If things had gone according to plan, I'd be writing act 3 (of 4) this week, but a combination of a week spent visiting family and edits/revisions for a book that's actually under contract, have derailed my NaNo project. (How is YOUR NaNo manuscript coming along?)
Last Tuesday I mentioned tackling the midpoint as the climax of Act 2. This means that something major has just happened. This event will change the direction of your story. It will increase the stakes. The pace will pick up.
Everything is going wrong for your character, but things are suddenly looking up for you, the writer. Why? Because once you've reached the midpoint, gravity is on your side. All this time you've been pushing a giant snowball up a mountain, but now that you've reached the peak, all you have to do is give your story a giant shove and race downhill toward the end. (HA! as if it were that easy, lol)
You've created your own momentum. Ask yourself what is now driving your story forward and keep those elements in mind at all times.
In my story my protagonist fails (which forces her to come up with a new plan -- a change in direction). There's a very real and imminent threat that she'll lose what she holds most dear (a raising of stakes). She's running out of time (an increase in pace).
You're now closer to "The End". Maintain a sense of urgency and keep on going!
What are your tips and tricks for getting through the second half of a novel? (I need all the help I can get so PLEASE share!!!)
5 comments:
I am past the halfway mark for NaNo, but not for my novel. It's adult, so I am still pushing that snowball up hill. Darn it.
And really, I have not tricks that will pull me through the last part of the novel. I just write with urgency. Trendy, I know, everyone's doing it.
Great post, Jen! For me it's all about writing a first draft as quickly as I possibly can without dividing it into sections. If I can get past the first 10,000 words I feel like I've really hit my stride and I'm definitely chasing that snowball down the hill. Now, if anyone has tips on second-drafting, I sure would love to hear them! I'm pushing and pushing this giant snowball up the hill (over and over again!). Just call me Sisyphus lol
For me, anything past the firs 20k is sweat. It's all just push push push.
I know you can do it! Good luck!
Sometimes the second half is easier than the first for me. I am a panster from beginning to end unless I have thoughts and then I jot them down to use later...I guess you could call that semi-plotting or outlining. lol.
I'm thinking that we writers and our ways of doing things are like snowflakes -- no two are alike
That or we're all flakes.... :-)
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