In this video, we’re looking at a simple yet powerful way to help get rid of that pesky muddled middle in your manuscript: introducing a misunderstanding.
Doing so can quickly reignite tension and propel your plot forward. It’s all about crafting pivotal moments that can transform a good story into a riveting one.
Hello, Jane Cleland here to talk about idea number seven in your efforts to cure a sagging middle of your story, which is to introduce a misunderstanding. This is very common in romance novels, as an example, but it’s a good idea everywhere. For example, let’s say that you have a romance that is going swimmingly. Well, introduce some misunderstanding in the middle of the story, and then now you have to untangle it.
One of the two reasons that you have a sagging middle, you’ll recall, is that things are going too well. The other one, of course, is nothing’s happening. But if things are going too well, one of the ways that you counteract that is by having someone misunderstand something someone else did. It can be very effective.
Now, if you want more details about this and all of these ideas, the webinar on the topic, “Plotting Perfection: Overcoming Saggy Middles with Ever Escalating Conflict,” is available for rent on my website. And I’d love to hear your ideas, too. Have you ever introduced a misunderstanding in the middle of the book? How did it work? What happened? I’d love to know about it. Please put it in the comment section.
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