Novel Middles

In this class, students have the opportunity to learn how to avoid a sagging middle through creating enough complications that rise logically from the circumstances set up in the beginning chapters and lead inevitably to the climax and resolution. Topics covered are careful plotting and outlining, complications that relate organically to the characters and plot, and building scenes that heighten complications toward the climax. Also covered will be issues of backstory, developing narrative voice, themes and metaphors, all tasks of the middle. Students will have an the opportunity to complete the first of drafts their novel middle.

Week 1: Where to go from here? Revisiting your story outline and beginning. Plan the middle.

Reading: Read for the first time or revisit "The Great Gatsby" outline. Identify the major complications of the beginning and middle. Read also chapter 4 of "The Great Gatsby." Identify the call to action, the protagonist's full commitment to the story's journey, and backstory. Also note issues of narrative "voice," symbols, and minor supporting characters.

Writing: Identify several complications for your middle chapters. Consider how these complications relate to the plot as a whole. Consider introducing backstory, minor characters, and symbols as appropriate. Write a scene/chapter (Note the amount of writing is approximate depending on the novel.)

Week 2: The Mini-Climax

Reading: Read chapter 5 in "The Great Gatsby." Study how the scenes rise in tension and build on each other logically toward a mini-climatic moment on the way toward the main climax.

Writing: write your next pages. Include one or two scenes that show complications that heighten tension. Provide backstory, symbols, heighten narrative voice.

Week 3: Heightening the tension. Tension should build steadily to the climax.

Reading: Chapter 6 of "The Great Gatsby." Note how the complications grow increasingly more serious and build in backstory at the same time, so that the story is going backward and forward in time simultaneously.

Writing: Next pages. Show the increasingly dire circumstances of your protagonist.

Week 4: Crisis. All the complications lead inevitably to the climax.

Reading: Study chapter 7 of "The Great Gatsby." Identify the climax and what leads to it.

Writing: Next pages. Build the complications to the climax.



Instructor: Stacia Ann

About The Instructor: Stacia Ann is an Linguistics Lecturer and Writing Instructor at the University of California. She has a doctorate of Education, Master's of Art in English/TESOL. This instructor has taught writing classes for over ten years. She also teaches academic writing and English as a Second Language at the University of the Pacific. A published author including works of short fiction and academic nonfiction including contest winning stories.