Creating Ideas for the Middle Act

How do you fill in the middle? Starting your story with a great hook, the climax, and the ending are often parts of the story writers have in mind when they begin their story. When it comes to the middle, it is often a big hole in the story that stops writers from continuing. Where do writers find ideas to create the events that take the protagonist from the challenge to the climax?

One of the ways to create ideas is to use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid. Look at the pyramid and determine where is your character and what level could that character be trying to reach? How is he or she going to obtain that goal? What could prevent her or him from getting there? What could happen that would knock your character down a level or more and what obstacles would the character face to climb back up the pyramid?

A shameless plug here, but in The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages, starting at page 63, “Stage One – Developing Ideas,” there are pages and pages of ways to create ideas that can help you to develop your story. Also available are 10 creative writing exercises that will help you to kickstart your writing that are sold on this website as an ebook for $2.49 on the “Look Here for Freebies and eBooks to Purchase” page.