Midpoint Magic: How to Swing Your Screenplay or Novel in a New Direction and Say Good-Bye to Sagging Story Middles That Put Audiences to Sleep

Ever labeled your story middle as saggy? Draggy? A creativity-draining slog?

You’re not alone.

Even big-name writers have trouble with the middle.

Writers like John Grisham (“[it] has to hold up and not run out of gas”) and Jim Butcher (“the middle of books is HARD, especially for beginning writers”).

The worst part: When you’re so stuck that it feels like your writing wheels are churning in a trench of mud…

…and you start to question the validity of everything.

You start to wonder:

Is my idea any good?

Am I any good at this?

Should I just give up?

No, fellow scribe.

You should not give up on your story idea, your writing dream, or yourself because:

There. Is. A. Way. Out.

How to Escape from the Swampy Middle of a Novel or Screenplay

When you’re thrashing around in the swampy middle, afraid you’re about to be submerged by muddy waters, grab onto this rope:

Stop looking at the middle like one mushy mass of pages. Instead divide it into two halves.

The first half culminates in the midpoint (which swings your plot, as a whole, in a new direction).

The second half culminates in what’s often referred to as the “all is lost” moment (where you inflict maximum damage to your protagonist).

FYI: Midpoint Magic digs comprehensively into the midpoint only.

And if you’ve ever asked yourself, Why is the middle so darn hard?, you will love this deep-dive writing guide.