This is one of the most common problems that novelists have to deal with when writing. Luckily for them, this problem can be remedied or avoided altogether. The ‘sagging middle’ syndrome is when the body of the novel fails to hold readers’ interest as it reaches the climax.

The main reason for the sagging middle syndrome is a weak structure. Writers usually don’t get a lot of help from tutorials about how to write the middle part of a novel. The sagging middle syndrome mostly affects ‘pantsers.’ These are the people who write novels off the top of their heads with little or no planning. Without planning, it is very easy for a person to write a sagging middle. Authors who don’t plan usually have a lot of information and enthusiasm when starting a novel. They also have a pretty good idea of what the climax might be. Sometimes they hope that an idea for the climax will come to them as they write the story. However, the middle is the part where the ideas become fewer and less compelling.

After an author goes beyond the first chapter, the plot becomes increasingly fuzzy in his mind. At this point, he starts meandering and introduces characters, scenes, and subplots that have no relationship to each other or the main plot. Many authors notice the loss of momentum, but they usually soldier on, hoping to get inspired as they continue writing.

They hope that the story will hang together until the end. However, an author comes to his senses when he reaches the two-thirds mark of his novel. At this point, he realizes that he must write an exciting climax. He drives the story forward until the goal is achieved. Later, he tries to wrap up the loose ends that came before using the resolution. Even if an author manages to write a good ending, the part prior to the climax is quite weak and fails to impress readers.

The remedies

Writers should treat every part of the story with equal importance. If the middle part of the novel is not interesting, readers are tempted to skip ahead or, worse still, stop reading the novel altogether. If an author wants to pitch his manuscript to an agent, the sagging middle can easily dissuade any agent or editor.

Another way to deal with a sagging middle is to avoid it from the beginning. This can be done by ensuring that the first two thirds of the novel is as structurally sound as the beginning and end.

Another way to deal with a sagging middle is to increase the tension. Sometimes authors forget that there should be a constant amount of tension as the story unfolds. When an author is developing the story, the magnitude of characters’ problems should gradually increase. An author should always be alert when writing a novel and he should prevent the story from becoming too uneventful. The avoid this, the author can take breaks when writing to find more interesting ideas.