For writers who have completed the first draft of their novels, they likely know how difficult it was to get through that middle section. I feel your pain. It is as if the entire story takes on a new dynamic when we finish that first act. It then morphs into an actual story where the writer must explore different dimensions of the character and the plot.
Worry no more, my fellow writers. Just think of the middle section of your novel as pure freedom, which it is. There are no restraints akin to that of a typical expository introduction or a third act climax where questions are answered. The second act frees you from any expectations and allows you to tell any story you want. As a writer who has suffered through the same adventures as you, I will provide every answer I have to make your second act electrifying.
The first act is finished. You introduced the characters well. The plot is underway. And you more than likely have the third act already pre-destined in your head or on paper. Everything is great. You have dreams of opening that email from your literary agent to tell you they landed a New York publishing company deal. The advance alone could pay off your current bills and then some. Finally, you will be a millionaire.
And then you wake up. You open the document to the last chapter you wrote and see a blinking cursor. You’re only 100 pages deep in your Great American novel and now you must face writing the second act!
What to Do with Middle Sections?
The answer is anything you want. You have the freedom of the American Bald Eagle.
Assuming you are an aspiring fiction writer who also enjoys reading fiction, I suggest beginning taking detailed notes to your favorite novels and to every piece of fiction you have ever read, really. The ideas are there within the pages. Every writer on the planet has adopted something they have read prior. Writers use names, use words, use scenes, use entire chapters, and even use structure from other novels, films, and poems.
However, it is not done from a place of spite, but from admiration to the writer and text. Also, this is nothing new. From ancient texts to Shakespeare to the current fiction of today, writer’s have been using others works to tell their own stories for millenniums. To quote the writer, T.S. Eliot:
“Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal.”
*Note: If adopting a strategy or structure of another writer for your own work of fiction, I advise you to tweak it. Outright copying is looked down upon in any Art (fiction writing is no different). You will eventually get discovered.
What are your options?
Well, since the second act is usually quite lengthy, you should have a plan. Characters must develop further. The plot must become more intrinsic. Settings may get more developed if influential to the characters and plot. In other words, the overall story becomes more fleshed out.
Characters
They are the most important part of the novel. Developing character arcs in the middle section are mandatory. Great second acts merge the plot goal and a personal goal of the character (s) to ensure the drama is alive to keep the reader’s attention. You can even have moments of exposition through flashbacks here. For example:
- Develop a love interest (only to have it end in the final act)
- The character finds out a secret that makes them change from good to bad
- A subplot develops that could make trouble for the main character
Plot
If the writer hasn’t, to some minor degree, mapped out the plot of the entire story, then the second act may cause problems. Some say that developing the middle act is the most difficult part of the writing. Depending on how plot-heavy your novel is, the plot must face twists and turns and go even deeper with subplots. This is no easy task. The plot must connect the characters to what will arrive in the third act.
- Red herrings are planted
- Characters are false and lead others astray
- A piece of information connects to the backstory of a character
Structure
Novels that tend to play it straight through the second act are setting themselves up for a possible failure. However, this is not to say that a plot of A to B to C is bad, but it isn’t necessarily special. Actually, it is what readers expect, which is never a good thing. As a writer, you have immense power at your disposal to surprise the reader with your creativity. Some of the best novels (and films) have their structure fragmented purposefully so that it will confuse the reader and make them think critically.
Writers can reorganize the structure of their novels in many ways. A most obvious way is to play with time. This might seem easier than it is, but I suggest a writer jots down notes if he or she plans to manipulate time. You can have different chapters told from different characters during different time periods. What will make them special is how they all connect. For example:
- A family saga as told through different generations
- Individual chapters that progress forward, but use different tenses in each chapter
- Different characters of different generations all have a single theme in common
No Restrictions
The only thing holding a writer back when it comes to second act jitters is himself. Once the first setup is done, the massive ocean of middle awaits them and scares most writers away. The second act is so frightening that it makes writers stop that project and begin another. They think it won’t happen in the new project, but it always does. You cannot avoid it.
Go with it. Conquer it. Revise it again and again. And read. Read all of your favorite books again. Read with a notebook by your side. Use a pencil to underline structure points in a novel you like. Study how the masters write. Do research. Scan writing websites like this one. See what other writers have to offer.
Never give up on the second act. Never. Once you get through the middle, it is all downhill from there. As a result, the final act will practically write itself.
Be sure to investigate the links of Amazon books I provided to write better plot and structure. And leave a comment if you have any questions. I know middles are difficult, but if we writers stick together and learn from each other, we can do our best.
~M