Context and disclaimer: Most of these thoughts are not the kinds of things I take into account when I'm drafting. I'm hoping that looking at them in the abstract will a) train my subconscious in useful directions, and b) help me un-stick some WIPs.

I’ve mulched a bunch of Writing Excuses podcasts and Brandon Sanderson's Youtube writing lectures over the years, which have deeply influenced this random crop of ideas. I made some of it up myself, but I'm not claiming any kind of authority or even experience.


What Middles Are For

Arguably a story consists of 1) promises, 2) progress, and 3) payoff (cf Sanderson, Youtube). The promises are "here's what you're in for", including main characters, setting/genre/tone, goals and stakes. Most of that gets set up at the start. The payoff happens at the end, obviously, as all of it comes to fruition or failure. But middles can feel a bit formless. What does "progress" even mean?

Here are some thoughts about what the middles of stories are for.
( Many bullet points beneath the cut. )

Anyway, all of this has been swirling around my head for a while now. What do you think? Do you get stuck in the middles of stories? Do you have other ideas about what middles are for (other than putting some space between the beginning and the end)? Does thinking about it in these kind of terms help you, or do you prefer to frame your writing in other ways? If you look at your current WIPs or just-finished stories, what broadly/structurally are the middles of those stories "doing"? Do you think all this is different for fanfic, where you can assume a certain amount of reader pre-investment in the characters, at least, and where backstory is often canon?

Three flashfics for fan_flashworks, plus another instalment of my Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan post-canon 'verse.

Title: Behind another face (100 words) [General Audiences]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Zhang Shi & Shen Xi, Shen Xi/Zhao Xinci
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Complicated Relationships, Sharing a Body, Secrets, Drabble, Face challenge
Summary:

Zhang Shi meets Shen Xi.


Title: Take back the world (1288 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Wang Yike/Zhang Ruonan
Additional Tags: Reference to canon rape, Aftermath of canon rape, Pre-Canon, Upsetting Dixing powers, Revenge challenge
Summary:

One day, everything falls apart.


Title: two are halves of one (851 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Episode Related, Episode 22 after the blindness arc, First Kiss (for one of them), Crowd challenge
Summary:

A deep twist of desire makes Zhao Yunlan laugh. "After this—” He circles his chopsticks over the meal and has to clear his throat to keep his voice light. “Shen Wei, I think you should give me a thorough health check.”


Title: life in the silver lining (2732 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Complicated Relationships, The emotional implications of the existence of time travel, intimacy is hard, rated for themes
Series: Part 4 of Breakage and Repair 'verse (CSZ/SW/ZYL)
Summary:

“You’ve time-travelled before.” Shuzhi’s voice was low and raw. “What if the next time you go to Dixing, the Hallows open a portal to the past? Would you go and stop Ye Zun, and put everything back how it’s supposed to be?”

(Follows on from Raw Nerves, Old Scars.)

Previous poll review
In the Reading preferences poll, 71.4% of respondents prefer standalone novels, and 55.1% like finished series. In terms of book selection, 61.2% prefer new books by favourite authors, 55.1% like discovering new authors, and 44.9% gaze helplessly at their TBR list.

In ticky-boxes, hugs won with 61.2%, followed by "carrying moonbeams home in a jar" and "teenage giraffes adopting more of a flamingo aesthetic" with 51% each. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
( Cut for length. )

Kdramas
Nothing But Love (AKA Nothing But You) (Cdrama). I love this so much, and it's so good for exercising to (lots of tennis players training and playing matches) that I'm slowing my rewatch, trying to make it last. I may have to start something else for my non-exercising viewing. Meanwhile, tinny's made a Nothing But Love/You rec post, if you're curious.

Other TV
( Cut for length. )

Guardian/Fandom
So busy! All good things!

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, a lot of Letters from an American (for your regularly scheduled nightmare politics; bite-sized episodes in a calm, measured voice, with added historical/legal context), and a bunch of Keep It Steady (audiodrama adapted from a Les Mis modern AU) because a new episode dropped yesterday, so I backtracked a bit.

Writing/making things
I've been plugging away at a little "flashfic", but yesterday the fan_flashworks deadline caught up with me, so I blatted out a different 850 words. I don't really have my teeth in anything atm. I miss it.

Life/health/mental state things
It's so cold, I think my brain has frozen. Not much goes in, and not much comes out either.

Food
I've got a theory it must be bunnies dumplings... that have messed up my arms, so I'm going to switch to using my cheapo dumpling press and see if that helps. (Boo! Folding dumplings is the fun bit.) I've recently made batches of pork and chicken, so I need to make vege ones next. I'm going to try a Moosewood sweet potato recipe my friend sent me.

Recently made: crispy tofu in various things, egg and tofu stir-fry.

Link dump
Forms of Resistance and Reasons to Believe It’s Working by heathercoxrichardson (10:45, US politics; her whole channel is excellent).

Good things
Crispy tofu. New TV shows. Kudos and comments. Fanworks and outpourings of fannish love (and analysis and critique, too). People who post, people who comment, people who vote in polls, people who lurk. Wholesome kids' cartoons. Friday is forecast to be sunny. *hugs to you all*