August 31, 2012

The Middle Of Your Book


Your readers are still reeling from the big plot point in the middle of your story. I believe that all stories need to have a big mid-plot event. This won’t be as big as the climax at the end, but it’s big enough to have your readers biting their nails into little nubs on their fingers and blurting out, “Oh my God” at every other sentence, making everyone stare at them with funny looks.

Or perhaps that middle event is the big romantic scene between your character, which caused your readers’ heart rates to escalate dramatically. Dangerously. Their eyes were practically steaming as they read the encounter between your two characters. They may be having sweet dreams tonight.

Next, write the fall-out. This is where the events that immediately follow start to unfold and the consequences being.

Consult your detailed plan and determine what should happen next. Make it as realistic as possible. Think about real-life situations to help you with this part. If your characters were intimate, ponder what normally happens after two people have sex. Will one of your characters wake up alone because the other snuck out quietly, determined to pretend last night never happened, or to escape their feelings? Will they part swearing that it’ll never happen again? Or will they wake up together, happier than ever before?

If a crime was just committed in your story, consider what should follow. Will your main character be at the crime scene, taking in all the details, and getting into the criminal’s mind? If a suspect was brought in after a dangerous car chase or hand-to-hand combat, will your main character lead the interrogation to pry out a confession?

As in real life, every event has an outcome, and every day has a tomorrow. Events and days in books are no exception.



QUESTION: Do you like fall-outs of events to be slower paced or just as exciting as the event itself?

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