Write Your Novel From the Middle

Key Takeaways

1. Start with the Mirror Moment: Discover Your Story's Core

The midpoint moment (which I fully explain in Chapter 5) is the moment that tells us what the novel or movie is really all about.

The Mirror Moment is a pivotal scene at the exact center of your story where the protagonist confronts their true self or realizes the overwhelming odds they face. This moment defines the core of your narrative and drives character development. It can take two forms:

• Character-driven stories: The protagonist questions their identity and the changes they must undergo to overcome their challenges.
• Plot-driven stories: The character faces seemingly insurmountable odds, contemplating the physical, professional, or psychological death they may face.

By identifying this crucial moment, writers can better understand their story's essence and use it to guide the entire writing process, from outlining to revision.

2. The Golden Triangle: Pre-Story Psychology, Mirror Moment, and Transformation

You are writing from the middle. Your novel has an organic unity. Your scenes will begin to fall into place.

The Golden Triangle is a powerful storytelling framework consisting of three key elements:

1. Pre-story psychology: The character's background and motivations before the story begins
2. Mirror Moment: The central, defining moment of self-reflection or realization
3. Transformation: The character's growth or change by the story's end

This structure provides a solid foundation for your narrative, allowing you to:

• Create more cohesive and compelling character arcs
• Ensure your story has a strong throughline
• Develop scenes that naturally flow from and support these core elements

By focusing on these three points, writers can craft stories with greater depth and resonance, regardless of their preferred writing style or genre.

3. Write from the Middle: A Flexible Method for All Writers

The great strength of this process is that it is so flexible. It will never fail you.

The Write from the Middle method is adaptable to various writing styles and preferences:

• Plotters: Use the Mirror Moment to strengthen your outline and ensure a solid structure
• Pantsers: Write freely, then identify your Mirror Moment to guide revisions and deepen your story
• Tweeners: Combine elements of both approaches, using the Mirror Moment as a flexible anchor

Benefits of this approach include:

• Providing a clear focus for your story, regardless of your writing process
• Helping you overcome writer's block by giving you a central point to work from
• Allowing for creativity while maintaining a strong narrative structure

This method can be applied at any stage of the writing process, from initial concept development to final revisions, making it a versatile tool for writers of all levels and styles.

4. Incorporate Life-and-Death Stakes for Compelling Fiction

A great novel is the record of how a character fights with death.

Three types of death stakes can elevate your story's tension and engage readers:

1. Physical death: The threat of actual bodily harm or demise
2. Professional death: The risk of losing one's career, calling, or life's work
3. Psychological death: The danger of losing one's sense of self or purpose

To implement death stakes effectively:

• Choose one primary type of death stake for your story
• Ensure the stakes are clear and meaningful to your protagonist
• Raise the stakes progressively throughout the narrative
• Consider combining multiple types of death stakes for added complexity

By incorporating these high-stakes elements, you create a compelling reason for readers to invest in your character's journey and keep turning pages to see how they overcome their challenges.

5. Utilize the Two Pillars: Doorways of No Return

Structure is translation software for your imagination.

The Two Pillars are crucial structural elements that propel your story forward:

1. First Doorway of No Return: Occurs before the 1/5 mark of your story

2. Second Doorway of No Return: Occurs near the 3/4 mark of your story

Key considerations for implementing the Two Pillars:

• Ensure each doorway is a significant event that fundamentally changes the protagonist's situation
• Use the First Doorway to transition from Act I to Act II
• Use the Second Doorway to transition from Act II to Act III
• Make each doorway progressively more challenging for the protagonist

By incorporating these structural elements, you create a solid framework for your story that keeps readers engaged and drives the narrative forward.

6. Develop Your Story Ideas into Fully-Fledged Concepts

You are a development monster now. You're going to like the feeling.

The idea development process transforms initial inspirations into robust story concepts:

1. Idea generation: Use techniques like "What if?" questions, media scans, and occupation research
2. Idea nurturing: Explore promising ideas through freewriting and brainstorming
3. Concept development: Create a "white-hot document" to flesh out characters, plot twists, and themes
4. Elevator pitch creation: Distill your concept into a compelling three-sentence summary
5. Golden Triangle application: Use the Mirror Moment to refine and solidify your concept

Tips for effective concept development:

• Maintain an idea file and regularly review and update it
• Set aside dedicated time for creativity and brainstorming
• Ask yourself probing questions about why you want to write this story and what makes it unique
• Practice creating elevator pitches to hone your ability to communicate your concept concisely

By following this process, you can transform raw ideas into well-developed concepts ready for full-scale writing or pitching to agents and publishers.

7. Enhance Your Writing with Joy to Find Your Unique Voice

When an author is joyous in the telling, it pulses through the words.

Cultivating joy in writing is key to developing a unique and engaging voice:

1. Choose stories that excite you personally
2. Write during your peak creative hours
3. Take breaks when writing feels like a chore
4. Use tools like Dr. Wicked to encourage fast, uninhibited writing
5. Visualize the reward of completing your book and reaching readers

Benefits of writing with joy:

• Creates a contagious enthusiasm that transfers to readers
• Helps develop a distinctive style and personality on the page
• Encourages creativity and fresh ideas
• Makes the writing process more enjoyable and sustainable

By focusing on the aspects of writing that bring you joy, you can develop a voice that is authentically yours and captivating to readers.

8. Master the Art of Showing vs. Telling in Your Narrative

Showing is like watching a scene in a movie. All you have is what is on the screen before you.

Key differences between showing and telling:

Showing:

• Describes actions, dialogue, and sensory details
• Allows readers to experience the scene as if watching a movie
• Engages readers' emotions and imagination

Telling:

• Summarizes events or explains characters' thoughts and feelings
• Provides information directly to the reader
• Can be useful for conveying background information or transitioning between scenes

Tips for effective showing:

• Use vivid sensory details to bring scenes to life
• Incorporate meaningful actions and gestures to reveal characters' emotions
• Write dialogue that reveals character and advances the plot
• Balance showing and telling based on the scene's importance and pacing needs

By mastering the art of showing vs. telling, you can create more immersive and engaging narratives that keep readers invested in your story.

9. Create Page-Turning Fiction with Engaging Characters and Immediate Conflict

Some time ago, I had an exquisite experience, the kind we as readers love, but we as writers don't find often enough, namely: I got so caught up in a novel I lost the realization that I was reading at all.

Elements of page-turning fiction:

1. Relatable protagonist:

2. Immediate conflict:

3. High stakes:

4. Pacing:

5. Emotional engagement:

By incorporating these elements, you can craft stories that captivate readers and keep them eagerly turning pages until the very end.

Last updated: January 24, 2025

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