 Fantasy: May 24, 2017 Issue [#8304] |
  Fantasy
This week: The Middle Book/Story Slump Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Fantasy Newsletter by Dawn
Having read a few long stories, trilogies and epic series, I have noticed at times that the middle portion can be a tad let down. Trilogies and series are known for having this issue but even NaNoWriMo discussed the middle slump. |
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I just finished reading the second book in a middle grade epic fantasy series. It is quite the story and don't let the middle grade part fool anyone because these are some hefty books. Nothing like a 500+ page book with interesting vocabulary usage to keep me on my toes. However, while it has a great storyline and lots of conflict along with interesting characters, I have to admit that things didn't hold my attention as much as they did with book one and knowing another book was coming next did curb the tension just a little. The series I'm talking about is Beyonders by Brandon Mull. While it's a good story still, even well published authors can have the middle book and story struggle.
It's a common difficulty, whether doing one book, three books or even 15 in order to tell a story.
Aside from published, the problem often comes up in NaNoWriMo. Whether writing a series or just a single book, during the month, the middle has specific struggles. And it's two fold because it's the middle of the story and just the middle of the month because the act of writing that much in a month can have a slump after the flurried daze of excitement of writing fades.
What is it about the middle that is so hard? Can one avoid the slump?
When it comes to writing, the middle can't be avoided. We can't get from the start of the story or series to the end without having something to link them. And it can be a challenge to keep writing when doing long stories, novels and series, but we can push through and write. Plus, most of the time it doesn't have to be done in a single month, which helps. Each writer has their own methods in order to keep going on a project. Whatever works best for you to finish a story and not get stuck or stopped by the middle, that is what you should do.
As for the actual story, there are a few things to think about when writing either a single item, trilogy or even a many book series. The overarching conflict is often not the only one involved. In particular with the series, no matter how many books, it will help to include conflict that has a story arch maintained in the single story/book. We know the end won't be the complete end of the story all together but the reader still wants something to satisfy the reading of the item. One good part about series is the amount of conflict that can be used and how lines can be woven together in order to show everything.
The hardest part is to not let it feel like the part of the story that was just written to get from point A to point B. It has to hold a bit on its own and that's going to be a challenge no matter how much we try to avoid the slump. Rewrites, edits and world building are going to all help in creation. And there may need to be a little acceptance that some results might still be a bit of a dip in results. It's not the end of the world or the books, but something we try to develop and improve as we write. The slump can just be a fact at times, whether book 2 of a trilogy or book 8. Sometimes we slump, but hopefully we can still get the readers to come back for more.
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#2121161 by Not Available. |
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#2121265 by Not Available. |
| |  | Hathor's Gift (13+)
Henri's gift for safety becomes a bitter sweet ending as her vision is fulfilled.
#2121853 by HWinB.C.   |
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How do you combat the middle slump in your story or series?
Last month, I wrote a newsletter about nostalgia and the reinvention of certain stories. I still haven't seen the movie or gotten to watch American Gods, but I did enjoy some nostalgia tv. Here are the comments sent in dealing with the topic:
Comment by brom21 
This article really hit a soft spot in my heart. I love to mentally reminisce my childhood and teenage years. I usually do this before I fall asleep. The biggest are the games that My brother and I played on the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis. Video game music was much more nostalgic back then. If there is one thing in my past that inspires my writing, it is the far out dreams I had then. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Thanks for the newsletter!
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