Novel Marathon: Mile 3
Working title, one-quarter twist and strong midpoint, plus: mental health check-in đ§
Dear Novelists & Novelistas,
đWelcome to Mile 3 of Novel Marathon â The 2023 Edition! đ
I know this newsletter is late. The past three weeks have been a humbling lesson that I have to let some things go when my mental health is⌠well, not very healthy.
Nothing unusual, just a garden variety anxiety + depression cocktail brought on by work stress. When that happens, I can get through the work day, but then I have nothing left in the tank for writing or any other creative endeavors.Â
I suppose the lesson is to live what I preach: Which is to forgive ourselves for being imperfect.Â
No use in beating myself up for something I ultimately canât change. Instead, Iâm inclined to look to the future, which is the only thing that we have some measure of control over.Â
This is my reminder to check in with yourself: How are you doing? Are you patient with yourself? Do you forgive yourself when you donât meet your goals? Remember, forgiveness is key, and the future is always more important than the past. Every small step forward counts. In that spirit, letâs talk about the path ahead, aka Mile 3.Â
As a reminder, here are the assignments you worked on previously.Â
And here are the readings and assignments to work on for the NEXT two weeks:
đRequired reading đ
Ch. 5 & 6 in The One Year NovelistÂ
Ch. 7 in Story Genius
Pgs. 13-15 in This Year You Write Your Novel
đExtra credit  đ
Pgs. 13-15 in Refuse To Be DoneÂ
âď¸ Your Assignment âď¸
Between now and next time, these are the tasks to work on:Â
đChoose a working titleÂ
Give your book a name, if you havenât already. Matt Bell quotes fellow writer Kevin Brockmeier: âI think of the title as the target toward which I shoot the arrow of the story.â Give yourself a target. A working title serves a purpose while youâre writing the book â you can always change it at the end. For now, you just need a better name than ânovel2.docxâ.
đOne-quarter twistÂ
What surprising thing could happen 25% into your book that sends the story in a new direction? Brainstorm a dozen (!) possibilities.Â
đStrong midpointÂ
Half-way through the story, how might your protagonist double down, by committing to a cause, a fight, or a larger goal? Whatâs the moment in your story when the main character âthrows caution to the windâ and does something decisive?Â
đĄHomework Tips đĄ
Hereâs a little more context which might help you with the homework:
đľď¸ What surprising thing could happen 25% into your book that send the story in a new direction? Brainstorm a few possibilities.Â
L.M. Lily calls the surprise that happens in the first quarter of your book the âOne Quarter Twist.â As the writer, your job at this stage is to consult your crystal ball, look into the future, and imagine what might happen a quarter or so through the story that will make the conflict even more urgent for your main character. How can you tighten the screws so that a challenging situation becomes insufferable and inescapable for your protagonist?Â
Hereâs how L. M. Lily describes the task at hand: âThink about turns your story could take that force your protagonist to change course or alter how sheâs dealing with the conflict we saw in the story spark.â
She uses an example from Pride and Prejudice: âIn Pride and Prejudice the protagonist Elizabeth Bennett attends a ball where nearly all her family members embarrass themselves to a very great degree, though none of them realize it. This display appalls the antagonist (Darcy). It also spins the story in a new direction because Darcyâs best friend Bingley and Elizabethâs older sister have fallen in love. Darcy decides to do all he can to separate the two. Suddenly, Bingley leaves town. Elizabeth is devastated for her sister, and when she learns of Darcyâs role in her sisterâs heartbreak, she believes him to be the worst of man.â
Think about it this way: What could happen that makes it clear to the protagonist that her usual tricks are no longer working? What could happen that causes your main character to recognize for the first time that her old way of doing things wonât cut it, and that she has to change her approach?
Which brings us to p. 16 of âThe One Year Novelist,â where L. M. Lilly asks you to imagine what this One Quarter Twist could look like in your book â in fact, she asks you to imagine more than a dozen different possible twists, so start brainstorming some problems that the universe could throw at your main character about 25% through your book which would kick the conflict into high gear!
I personally found this exercise really helpful in the past, partially because Iâve had the protagonist, the antagonist and the basic conflict for my story mapped out for a while. If youâre in the same boat, and youâve toyed with the same idea for a while, you may find that this exercise forces you to think about your story in new ways, introducing new possibilities. Give it a shot and see how many possible twists you can come up with! Â
đľď¸ Half-way through the story, how might your protagonist double down, by committing to a cause, a fight, or a larger goal?
Letâs talk about the midpoint of your book. A strong midpoint is different from the One-Quarter Twist. The One Quarter Twist was still something that was externally happening to the protagonist â a new challenge that exposed the shortcomings in her problem solving approach and her misbeliefs about the world.Â
But once your protagonist reaches the midpoint, she should no longer be a victim of circumstance. She needs to commit to a course of action. Or, in L.M. Lillyâs words, she needs to âthrow caution to the wind.âÂ
Letâs go back to L.M. Lilyâs example from Pride and Prejudice. âIn Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth rejects a marriage proposal from Darcy. telling him in no uncertain terms that she blames him for her sisterâs unhappiness and believes him to be a horrible person. This is no light matter as Elizabeth and her sisters will be in desperate financial straits if none of them marry well. Eventually they will lose their home due to the way their fatherâs estate is entailed and none are married or have any prospects. Finally, though she doesnât know it, Elizabeth is wrong about a major part of Darcyâs conduct and will need to realize she loves him.â
So clearly, Elizabeth is indeed âthrowing caution to the windâ. After all, SHEâs in a precarious situation, her sisters are in a precarious situation AND she rejects the only prospect for a husband that she has in Mr. Darcy.Â
And of course, none of that would have happened without the One Quarter Twist, which helped set up Mr. Darcy as a terrible guy in Elizabethâs eyes. Darcyâs actions wouldnât have been possible without the One Quarter Twist because those very events prompted him to interfere with Elizabethâs sisterâs romance, which then incurred Elizabethâs anger.Â
So, a strong middle is the consequence of a forceful One Quarter Twist.Â
Once you brainstorm and nail down your own One Quarter Twist, think about what action your protagonist might take that is connected to the twist? How does the One Quarter Twist push your protagonist over the edge and make him or her do something strong and decisive and forward-looking while still being blinded by their misbelief?Â
đ And thatâs it! đ
đĽVideo & Podcast đ§
Follow Novel Marathon on YouTube or TikTok. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.Â
đ Useful links & FREE Downloadables đ§âđť
Scene card template (this will come in handy later)Â
WriteTrack.cloud word count toolÂ
Scrivener (what I use for writing fiction)Â
Foldable bluetooth keyboard for writers who love gadgets (I do!)Â
Happy writing & talk to you soon! âď¸âď¸âď¸
đ Alex & Team Novel Marathon đ