How To Avoid The Saggy Middle When Writing a Novel: The Pinch Point Discussion
How to avoid writing a saggy middle for your novel!
The middle make up the vast major it of a novel. It’s a lot of ground cover, and my work with writers and my flailing has shown me that this is part of the story where things can get repetitive, drawn out, and bogged down. To put it simply: boring.
How can a writer prevent this?
Cue the Pinch Point discussion.
How to Structure the First Act of a Novel: The Setup
Act I encompasses the first twenty-five percent of the novel. It’s everything between the hook and the kick-off of the second act, including the inciting incident, but unfortunately, it’s misunderstood.
The purpose of the Setup is to establish the story’s premise. It answers the “what is this going to be about?” question. It’s a working part of the story, and it whets our appetite for more.
Why Use Story Structure?
Story structure can make new writers nervous because they worry about following a formula. How can you be original if you are essentially following a recipe?
No need to worry, writer.
Story structure is in no way formulaic.
As Shawn Coyne, author of The Story Grid, puts it, story structure is form, not a formula.