^^^truth
the last time i actually started a story besides this was like four years ago and now im wondering how i did it

also i really shouldnt plan trilogies every time i get inspiration for a book even if i have reasonable amount of ideas because it just....will never happen

To be honest, it's very easy for me to start a beginning but I can't write an ending. Nikki, have you planned your ending yet?

i see. i havent gotten far enough in anything to actually end a story tbh but i have had more thoughts and ideas on that than my beginnings x_x

In my book, I really like the beginning, and I really like the end. But the middle is just full of character development and advancing farther in war. It's not super exciting xD any advice?

*agrees heartily* *stabs book beginnings with a fork*

*hugs* I understand this so much that it's not even okay

i will get stuck on a chapter for like half a year and I'll start it over like a dozen times and I can't ever get it right

and then I start something else to get my mind off of it

and I have the same problem

afglkhdgdglkjdhf

This is the exact same with me. I plotted and planned out each and every chapter of all of the POVs. But, I'm not the same with the character development. I mean, maybe you should try what I did and weave in character development through a lot of actiony events?

ah, i had a similar problem with this one percy jackson fanfic i wrote a while ago- it started out well and, um, i never ended it haha, but it sort of just got full of introducing new characters and developing them and focusing on the relationships and all.

my advice (might suck but) is to maybe add in minor subplots that dont have too much of an impact to the main plot but add excitement and stuff?? like, with me and this new story im writing, theres like a sketchy school and no one finds out about its true plans (which is basically the whole plot of my novel) till the very end, but i tried to add in stuff like drama and small issues that the characters have to deal with to fill it up. so yeah, minor subplots. :3

yesssss
usually i rewrite because my writing has gotten better over time and i look back at my old work and go "ew this is crap" but the worst is when stuff goes missing or i realize that the way i portrayed modern high school was incredibly cliche (in my defense i hadnt ever gone to high school in the US so all i had to draw from was movies and other books xDD)
but yeah it really sucks
/tearfully glomps/ u understand the pain

yees c: I always go into books with the ending in mind– this one's the vaguest ending I've planned (haven't worked out all the details of the third act yet), but I still know what happens. unless, y'know, my protagonist decides to be a jerk and turns the story around. which coughcough he's already done a lot.


For me, I find beginnings the hardest. And middles. And endings.

(*whispers*) (*whispers more*)

From my own brain, though (and not fabulous writing articles above), try to add in a Midpoint Reversal. It's common in almost every Western culture plotting guide I've seen, and it really, really makes the middle easier. What it is is a revelation, or event, or anything that sends the story completely sideways. A twist, I guess– but a twist you plan, which coincides with your character arc and main plot, and really shakes the story up. Not only does it make the story more exciting and predictable, but it also gives you something to write towards (which is really, really useful in the middle, which is supposed to take up 50% of the story and can make you feel very lost).

Also, pinch points are useful; they're problems/snags in the protagonist's plan that occur at the 33% and 67% mark (ish). They're just conflicts, sometimes subplot-related, that demonstrate the antagonist's power, and remind the protagonist (and readers) about what he's fighting.