5 steps to help you embrace the magic of the messy middle

Every creative endeavour has it.  And book writing is no different. 

That moment in the process when the end is far from sight and the high energy momentum of the beginning wanes. 

It smells like chaos. It probably looks like it too.

And it has a name. The messy middle.

With more loose ends in your work than tied up ones, it’s also the time when many aspiring authors stagnate with their writing. 

Because while you’ve already done the foundational work to understand your reader, the journey your book offers, and even begun developmental work to bring your writing into its fullness, the open-ended-ness of this part of the process creates overwhelm.

And that overwhelm is fertile ground for the less than supportive voices of your psyche to take hold. 

‘You simply don’t know how to write a book’  or  ‘You don’t have what it takes to make this work.’

Cue: Creative shutdown. End of writing flow. 

So, how do we make magic from the mess instead?

🔸 Recognise the messy middle is upon you, so you don’t identify with stories that destroy your writing process.

🔸 Reflect on what the writer in you needs right now and give yourself that.

🔸 Reconnect with your intention for writing your book, and why your message in  the world not only matters but is crucial.

🔸 Write only what you are being called to write next, without focussing on the need to tie up any loose ends or create order from the chaos. 

🔸 Repeat the above as necessary and watch how flow returns and ideas begin again to bloom.