The middle of a story is often the most neglected part. We get so focused on an engaging start and a satisfying climax that we rush the part in between. But that\u2019s the part that carries readers through. In the condensed space of a short story, it\u2019s vital to get it right.<\/p>\n
The middle of the story is where you lay down the layers of complication that will lead to the end. Unlike a full-length novel, this is unlikely to involve lots of subplots. In a short story focused on character and atmosphere, you might not even feel like there\u2019s much complication to add.<\/p>\n
That would be a mistake.<\/p>\n
Think about that character you\u2019re presenting. How are their thoughts and emotions getting tangled? What aspects of their personality are you showing? Those are complications.<\/p>\n
If the focus is on atmosphere and setting, what do you want to show the readers that wasn\u2019t obvious at the start? What makes this place more interesting than they could ever have realised? And how is that affecting the protagonist?<\/p>\n
These are elements that you\u2019re setting up to pay off at the end. Anything you want to feature in the final act should at least be foreshadowed now, so that it doesn\u2019t seem to come out of nowhere.<\/p>\n
Even in a story that\u2019s primarily about action or setting, you should develop your central character through the middle act. They\u2019re the person in the story, the empathic anchor who will keep readers engaged. Show their feelings and how the events affect them.<\/p>\n
Reveal more about the character as you go along. Make sure that the situations they\u2019re put in challenge them. And as you build up the story\u2019s central conflict, make it more personal to that character. That way it will be more personal to the readers and so more powerful.<\/p>\n
On some level, this is all about maintaining engagement. There are some more general storytelling techniques that will help with this.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have a lot of words to work with, but you want to tell readers a lot. Use the subtext represented by details to convey information without bluntly saying it. A small habit or phrase might show a lot about a character\u2019s state of mind. Rubbish in the front yard might speak to a house\u2019s years of neglect, what sort of things the owners purchase, their attitude toward their property, and even the state of the neighbourhood. How you describe that detail will show the point of view character\u2019s attitudes to people and places.<\/p>\n
Make sure that events have causal connections rather than just following each other. If one doesn\u2019t lead into another, you don\u2019t have a building story, you have a series of disconnected events. If you set your story out in bullet points, each one should be linked by \u201ctherefore\u201d or \u201cbut\u201d, not just \u201cand then\u201d.<\/p>\n
Causal connections show the reader that you\u2019ve thought about how your story fits together. You\u2019re earning their trust, proving that you\u2019re going to meet the promises you made at the start of the story.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re keeping them engaged.<\/p>\n
Finally, think about how you\u2019re going to lead from your middle act into your final one.<\/p>\n
The final act is the climax of the story. This connecting moment should show that something important is coming. It could be a major crisis in the character\u2019s life, a big setback in the adventure, or a huge revelation about the place and what\u2019s happening. It\u2019s the moment when the villain almost beats the heroes, when the hero realises that she\u2019s been pursuing the wrong romance, when the last big clue is revealed to the investigator.<\/p>\n
By now, you\u2019ve earned the trust and engagement of your readers. This crisis moment takes that trust and uses it to carry you into the final act.<\/p>\n