And we’re at day two!
Day two is when part three starts to hit—when you realize
that your idea didn’t extend to chapter two. Maybe it covered chapter one, and
it certainly covered the last three chapters, but you have no idea how to
bridge that gap.
Welcome to the middle of your story.
The middle can actually be a very exciting place. You’re
free to do what you want in the middle, as long as it somewhat moves the story
along (and words generally do move your story along). Have you ever fantasized
about something random? Like what it would be like to enter a baking
competition, or what sports could be played in zero gravity, or going on a
vacation to Nebraska? Guess what—now you can! It’s early enough in your story
that you can do something completely random and it still fits in. You don’t
even need to explain it that much. The invitation can come out of the blue.
And whatever you do, don’t make it go smoothly. Get on the
wrong plane. Have your protagonist trip and spill the pie on the judges and get
sued. Nobody wants to read (or write) about a world where everything is idellic
and easy. We want the funny, the hard, the weird. So don’t be afraid of writing
that. And if you have a random idea while writing, do it! Now is not the time
to brush things aside. After all, you don’t have much planned for the middle,
do you?
TODAY’S PLOT DEVICE: Give your protagonist a quirk. They are
always drinking root beer. They jam their hands in their pockets and break the
seams. Something easy that can be done again and again. It always makes a
character seem more realistic!
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