Recently, I reached that point in a novel-inprogress—somewhere after page 30 and before page 50—when my story lost momentum. Once stranded like this, I usually start circling back to the earlier pages, sprucing them up, brightening characters, chiseling dialogue. Simple procrastination as I try to find an exciting way forward. I’m hesitant because I know all too well that many novels die out there in the long wintery tundra of the second act. Meandering in circles, blinded by a blizzard of characters and subplots and complications spawned.
Outlining is often presented as a cure for this. Create a map! Follow the map, and survive the second act!
But as a developmental editor, I’ve seen books based on splendid outlines still end up in terrible ruts, out there in that icy expanse—characters trudge on, increasingly doomed on the page. The Donner Party also had a map, aft er all.
Over time, I’ve collected a straightforward set of techniques to help fiction writers keep moving with energy and determination. With these techniques, even simple scenes can build suspenseful momentum. Sometimes, it’s less about having a map and more about having enough fuel (and tools) to get you where you’re going.
Technique #1: A Character Makes a Request
Your main character asks someone for something or they ask to do something. Find situations in your work-in-progress where someone gladly helps your protagonist and go back and build in a request. Make your character explicitly ask for the thing they want. Before, your protagonist’s sister Megan said, “Hey, why don’t you
