Stuck in the Middle: Writing When You Don’t Know What Comes Next

Every great story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. At Next Chapters, we work with so many writers who struggle with storytelling, and I see it all the time in online spaces like Reddit and Twitter/X—writers who have a great premise and a killer ending but feel lost in the middle. But if you’re like me, you might find yourself staring at the middle with no clue how to bridge the gap between the thrilling start and the powerful conclusion.

That’s where I was with my supervillain novel—my 2022 NaNoWriMo story that I was excited about finishing and wanted to take and develop into a real manuscript. It was funny, flowed onto the pages, a great write and a lot of fun to think about. I had a solid intro and knew how I wanted the story to end - epic cliffhanger and solid conclusion I was proud to write. But I was left with a meandering and aimless middle. I had fun characters and great scenes, but no connection from the start to the end.

I had my protagonist’s rise mapped out, and the whole thing was a blast to brainstorm. I knew how his schemes would unravel and exactly how the final confrontation would play out. But everything in between? A mess. A void. Every time I tried to push forward, I ended up spinning my wheels, rewriting the beginning or tweaking the ending instead of tackling the real problem. I told myself I just needed the right inspiration, but what I really needed was a different approach.

So if you’re stuck in the middle of your own story, just like I was while juggling my wildly fun but unruly supervillain novel, know that you’re not alone. I’ve seen countless writers at Next Chapters face the same challenge, and I’ve come across so many posts from frustrated authors online. Here’s what helped me—and what might help you.

Look at Your Characters, Not Just Your Plot

I was too focused on the mechanics of getting from Point A to Point B; the technicalities of travelling from my start point to the finish. But real stories don’t move forward because of plot mechanics—they move because of character decisions. Instead of asking, "What needs to happen next?" I started asking, "What do my characters think should happen next? What would my villain do in response to actions of my main character?" That shift changed everything. The middle isn’t filler—it’s where your characters struggle, adapt, and redefine their goals.

If you’re stuck, try this: Take a step back and ask what your characters are actively trying to achieve in this moment. What’s their short-term goal? What’s standing in their way? Conflict—both external and internal—drives momentum. If your characters don’t have agency in the middle of your book, it’ll feel like you’re just waiting for the big moments at the beginning and end.

Break the Middle into Mini-Stories

A novel isn’t necessarily one big story—it’s a collection of smaller arcs strung together. If you only think of the middle as the bridge between the start and finish, it’ll feel like one long, formless stretch. Instead, think of it as a series of connected but distinct turning points. Each act, each chapter or scene maybe even, should have its own beginning, middle, and end.

I started by listing out key emotional beats I wanted to hit: moments of success, failure, revelation, doubt. Then I mapped these onto the middle of my story, building them into their own narrative arcs. Suddenly, the middle wasn’t just "the part before the climax"—it was a dynamic, evolving sequence of its own.

If you’re stuck, try outlining just three big turning points in your middle. What’s a moment of false victory? What’s a major setback? Where does your protagonist’s perspective shift? These anchors will give your middle weight and purpose.

Introduce a New Variable

When I was struggling, I realized part of the problem was predictability. My story was too locked into its own structure—everything felt like it was marching toward an inevitable conclusion without any surprises. That’s when I threw in an unexpected variable. A new faction. A betrayal. A moral dilemma I hadn’t planned for.

Not only did this reinvigorate my excitement for the story—it made the process fun again. It gave my characters something to react to, forcing them to make choices I hadn’t anticipated, making the middle as engaging as the start and finish.

This isn’t the same thing as one would notice in a TV sitcom, where a new young character suddenly appears after several seasons. I always saw that strategy as a message the show writers were losing steam, dropping a change on viewers and consumers of the story that was artificial and forced, not a vehicle for delivering story development. That strategy is one I definitely aimed to avoid.

Sometimes, when we outline too rigidly, we kill the organic flow of discovery. If you’re feeling stuck, shake things up. Throw a wrench in your story and see how your characters respond.

Accept That the Middle Will Be Messy

This was the hardest lesson to learn. I wanted my middle to be perfect before I moved forward. But the truth is, first drafts are meant to be rough. Sometimes you have to write through the mess, knowing you’ll come back and refine it later. The important thing is momentum—keeping the story alive rather than letting it stall out under the weight of perfectionism.

If you’re struggling, write the middle badly. Write it in bullet points. Write it as a dialogue-only scene if you have to. Get something down so you have clay to shape later. Your first draft is when you’re dumping buckets of sand into the sandbox, and your second and future drafts are when you’re building castles. The worst thing you can do is let the middle of your book become the end of your writing momentum.

The Middle is Where the Fun—and the Magic—Happens (And You’re Not Alone!)

I won’t pretend I solved my problem overnight. But by shifting my approach, I found my way through. And in doing so, I realized something: the middle of a book isn’t just a hurdle to get past. It’s where the real meat of the story happens. It’s where characters are tested, where tensions rise, where the themes truly take shape. It’s where stories become unforgettable.

So if you’re stuck in the middle of your book, don’t see it as a roadblock—see it as an adventure waiting to be unraveled. Writing is supposed to be fun, after all! See it as an opportunity. The story you’re trying to tell is in there—you just have to keep digging until you find it.