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jpskewedthroneSo today, since I DON'T have to go teach and DON'T have some pressing papers to grade or exams to design or lecture to write (hee hee!) I've decided to spend my morning hours writing a blog about *gasp!* writing! That hasn't happened for a while. But I've got a list of topics and things that I've been MEANING to blog about regarding writing and SF and Fantasy in general, and I hope to WILL start blogging on those on a more regular basis now that the day job is finished. It can't interfere with the finishing of the current novel of course, but I can only write so many hours per day on that without achieving burn-out. So, here's the latest writing-related blog post on:
The Muddle In The Middle
If you've been reading any blog by pretty much any writer, then at some point you've probably heard one of us mentioning that we're currently in the "muddle in the middle". This is the point in the novel when the fire and passion that got us through the first part of the book sort of bottoms out and it feels like we're floundering around, trying to find the plot, or the characters, or SOMETHING, in order to push our way onwards toward what we know is the spectacular end to the novel. This happens to all kinds of writers, both organic and those that like outlines and synopses. We suddenly and abruptly decide that the book sucks and that we should be shot because we are suddenly being exposed as the writer hacks we all know we are in our soul. This is where the true hatred of our own novels sets down little roots which will haunt us all the way through to publication . . . and beyond. So I figured I'd talk about this "muddle" and how meddlesome it is, and say why I think the middle always seems to be so troublesome and gray-hair inducing and pulling.
I think the reason we end up with such a "muddle" while writing is because at some point in the novel, there's usually a shift in the focus of the novel. It's this transition that gets us into trouble. At the beginning of the novel, we have this great idea or character and so we sit down and start writing and the idea is the whole of our universe and we love it and we're excited about it and we keep typing away . . . and then eventually that initial idea, that catalyst, is written and the "problem" the character had is resolved in some way . . . and suddenly we realize that in order to get from here to THERE, the end of the novel, we've got to move the characters. Their problem has changed, but in the process of solving their initial problem and getting to that end problem and resolving it, there's typically a lull. A breath, let's say.
And this is where the "muddle" sets in. In my current novel, my main characters were in one city and things came to a head and they were forced to leave. Literally. They were sent out into the plains, the unexplored plains, as a sort of banishment. And this is where the muddle set in. Those first four chapters were great, I love them, but then I hit the plains . . . and everything sucked. Because this was a lull. All of the initial problems had been resolved by the banishment and I hadn't yet established the new problems, the new focus, because I had to get them onto the plains to do that.
So I pushed them onto the plains, and I pushed and pushed and pushed, and it wasn't as exciting or as intense as the first four chapters and I sank into a mild depression about the book. I loved those first four chapters, but I hated the ones since then. Oh, there were a few scenes here and there that I liked and thought were good, but it just felt . . . boring. I began stressing. I began hating the book. I began thinking DAW had made a horrible mistake in purchasing this book and it was going to be a disaster and OMG! What would the readers think that loved the Amenkor books and then picked up this colossal mess! Gah!
But I kept writing, because this has happened before on previous novels (including the Amenkor books) AND because I knew I had a good ending in mind.
And there's the crux, the "muddle": what I was struggling with was the transition from the great beginning to the spectacular ending. How do I bridge that gap, and do it in an interesting way? At the time, I was building my bridge, but it was fat and ugly and unstable and had little branches that went nowhere, and OMG that whole section doesn't even have any supports! Bah! Shoot me! Shoot me now!
I eventually came out of it, found that connection that I needed to connect the beginning to the end, and intend to smooth out that horrible bridge I built along the way. That's what revisions are for, of course. This book took me much longer (and many more words) to find the connection than in previous novels, but it's there. That's why I'm going to have to revise so heavily. But in the end I DID find that transition. (In this case, it was a missing scene, a rather important battle scene, that sets up the motivations of a bunch of characters. I didn't know about this scene until I'd written about 50,000 words of travel through the plains, but now I see how everything in the second half of the book revolves around this one battle.)
