Barbara Horvat - Why the Middle of Your Writing Can Be the Hardest Part

1. Barbara Horvat - Why the Middle of Your Writing Can Be the Hardest Part Have you even wondered why writing the middle of a novel or short story can be the hardest part? Furthermore, it can be at this point that you may want to give up all together! Well, you are not alone and this article will outline some of the reasons and solutions for this common occurrence. The main thing to bear in mind is that the beginning of a novel or short story has an obvious function. Many professionals like Barbara Horvat says that beginning is to introduce the main characters, suggest a plot, whilst using the basic structure of where, what, why, and when. The narrative and even the pace of your novel or short story are established at the beginning. The conclusion or climax of a piece of fiction is also obvious. That is to see a resolution to the obstacles or opposition faced by your protagonist. However, the function of the middle is less clear. It can be seen as the section in your story where you see how your central character overcomes the difficulties or conflicts you have set up at the beginning. This can be difficult to achieve, especially if you are anew writer. It can then lead to writer's block because you do not know how to advance your story to its conclusion. Therefore, to avoid a sagging middle it is essential to plan your novel with as much detail as possible. Pay attention to all your characters both major and minor. This is essential as the more you know about your character then the more you will be able to see possible areas of conflict and interaction. It is the conflict that will keep your story interesting and dynamic, thus avoiding writer's block.

2. The middle is the point at which the plot thickens showing any possible twists and unexpected events that adds further depth to your function. If after careful planning and plotting however you still find your novel or short story has fallen flat in the middle, you could try introducing a major upheaval or revelations. This could be the unforeseen death of a major character, or the betrayal of a character, for instance. This injection of conflict and drama will heighten the tension of your fiction and keep the story flowing along and engaging. However, if you introduce a twist it must be credible and hinted at during the course of your story. These simple steps should ensure that the middle of your novel or short story should not prove too difficult. In this many professionals like Barbara Horvat prefers to understand the plot first and to determine the conclusion, so that middle part can be interesting. By doing this you can gain attention of a reader very early.