November was National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or just plain NaNo). A time for would-be novelists throughout the country and the world to try their hand at penning a first draft in the 30 days of November. No one know why they chose a month with a big Holiday that eats up time and turkey (maybe it was the alliteration of novel and November).
I personally don’t like such efforts, because I think rushing yourself like that produces crap. But that being said, I did manage close to 30,000 words on the horror novel in November, and hopefully it is not crap. That effort puts me firmly in what thriller novelists refer to as the “mushy/muddled middle.”
It is typically felt that it is relatively easy (I use that word guardedly) to write the first quarter of a novel. I have several writer friends who introduce themselves as “starters of novels.” The last quarter deals with the climactic action, which is also thought to be less arduous. But the mushy middle needs to build the suspense and back story while keeping reader interest and moving the tale along. A tougher nut indeed.
Personally, I find the mushy middle to be like stumbling into a bog. You bounce along for two to three good steps, then your foot breaks through into mucky water that pulls you up short for a bit. So, I stumble along through the swamp, writing a few hundred tentative words per day before hitting the dry land of a plot twist that may run 3000 words in two days. Usually these oases come to me on the treadmill or while walking the dogs. Then it’s off to the computer to get them on the screen.
I also do at least some mind-mapping during the MM. For those unfamiliar with this term, a mind map is basically a formal doodle or an informal flow chart, whichever you prefer. One sketches out characters on a legal pad, along with possible actions and counter actions they may experience, drawing links and arrows and dotted lines. This can lead you to some interesting places and tie up some loose ends. At these times, I feel envious of the outliners, who think this all up ahead of time and then just mechanically write it down. But I couldn’t work that way. For me, the fun is being surprised by what happens next. Hopefully, that is fun for the reader as well.