18.36: The Soggy Middle Pays the Rent (or, "Stand Alone With Series Potential")
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How do you write the middle of a book? How do you end your book? How do you know what to write next? This week, our hosts \\u2014who all work as a writers and publishers (and are sometimes teachers and puppeteers and many other things)\\u2014 talk through how they have written the middle of their books.
\\ufeffThe middle is where most of the story takes place. How do you keep track of your characters and plot? How do you bring it toward an end, and stick the landing? Well, we\\u2019ve got some ideas. And some advice to help you write the middle of your novel. Or short story. Or play. Or really\\u2026 anything.\\xa0
Homework:\\xa0
Identify the point of the middle where you are delaying because you feel like your character needs to "earn" the cool thing. Where can you cut and where can you turn it into an escalation?
Also! Make sure to catch up on Schlock Mercenary if you haven\\u2019t already. Our next 3 episodes will dive into the details, and include some spoilers.\\xa0
Thing of the Week:\\xa0
The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire
Liner Notes:\\xa0
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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