So those muddles are the transitions, the connections between beginning and end. And how do you handle them? What do you do when the "muddle" sets in? You just keep writing. This is where the true test of whether your a writer or not comes into play, I think. You have to keep writing, with the belief that eventually it will resolve itself and you'll find that bridge. This is where alot of writers stop. They give up on the book, assume that it isn't going anywhere (because at that point it isn't) and decide that it just isn't working and so they ditch it and start another novel. YOU CAN'T DO THIS! You have to keep pushing until you get to that end scene, and then the connection you needed for the middle will become clear. And having written a few novels so far, I can say with experience that sometimes that connection comes quick (like it did for The Cracked Throne) or sometimes it feels like it will never come, like the current work in progress Well of Sorrows. It did eventually, but MAN it took alot of words to get there! And yes, I doubted myself as a writer through all 50,000 plus words.
And here's something interesting: I think this explains why in some trilogies the second book always feels like a letdown. That second book is the transition from the great idea in book 1 to the spectacular ending in book 3. An entire book of transition, of bridge, of connection. Ugh. (This is why I think of each book as it's own book. I'm not sure I could survive and entire book of transition.)
In any case, that's what I think about the "muddle" in the middle, and why it's such a pain in the ass . . . and yet also why it's necessary for the book to work. To fix it you have to write. But it does help to have some writer friends (either in person or online) to whine to and fret with so they can help you push through that muddle and get to that connection and that end.
So what do you guys think about the muddle in the middle? Do you struggle with it? Have any other thoughts about why it shows up in most novels, or suggestions on how you defeat it?
And that's the latest writing entry. If you're in Binghamton, NY, today (May 14th) remember to stop on by the signing at the Binghamton University bookstore from Noon to 3pm, and if you can't make that there's also the Meet & Greet at Antonio's in Endicott tonight (May 14th) starting at 5:30 for an hour or so. Book to buy and get signed will be at both events.
The Muddle In The Middle
If you've been reading any blog by pretty much any writer, then at some point you've probably heard one of us mentioning that we're currently in the "muddle in the middle". This is the point in the novel when the fire and passion that got us through the first part of the book sort of bottoms out and it feels like we're floundering around, trying to find the plot, or the characters, or SOMETHING, in order to push our way onwards toward what we know is the spectacular end to the novel. This happens to all kinds of writers, both organic and those that like outlines and synopses. We suddenly and abruptly decide that the book sucks and that we should be shot because we are suddenly being exposed as the writer hacks we all know we are in our soul. This is where the true hatred of our own novels sets down little roots which will haunt us all the way through to publication . . . and beyond. So I figured I'd talk about this "muddle" and how meddlesome it is, and say why I think the middle always seems to be so troublesome and gray-hair inducing and pulling.
I think the reason we end up with such a "muddle" while writing is because at some point in the novel, there's usually a shift in the focus of the novel. It's this transition that gets us into trouble. At the beginning of the novel, we have this great idea or character and so we sit down and start writing and the idea is the whole of our universe and we love it and we're excited about it and we keep typing away . . . and then eventually that initial idea, that catalyst, is written and the "problem" the character had is resolved in some way . . . and suddenly we realize that in order to get from here to THERE, the end of the novel, we've got to move the characters. Their problem has changed, but in the process of solving their initial problem and getting to that end problem and resolving it, there's typically a lull. A breath, let's say.
And this is where the "muddle" sets in. In my current novel, my main characters were in one city and things came to a head and they were forced to leave. Literally. They were sent out into the plains, the unexplored plains, as a sort of banishment. And this is where the muddle set in. Those first four chapters were great, I love them, but then I hit the plains . . . and everything sucked. Because this was a lull. All of the initial problems had been resolved by the banishment and I hadn't yet established the new problems, the new focus, because I had to get them onto the plains to do that.
So I pushed them onto the plains, and I pushed and pushed and pushed, and it wasn't as exciting or as intense as the first four chapters and I sank into a mild depression about the book. I loved those first four chapters, but I hated the ones since then. Oh, there were a few scenes here and there that I liked and thought were good, but it just felt . . . boring. I began stressing. I began hating the book. I began thinking DAW had made a horrible mistake in purchasing this book and it was going to be a disaster and OMG! What would the readers think that loved the Amenkor books and then picked up this colossal mess! Gah!
