The Sticky Middle

Okay, I’ll admit it. There was a part of me that thought, with time, that the writing part of this whole thing might get a bit easier.

Okay, I’ll admit it. There was a part of me that thought, with time, that the writing part of this whole thing might get a bit easier.

I love writing. I really do. I’ve been writing since I was a child, but I HATE that sticky part in the middle of the drafting process, where the excitement of the new project has worn off, and the accomplishment of finishing seems way off. This sticky middle period also usually happens while I’m working on the sticky middle of the project, weirdly enough…

Thinking it would get easier was a naive perspective, in hindsight. I’ve written multiple books now, I’ve gone through the sticky middle period so many times. But it did really get me this time.

At one point, I really hated Intermission. I was upset with the story, I regretted writing it as an epistolary novella and I just wanted to give up. There was so much pressure on with this project; it’s half of my major university project!

As I started at the computer screen, desperate to reignite the spark for Intermission, I thought back to the writing process for CATFOOD. CATFOOD was easily the hardest project I’ve ever written; it’s not really like anything I’ve worked on before, and I really struggled with it. But when I was able to push past it, I ended up being really proud of myself, and I feel like writing CATFOOD really helped me grow as a writer.

I’ve made it through the sticky middle with Intermission now, and with the drafting process for The Good Ship Verden looming, I already know I’ll be back there sooner rather than later. I just hope I remember that there’s a way through this time.