  Action/Adventure
This week: Are We There Yet? Questions for Middle Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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An Elf (written) Action/Adventure Newsletter
Long stories have their struggles when it comes to the middle section and action/adventure is no different. There is a challenge in not dragging out a story but also varying the pace of conflict to not exhaust the reader either. This is a brief look at that middle section and avoiding the "are we there yet" questions best left for road trips. |
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When it comes to longer stories and novels, the middle is known for being difficult to write and at times hard to get through as the reader. It can either have too little action/conflict, which makes it drag slowly towards what is supposed to be an attention keeping story arch. Or, it can have so much steady state amount of action that after a while the reaction to what happens dulls and the reader is still left sort of wondering: Are we there yet?
While known for being asked on long, or not so long, road trips, it is a question we don't want our readers to be thinking. "Are we there yet?" can lead to the reader deciding not to finish the story if it goes too far or slow. In first draft writing, it's not as big of a deal but the general rule is still: if you are bored writing it then how do you think readers will feel? The idea is not to let them get bored or use up all of the games in the car until stuck with I Spy for five hours... I mean, make sure the story has momentum to keep the reader's interest.
Unlike bored kids in a car, there is time and a chance to improve a story to avoid a slow middle. Action and adventure are two great options, which is what makes the genre fun to write. Yet, even those stories can get boring if written that way. So, use the action and adventure to drive the story, the characters to spice things up and the conflict to make the reader want more.
On the other side of the coins is a slight warning. It is possible to put too much action and adventure throughout the middle of the story. While the idea of action happening for several thousands of words and spanning over chapters may sound like a good idea to keep the reader interested, it can backfire. A reader can lose interest in the characters and conflict if it's non-stop action, which is something else to avoid. This will vary depending on the individual story and what doesn't work in many cases may on occasion work because it fits the given conflict and characters.
Solution? I don't have all of the answers but here are a couple of things to consider than can help avoid the dragging out or overwhelming middle. Varied conflict. Yes, too much all of the time can have the opposite effect intended, but having different types of conflict (character, internal, external, etc) can help keep interest without making it too much all of the time. Throughout the story you want to develop the characters, along with moving the action forward and interweaving everything will help build the middle of the story so that no one has the reason to ask "are we there yet?"
In summary, get your readers to ask questions in the middle of the story as you drive towards the climax of the conflict and keep them reading. The middle isn't such a bad part and if you're having trouble writing it. Just write. You can fix all this stuff later.
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How do you keep the middle of an action/adventure story from dragging without overdoing the tension/conflict?
Last time I discussed taking challenges plus entering contests, and received one comment about the topic.
Comment by Tileira 
I keep an eye on a number of contests to try and get myself into writing something, but I have to admit I often skip rounds if I don't get the prompt. Time management is my weakness x_x.
I do find that a contest or activity group help: if you have a deadline, a target, and other people beside you, it feels like you're achieving something compared to writing alone.
- Thanks for the comment. I'm bad with the time management too as I start stories for contests but end up not finishing before the deadline or some of it gets rushed if I manage to enter. It's challenging for sure but fun to enter contests on here.
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Action/Adventure: June 10, 2015 Issue [#7039]
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