In this video, we’ll tackle my first tip to overcome a common struggle countless storytellers face: invigorating that crucial, yet often unwieldy, “saggy middle” of a story.
As writers, we’ve all felt that tension when the momentum of our plot seems to diminish. Join me as I explore a powerful technique to pump energy back into your narrative by forcing your character to confront loss—a missing mentor, the absence of a cherished pet, or even the sudden loss of eyesight.
This isn’t just about loss, though. it’s about upping the ante on conflict and watching your character’s response unfold.
Hello, Jane Cleland here. What do I do to fix my saggy middle? Idea number one. You know, the saggy middle, the section of your story in the middle of it that is dragging, either because nothing’s happening, or things are going too well. I’ve discussed this and what to do about it broadly in previous shorties. Now, I want to give you a specific idea.
Number one out of eight, and remember they can be combined, is have your character lose something they cherish. What could they lose that they cherish? It could be that they lose their mentor or guide. Could be that they lose a child, a beloved pet. Could be they lose a talisman. It could be that they lose their eyesight. What do they lose, and what do they do about it? Remember, we always want to be escalating conflict. So while the loss is shocking and unexpected, the story needs to seamlessly incorporate their reaction to it and how they handle it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you had a character lose something that really adds vigor to the plot? And if you’d like to know more about this idea, the webinar, “Plotting Perfection: Overcoming Saggy Middles with Ever Escalating Conflict,” that webinar replay is available for rent on my website. And if you liked this little YouTube shorty, I hope you’ll like it, share it, subscribe to the channel. It opens up features that let us make these even more valuable for you. Thank you.
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