Mush in the Middle
Why do the middles of books, like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tend to get so mushy, squished and icky?
I am trying to brush up my book and I think the beginning and ending are adequate, but Chapters 12 and 13 are simply undigestible. I honestly don't know what to do with them.
Some of the problems are:
* too many truncated scenes giving a staccato feel to the chapters
* low tension sub-plots
* time bridges
* scenes which serve to set up later tension but are otherwise boring
* merely cutting or combining scenes results in illogical sequencing
I am trying to brush up my book and I think the beginning and ending are adequate, but Chapters 12 and 13 are simply undigestible. I honestly don't know what to do with them.
Some of the problems are:
* too many truncated scenes giving a staccato feel to the chapters
* low tension sub-plots
* time bridges
* scenes which serve to set up later tension but are otherwise boring
* merely cutting or combining scenes results in illogical sequencing
Comments
Come to think of it, so does my beginning.
...and...er, so does my end!!!
Middles are just gross. I don't know about you, but I'm not a big "planner." When I write, I come up with the beginning and the ending. The middle is what connects the two, and it's totally made up as I go. That's probably why it sucks to write.
I have the same problem with my book. There are subplots in my story which must be told but they're not as dramatic as the main plot. As a result, a few chapters muddle along. I don't want to cut the subplots out as they set up the finale.
hmmmm
Just keep writing what needs to be written, and do not overthink the process by focusing too hard on specifics. Nearly all the problems you list could be strengths in a work (I personally like staccato feels, I also like moments of low tension because I can take breaths while reading and better digest what I have read). If you look at certain aspects too closely, as separate parts of the whole, they can start seeming uglier than they actually are inside the larger narrative. I also think where one part/section ends and the other begins is not often clear, is open to debate as the lines between them can blur, especially in a well-written work.
But maybe you've simply written too much in the middle. A middle can't be too long compared to the beginning and ending; if the middle's superlong, that could mean the story ran away with itself. Either chop off the extra middle you don't like, or fatten up the beginning and ending. Or maybe do both. You did say the beginning and ending are adequate; maybe adequate is not good enough for this particular story.
Or maybe my post won't be at all helpful: I don't understand writing long works in that microscopic way because I don't write that way (I write in a "wholistic" way), but that seems to be a popular method among other writers. Screenwriting is an exception though--worrying about this part and that part becomes more important there because the whole is intended for translation into another medium.
Plus, discussing works I haven't read is so inexact. Maybe you could post an example of the problem areas, though, again, I don't see how that would be very useful because how those fit in the whole won't be visible to everyone reading here.
Whatever the case, good luck working on your story!
In theory it sounds good to just chop out the middle between the beginning and the end, but in practice, it doesn't work. The beginning is a journey to a place, the end is an extended battle sequence. In the middle, the characters are at the place doing their thing. So it's kinda crucial. :)
Possibly, it's really the beginning I should chop, at least I've been told so by one beta reader. But, nah, I won't.
Your comment reminded me not to lose sight of the bigger picture.
Laughingwolf: Supersex. Check.
If it seems mushy, it may be because the characters aren't strong enough in their needs and wants, or in the opposition / conflict to what they want. As one of my writer friends reminded me, you can write a scene where all a guy wants is a glass of water, as long as he wants it REALLY BAD, and someone or something is PREVENTING HIM FROM HAVING IT!