The second book in my Unbelievable trilogy released last week and it got me thinking about the middle children in our series. I think the hardest part about writing a series is sustaining the middle books. It’s the same with writing a novel…avoiding the “sagging middle” syndrome. You don’t have the fresh newness of the characters or world. You’ve seen some of this before, so you’re not introducing something fabulously exciting, but you don’t have the resounding finale either.
In that way, I think the middle book(s) are some of the most important. This is the glue that holds everything together. It’s the transition that takes you from new and shiny to poignant closing. It’s not glamorous work, being the glue, but without a good middle, everything falls apart. Maybe that’s why I like the middle in so many series. The Empire Strikes Back in the Star Wars series, The Two Towers in the Lord of the Rings series. Heck, even “Believe in Me” is my favorite in my Unbelievable series.
Then again, maybe it’s because I’m the middle child in my family. I like the middle.
I’m terrible at thinking up intros for stories and my endings are unsure but I always know what I want in the middle. Definitely right about the glue part keeping it all together. I loved, loved Believe in Me