Having taken part in NaNoWriMo for the past few years, I've come to realize the following:
Week 1 is hard because we have to get into the mind space where the inner editor has to stay out of the creative process. (One day, I'll tell you all about inner editors and inner censors.) Then the writing becomes easy as inspiration hits.
Week 2 is when that first blush of love will start fading and you need to start working. If your plan is to write a novel, the end of week 2 should be where you hit the middle. And this means that the end of week 2 is where most people get stuck.
If you're stuck somewhere in the middle of your book, week 3 will be a huge, unendurable slog. I suspect this the point where most people give up on NaNoWriMo. A few days after week 2, after efforts to get back into the writing flow come to nothing. The excitement of the first week is gone. The words that came from setting up and exploring are already written. Because let's face it. Even when one is writing what one knows will be a shitty first draft, the actual story has to start at some point. Except that we should be past halfway in, and suddenly it feels like the story isn't going anywhere. Which probably means you're falling behind while trying to figure out how to get the story going again.
Fortunately, I'm here to help.
See usually getting stuck in the middle isn't really the problem. It's a symptom of a larger problem, and if you can figure out what that problem is, you can fix it and get the words flowing again.
How do you find the problem, though?
I think about it as running a diagnostic, going over every aspect of a story to figure out if everything is present and working like it's supposed to. So to follow my way of getting my story unstuck, repeat the next few steps.
1) Think of your plot.
No, I'm not telling you to reread your story. I want you to think back and see if you can't spot the problem.
Is it going anywhere?
The answer here will probably be no, but there can be two reasons for this. The first reason is that you know where you want to go, but on reaching the middle, it's like the foundation of your story fell away under you. The second reason is that you'd started the story thinking that you'd see where it goes, and now it's all over the place.
If you're in the former situation, where the foundation fell away, you can skip to the bit under "Now, for the guys who had the story fizzle out on them."
But if your story's all over the place, I suggest you stop NaNo'ing and take a nice long look at your story. By exploring every avenue and running after every plot bunny, you've probably gotten lost in the swamp that is called writing without a plan. I'm not saying you need a plan. (I never draft with one.) However, when writing without a plan, it's always important to realize that to get out on the other side and finish, you need to always stick in some sort of general direction. So if a plot bunny suddenly runs perpendicular to where you're headed, make note of it, but do not follow it willy nilly. It's true that one plot bunny might not be a problem, but unless you can see where it's going to turn back in the direction you're going, it can seriously mess up your efforts at writing a story. Besides that, once you give attention to one plot bunny, more will pop up for you to follow. And that's where you get lost in your own story.
To get out of this, you'll have to sit down and figure out a few things. The first is what you want your story to be about. This is the main plot. You can work sub-plots in, yes, but never in a way that competes with the main plot. Because if you're confused right now, imagine how the reader will experience reading this chaotic story of yours.
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100 Things You Should Know About Writing (Part 1)
Non-FictionThis is about writing, as I think of it. Subjects covered will range from plot aspects to characterization, writing craft to just surviving as a writer. Mainly, Part 1 is a comprehensive list of things to do in order to create and maintain tension.
