July 13, 2016 · 10:19 am
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Writing Tip: The Middle Third by Author Michele Drier – Plus, her Vampire Novel, SNAP

Please help me welcome Michele Drier with an informative article and her latest release.

Thank you for joining me, Michele! Your series looks awesome…right up my alley. 🙂

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The Middle Third

Most writers know the Dreaded Middle Third. The roughly one-third in the middle of the book where you can get bogged down in telling the story.

You start with a bang, It’s a new story, you’re developing the characters (and you like them!), you have action, maybe a new romance, a dash of fear, all the things that get your adrenaline moving

The last third, well you know the ending and it’s fun tying up all the loose ends, resolving conflicts, settling into a relationship.

But that middle third. This section is where you build the bridges to get from the excitement of a new adventure to the resolution at the end. It’s many times the crux of the book. The characters get depth, sometimes so much they take over. The tension increases. Does Character A know the background of Character B…let alone how s/he’s overcome it? Or is it still there, sabotaging every move?

Will Character C really go in that small, creepy basement?

Will they or won’t they fall in love?

What challenges raise their ugly heads? How many fears are standing in the way of a happy ending?

All good stuff. Harder to write.

What happens when Character B takes off with the narrative and you find that she’s developed an aversion to all those traits that intrigued her about Character A? Wow, this feels like a much stronger story and you like her new, feisty personality. It’ll never get her from the first to the last third, though.

Do you leave her like this, go back and rewrite the first third? How will that change affect the other characters? The plot?

Will the resolution change?

Probably plotters have a little easier time with the middle third, but for pantsers like me, one has to tread carefully. You give the characters space to tell their story, guiding them toward the resolution, but you don’t always know until you’ve written it, what’s going to happen.

Will the protag get pushed off the boat? Will an old lover show up? Is there abuse in the past? What’s he lying about? How will this affect the relationship?

It’s more difficult writing the middle third. A lot of times it’s like juggling four, five, six balls or kintting a sweater without a pattern. Oops, I have three sleeves! This is the time, though, where you can let the plot grow organically, following faint paths of desire, defeat, dishonesty, deceit.

I’m deep in the middle third of my thirteenth book, a stand-alone psychological thriller with a working title of Ashes of Memory.  It’s different from anything else I’ve written and juggling the balls is trickier. I believe one can learn from any experiences, no matter how weird, no matter how old. And this exercise is teaching me not to be complacent, stay open to new ideas. I have one character who will turn out to be the opposite of what he appears and I’ve never written a villain like this before.

I’ll finish it this summer and I’m hoping to emerge at the end a stronger plotter, stronger writer, stronger story-teller.

How are you planning to spend your summer vacation?

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Michele Drier was born in Santa Cruz and is a fifth generation Californian. She’s lived and worked all over the state, calling both Southern and Northern California home.  During her career in journalism—as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers—she won awards for producing investigative series.

Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death.

Her paranormal romance series, The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, has received “must read” reviews from the Paranormal Romance Guild and was the best paranormal vampire series of 2014. The series is SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, Plague: A Love Story, Danube: A Tale of Murder, SNAP: Love for Blood, SNAP: Happily Ever After?, SNAP: White Nights,  SNAP: All That Jazz, SNAP: I, Vampire .

Visit her webpage, www.micheledrier.com

facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier or her Amazon author page, http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

 

31 Comments

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31 responses to “Writing Tip: The Middle Third by Author Michele Drier – Plus, her Vampire Novel, SNAP”

  1. Michele Drier
    July 13, 2016 at 11:50 am

    Thanks so much for having me, Alicia! Writing this was an education, now back to my characters…I’ve discovered some of their nuances.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Jacquie Biggar
    July 13, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    The middle third is always tough for me. As you say the first and third almost write themselves, but that middle… it’s another story. Or maybe the same story just different 🙂

    Like

    Reply
  3. M.J. Schiller, Romance Author
    July 13, 2016 at 1:33 pm

    I’m there right now, and to make things a little harder, I’m trying to add because my publisher is asking for a higher word count than I have. Finding a spot to add to a story that is written is difficult! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

    Like

    Reply
  4. Marilyn Johnston
    July 13, 2016 at 1:33 pm

    Yep, there’s that saggy middle. Thanks for your insights, and best wishes for great sales on “I, Vampire.” Wow, thirteen books.

    Like

    Reply
    • Michele Drier
      July 13, 2016 at 2:02 pm

      Marilyn, the problem is that I have another six or so in mind and can’t write fast enough!.Life interferes! Maybe the middle third is like middle age…when things begin to sag, LOL.

      Like

      Reply
  5. Ashantay Peters
    July 13, 2016 at 1:34 pm

    I’ve just entered the middle third of my latest story and know what you mean about the pantser challenges. Thanks for the reminder to trust myself and keep slogging!

    Like

    Reply
  6. The Author
    July 13, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    Middles are the bane of my writing existence! While I am a dedicated and detailed pre-plotter, things inevitably veer wildly off plan toward the end of the first third, when I’ve gotten to know my characters and their needs and desires better. This very often leaves me with mushy, boring, and useless middles. While I adhere strongly to the Crappy First Draft philosophy of Hemingway and plow through anyway, it makes the re-writes downright painful. Thanks for the tips!

    Heather Fowler

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    • Michele Drier
      July 13, 2016 at 4:11 pm

      Oh, Heather…how true! That’s what comes of giving your characters the ability to be fully-developed, they can take off on their own and leave the plot wandering around! I do think middles are the hardest slog,.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. vampwriterblog
    July 13, 2016 at 3:30 pm

    I’m sure the psychological thrillers are great; however, as you know, your Kandesky Vampire Chronicles are so my favorites! I do hope you’ll add to the story beyond “I, Vampire”! (-:

    Like

    Reply
  8. pamelasthibodeaux
    July 13, 2016 at 3:54 pm

    Middles can sometimes be tough. Thanks for the info!
    Good luck and God’s blessings
    PamT

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    Reply
  9. Diane Burton
    July 13, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    Terrific info, Michele. Thanks so much.

    Like

    Reply
  10. Michele Drier
    July 13, 2016 at 4:57 pm

    Diane and Pamela, thank for the comments! Hope my tips are helpful!

    Like

    Reply
  11. Kara O'Neal (@KaraONealAuthor)
    July 13, 2016 at 5:32 pm

    You are right! Writing the middle is so hard. I do everything I can to plow through! Thanks for the post.

    Like

    Reply
  12. Leah St. James
    July 13, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    Just the name — the middle third — makes me think of something evil. 🙂 I struggle, too, and have had to throw out huge chunks of manuscript to fix/correct/realign…whatever. Best of luck with the new book. The cover is fabulous!

    Like

    Reply
  13. coryellsusan
    July 13, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    I hear you…I keep forgetting which characters have met each other! This only occurs in the deadly middle third. Nice post!

    Like

    Reply
  14. elizabethalsobrooks
    July 13, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Ugh, a lot of that going around! I’m there too. We pantsers sure do like to wallow around in the wiggle-middles. Thanks for the great ideas, Michele, and thanks for hosting, Alicia.

    Like

    Reply
  15. Polly Iyer
    July 14, 2016 at 5:10 pm

    Looking forward to this new standalone, Michele. Great you’re doing something different.

    Like

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