I need advice

[doravg]

So, when I reach around 20k in a story, at least in my German stories, I get tired, and my brain starts to think about the end. With an outline, I can get it to 40k, but I feel as if I rush things.

So, how do you overcome the dreadful middle?

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Carefully.

So, when I reach around 20k in a story, at least in my German stories, I get tired, and my brain starts to think about the end. With an outline, I can get it to 40k, but I feel as if I rush things.

So, how do you overcome the dreadful middle?

Have you ever tried taking a break from that story instead of rushing it? You might come up with new ideas.

 

[ManwX]

Just take a break and work on it some other time..

 

[doravg]

Carefully.

Have you ever tried taking a break from that story instead of rushing it? You might come up with new ideas.

I can try that, thanks!

 

[Lumberbot]

Creating stories trying to reach 4001 tales, well that inspired me, I'll go do the same thing, honestly remaining consistent writing 102 stories on top of that, man I applaud youl

 

[Dieter]

I spent like a year writing my 3k word prologue. Does your brain really not go 'what I wrote could be better' ever?

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

So, when I reach around 20k in a story, at least in my German stories, I get tired, and my brain starts to think about the end. With an outline, I can get it to 40k, but I feel as if I rush things.

So, how do you overcome the dreadful middle?

How do I do that?
I reassess the themes of my story, double-check that there are no flaws, and just take the time to read and enjoy my own story. Just put myself in the reader's perspective, and then allow myself to get annoyed at mistakes or make predictions.
Make my outline accordingly (try to break my reader-me's predictions, fix mistakes, and write down all of the little tidbits that should go into making my outline. Just noting down all the little plotlines that need to be resolved)
Then write some of the end if that's what I am feeling like, then feel pulled to get started on the linking parts, and then go back to the end, and then work on the linking parts until I am satisified I have done perfection.
This is reliant on HEAVY editing, which I know is not your style, thus I am a little dubious as to whether this will actually work for you.

 

[doravg]

I spent like a year writing my 3k word prologue. Does your brain really not go 'what I wrote could be better' ever?

No, I am a firm believer in the Muse. My writer brain does what it does, and then the editing brain does some proofreading. I have attempted to rewrite a story only once, but then I figured the original was better than the rewritten version. So I don't try it anymore.

 

[GoodPerson]

So, when I reach around 20k in a story, at least in my German stories, I get tired, and my brain starts to think about the end. With an outline, I can get it to 40k, but I feel as if I rush things.

So, how do you overcome the dreadful middle?

Generally, take it slow. Everyone here would prefer to either take a break or re-check your works, see if there are any flaws.

Taking a break means you can watch something or play, or even go outside. It'll give you advice and ideas, trust me.

I, as a fanfiction writer and lover, am always dumbfounded by myself not discovering the idea that was laid on my screen.

Often, I got the roadblock you got here. Re-imagining the ending/s, but not thinking how the story will reach the end properly. And I kept finding ideas from videos, websites, or even my own gameplay on a hardcore game.



In short, don't rush it.

You'll eventually trip cuz you lose focus while running.

 

[georgelee5786]

I sleep.

Well that's what I would do but I'm chronic procrastinator about sleep

 

[BearlyAlive]

Start something else, so you can procrastinate your procrastinated story with another procrastinated story. (Success pending)

 

[Notadate]

Give up
Interpret that as you will

 

[Wlel]

Stop, take a break, and look for something else. You just need a lil me time w yourself. Maybe try another thing beside writing like drawing or coding(?)

 

[doravg]

Stop, take a break, and look for something else. You just need a lil me time w yourself. Maybe try another thing beside writing like drawing or coding(?)

I have taking up taking walks. I can't draw or code. Also, I no longer play video games.

Give up
Interpret that as you will

You know, I was not going to answer you, but I decided to do so. Writing is cheap therapy for me. Would you give up free therapy?

 

[TheEldritchGod]

START AT THE END.

You need to know what the ending of a plotline is, At least the final gut punch you plan for the reader to have. You can have an epilogue afterward, but you need that final scene in your head at least. Just writing because "I have a cool idea." Doesn't work. You need to know the ending.

Most books are three acts.

You need a plot that starts then finishes in Act/Act, in order of importance:
1/3
1/1
3/3
2/2
1/2
2/3

What I mean is you introduce a plot in Act 1, then it ends in Act 3, followed by Act 1 ends in Act 1.

The overall plot, that goes from plot 1 to plot 3 is the most important, but 1/1 is the second most important because it KEEPS THE READER READING.

That means, before you start the story, you need to have 6 endings. I don't care how much you write it out, but you need 6 plots and 6 plot endings. ANYTHING ELSE IS BOTH UNNEEDED AND DANGEROUS. You also need to know how the plot STARTS. So you need 6 beginnings and 6 endings. However, if you work those out ahead of time, everything else is just filler to get the story to move from one key scene to the next.

For example:

1/3: Joe is summoned and he has to defeat the demon lord
1/1: Joe is dropped into a strange situation and needs to adjust.
3/3: Joe will have a setback he needs to overcome
2/2: Joe will go on a training montage.
1/2: Joe will encounter the miniboss and have to overcome them.
2/3: Joe will have a romance subplot where he meets a girl and they fall in love by the end.

So three things begin in the first act, 2 starts in the second, 1 in the last.
There is one conclusion in the first, 2 in the second, then 3 in the ending
(and if you do it well, it all comes together in one scene.)

It's simple, it's formulaic, IT WORKS.

If you do this, you won't "write in the wrong direction" because you know where the ending is. Once you work out those 6 starts and 6 ends, everything else in the book is just connective tissue.

I find once the Big set pieces are done, it's fairly easy to just sit down and write the connective tissue.

 

[J_Chemist]

By extending the story so much that I'm no longer in the middle and the end is so far out of sight that I get frustrated, angry, annoyed, demotivated, depressed, and--oh hey I'm at the end.

 

[Sagacious_Punk]

START AT THE END.
[...]

This is a very interesting method of doing things. Definitely gave me food for thought.

I'll probably try it for a smaller project to see whether it works for me or not, or if it can work with adjustments. Currently my main writing method is a modular application of the Snowflake Method.

 

[Notadate]

You know, I was not going to answer you, but I decided to do so. Writing is cheap therapy for me. Would you give up free therapy?

Clap clap. Your interpreted it that way

 

[FebyA]

I found out that, when I actually sit down to write, I actually made progress with the story. Even if I have no plan or idea what I'm going to do next about the story before sitting down.

If you work better with outline, then do more of that. Otherwise, not thinking too much like me might do the trick for you