But I kept writing, because this has happened before on previous novels (including the Amenkor books) AND because I knew I had a good ending in mind.
And there's the crux, the "muddle": what I was struggling with was the transition from the great beginning to the spectacular ending. How do I bridge that gap, and do it in an interesting way? At the time, I was building my bridge, but it was fat and ugly and unstable and had little branches that went nowhere, and OMG that whole section doesn't even have any supports! Bah! Shoot me! Shoot me now!
I eventually came out of it, found that connection that I needed to connect the beginning to the end, and intend to smooth out that horrible bridge I built along the way. That's what revisions are for, of course. This book took me much longer (and many more words) to find the connection than in previous novels, but it's there. That's why I'm going to have to revise so heavily. But in the end I DID find that transition. (In this case, it was a missing scene, a rather important battle scene, that sets up the motivations of a bunch of characters. I didn't know about this scene until I'd written about 50,000 words of travel through the plains, but now I see how everything in the second half of the book revolves around this one battle.)
So those muddles are the transitions, the connections between beginning and end. And how do you handle them? What do you do when the "muddle" sets in? You just keep writing. This is where the true test of whether your a writer or not comes into play, I think. You have to keep writing, with the belief that eventually it will resolve itself and you'll find that bridge. This is where alot of writers stop. They give up on the book, assume that it isn't going anywhere (because at that point it isn't) and decide that it just isn't working and so they ditch it and start another novel. YOU CAN'T DO THIS! You have to keep pushing until you get to that end scene, and then the connection you needed for the middle will become clear. And having written a few novels so far, I can say with experience that sometimes that connection comes quick (like it did for The Cracked Throne) or sometimes it feels like it will never come, like the current work in progress Well of Sorrows. It did eventually, but MAN it took alot of words to get there! And yes, I doubted myself as a writer through all 50,000 plus words.
And here's something interesting: I think this explains why in some trilogies the second book always feels like a letdown. That second book is the transition from the great idea in book 1 to the spectacular ending in book 3. An entire book of transition, of bridge, of connection. Ugh. (This is why I think of each book as it's own book. I'm not sure I could survive and entire book of transition.)
In any case, that's what I think about the "muddle" in the middle, and why it's such a pain in the ass . . . and yet also why it's necessary for the book to work. To fix it you have to write. But it does help to have some writer friends (either in person or online) to whine to and fret with so they can help you push through that muddle and get to that connection and that end.
So what do you guys think about the muddle in the middle? Do you struggle with it? Have any other thoughts about why it shows up in most novels, or suggestions on how you defeat it?
And that's the latest writing entry. If you're in Binghamton, NY, today (May 14th) remember to stop on by the signing at the Binghamton University bookstore from Noon to 3pm, and if you can't make that there's also the Meet & Greet at Antonio's in Endicott tonight (May 14th) starting at 5:30 for an hour or so. Book to buy and get signed will be at both events.
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-14 06:51 pm (UTC)The Civil War erotica stories proved a challenge more for the historical research I had to keep doing than any sort of muddle. I'd get chugging along, visualize a scene and then suddenly have to stop to ask myself such questions as "When was the elevator invented?" "Did they use coat hangers then?" "Would that canning jar really have a screw-off top?"
As far as the current murder-mystery... I've not yet hit the muddlesome part. I tend to write in spurts. I've been cranking out the chapters at top speed (for me) this month but eventually, something will happen and the page will sit empty for weeks. At first I'll rationalize that "I needed a break." Then guilt will set in, "I shouldn't be sitting here stuffing my face with popcorn when there's a novel to be finished!" Eventually, they start whining - you know who I mean - the characters, the dialogue, the scenes in my head. The "voices" I like to call The Muse, kick in and shove me along, through the muddle, somehow having figured it all out on their own. I think a helmet and a pair of goggles are always best to wear at this time, especially the goggles... it keeps the muddle out of your eyes.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-15 01:36 pm (UTC)