Surviving the Middle

In elementary school when kids are learning about writing and storytelling, teachers usually give them a simple, three-part formula to use. Each story you write should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. I’ve found the same to be true in a lot of life events. Like books, most things in life follow that same formula. Whenever I read long novels, I always get bogged down in the middle. The beginning is interesting and exciting, and I desperately want to know how it ends, but the middle can sometimes just be a little…boring.

Whenever I start a new project I get caught up in the excitement and newness of it. It’s easy to get carried away with fresh ideas and want to start new projects. I’ll start working on something and it’ll go great for a few weeks. But after a while, that excitement dies down and things begin to get a little monotonous. The middle is where the story develops, but it’s also where the most work happens. And that can be hard. Trudging through the work before you actually see any results can get frustrating.

So how do you work through the boring middle in order to reach your goal at the end?

First, I think it helps to see whatever you’re working on as a three-part formula. Know when you’re in the midst of your project that it is the middle. Recognize your goal as the end of the story. Keeping that goal in sight can help prevent you from getting bogged down in the middle. Knowing things aren’t done yet can keep you focused until the end is in sight.

Next, focus on what’s good about this middle stage of things. What are you learning in this process? How you can use that to create the best end result possible? If you stop reading a book in the middle, it won’t make any sense. It’ll seem chaotic and confusing. The middle of anything can seem long and monotonous, but it’s necessary to reach the end result. It’s also where a lot of beautiful things happen. Let that motivate you to keep going! Even the hardest and most monotonous parts are steps in the overall story.