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The Muddle in the Middle: Finishing Your Novel or Memoir (A Cautionary Tale, With Tips)
Last night, I had the lovely opportunity to hear Jacqueline Woodson speak at Portland Arts and lectures. She was fabulous, for me the best of a stellar series that included Tara Westover, Tayari Jones, Jill Lepore, and Jennifer Egan.
Woodson spoke of her life and her writing and recited from memory the openings of a couple of her books. (Astounding!)
But what captured my attention was when she talked about one aspect of the writing process. Specifically, how there comes a point in the middle of every book when she gives up. When she doesn’t think she can do it. When she’s stuck. She says this happens to every writer with every book every time. I shrank in my seat a bit. Because she might as well have been pointing the finger of shame at me.
I’m approaching the halfway point on my current novel, eleven chapters in. And for the past week, I’ve been stuck. Just…stuck. I know what the next scene is to write, but I’ve not been able to do it. I’ve been floundering.
