So, Hopeful Author, you came up with a great plot and over the course of several months, or years, you’ve hammer out 30,000 words in fine order. With the first act written, polished over and over, and massaged into a form you can live with, the next phase begins.
It’s the pesky second act that gives me headaches, and not because it’s hard to write, but because the whole world seems to slow down, and the words come slow. You might have experienced it also, when the universe conspires to keep you from writing, and all those carefully crafted characters develop minds of their own and refuse to move, lounging around, drinking coffee and puffing cigarettes.
“I can’t think of anything to write when I get to that point!”
This was a comment I heard the last time I talked with a group of writers. The young woman’s voice was full of tension, and frustration.
“I have a suggestion.”
The assemblage waited, pens poised…and in one instance, a woman held her fingers over the home keys on her laptop’s keyboard.
“Start a new chapter and throw a couple of your characters together. Start a conversation, or give them a nudge, and see what happens.”
Raised hands.
“That’s all?”
A voice came from the back. “What if it doesn’t go anywhere? I will have wasted those hours.”
“If nothing else, you’ve finished an exercise in creative writing. Delete those sentences, or pages, and give it another shot.”
Frowns. Eyebrows came together in dark lines over hooded eyes.
“Does that work?”
“It does for me, and remember, there’s nothing concrete about creative writing.” I quoted Miss Adams, my high school English teacher who still whispers advice in my ear on occasion. “Put words on paper, and those words will lead to others.”
Another question from under a raised hand sent us off into a new direction. “I keep working on this scene, but it won’t develop.”
“Maybe you’re trying to make your characters do something that’s not necessary at that time. It could be you’re wanting them to go against their fictional codes. Listen to your subconscious. Stop trying to make them do what you want, and approach it from another direction.”
“I didn’t know there would be so many complications.”
“None of us did when we started out.”
I experienced a similar lag this week. I finished the first act of a novel contracted with a new publisher, satisfied with the plot and excited about where the story was going. Then it happened. Act II refused to move.
I went back and read those pages and realized I hadn’t utilized a character to her full extent. It was time for her to walk on stage. We needed to hear her story. Putting her into an uncomfortable situation with little support from anyone she knew, I watched Victoria’s back stiffen with resolve and she moved the story forward in a direction I hadn’t anticipated.
The story is rolling along today, and the tension is rising as fast as this summer’s temperature. Don’t let that second act slow you down. Once you’re through to the other side at around 60,000 words, it’ll be a downhill race to the conclusion.
Write away!
I don’t know what act I’m in, but I’m definitely stuck. I’ll try this. Thanks.
Or kill someone.
Or bring in a guy with a gun. (Chandler)
Or throw in an entirely new quirky character!
Terrific advice, Reavis.
Even as an outliner I face the dreaded Act II slow down, whether previously writing my urban fantasies or my mysteries now. Another suggestion is to jump ahead in the narrative. Go ahead and write that “candy bar” scene you’ve been waiting to unwrap, then jump back and maybe resume where you left off, or perhaps resume a little ahead of where you left off.
Writing a first version, for example, of the confrontation and reveal in a mystery, can give more energy to Act II when you return to resume it.
Skipping ahead just a little ways when you are stuck in the “muddle in the middle” can also get things moving. Either way, looking at a different part of your story can unstick you.
I’ve done that! I once wrote an entire chapter that stood alone. It didn’t fit anywhere in the ms at that time, but it was a good one. Weeks later, the story unfolded in an unanticipated way and led to that chapter. My subconscious had been working on the thread all that time.
““What if it doesn’t go anywhere? I will have wasted those hours.”
I may be one of the slowest writers on planet earth, but I can honestly say I’ve never felt I’ve wasted my time writing, even if I didn’t finish the project. Writing is exploration–those periods of getting stuck on a scene or an act is part of that process.
Great post, Sir!
…and all those carefully crafted characters develop minds of their own and refuse to move, lounging around, drinking coffee and puffing cigarettes. 🙂
This.
It’s kind of like my grown children. I think I still have some control, but darn it, I have none.
However, with characters, I can sort of tease them in the right direction…sometimes. Or, as JSB/Chandler said, bring in a guy with a gun and be done with it.
Happy Saturday everyone! Stay frosty…
Much appreciated! Sometime we overthink these things. Turn the story loose and let it roll downhill!
Pressing ahead is the absolute best way to get to the other side. However, sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to skip and rewind the material until it folds together either.
I’ve had only one character misbehave, ever. It was the heroine’s cat. Go figure. He trotted into scene one, announced to me he was sentient, and he’d take care of the heroine, no hero needed. We compromised and allowed the hero to help him. Snicker. It was a science fiction romance, and the “cat” was from another planet so it all made sense.
I’ve always used Ben Bova’s plot/character tools to build my novels so the characters are created for the plot so they have no reason to behave. (Read Ben Bova’s THE CRAFT OF WRITING SCIENCE FICTION THAT SELLS even if you don’t write science fiction. He connects character and plot in a way that makes a great deal of sense, and I’ve used his story development tools for many years. ). It also helps that I’m an outliner. Even my short novels have a brief outline.
My problem with the middle is word count and pacing. At this point, I’m realizing that I have too much plot or not enough plot so I have to readjust my plot and subplot if I have one. The middle is far more fluid than the rest of the novel so this isn’t that difficult.
If anyone is interested in learning more about Bova’s methods, click on my link to my writing blog, then click the tab “Ben Bova” under “Labels.”
Thank you for being such an excellent resource in my life through your writing and dedication to your craft.
Thanks so much. Hope I’ve helped in some way.