were little, and a story world unfolded before your eyes. You may have been a jaded reader thinking, “This book is terrible. I could have done a better job.” Or maybe you just got swept up in the pre-NaNoWriMo fervor on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.

However it happened, the result was the same, and you decided to try writing a book.

Asteroid Number Two a.k.a. Write a “Bad” Book… on Purpose!

Take a few deep breaths and let go of any pressure you’re putting on yourself to write a GOOD book. Instead, let your inner storyteller come out to play.

Here’s the big secret—your NaNoWriMo project doesn’t have to be a literary masterpiece.

In fact, you never have to show it to anyone.

This can be a fun story for an audience of one (you) and still fulfil that bucket list goal. So throw the grenades. Let a dragon crawl out of your world’s sewers. Turn off your world’s gravity, introduce a love triangle, or turn your story world’s air toxic and watch your characters scramble. Even if you dream of publishing, you still have to finish your story before you can edit and query it, so why not have fun?

How is your NaNoWriMo journey going?

Header Photo courtesy of NaNoWriMo and Glen Carrie on Unsplash