Blazing a trail across The Middle

Today marks the halfway point of NaNoWriMo 2010 and at the moment I'm procrastinating.  Clearly.  It's almost 10 p.m. and I still haven't cranked out my allotted daily word count.  Don't fret too much.  It'll get done.  I'm terrified of falling behind.  Because with my schedule, I'll never regain the ground I've lost should I slip.  But for now, I procrastinate.  Why you ask, gentle reader?  Is it because I'm stuck with writer's block that makes scaling the Berlin Wall look like an inviting alternative?  Is it because I failed to disconnect my internet when I sat down to write?  Is it because I secretly yearn to hop a train and ride the rails as a hobo who answers to the name Rusty Sue?  Unfortunately, no.  Though the last one is oddly appealing.  No, I'm stalling because I'm quite decidedly traveling through what Maureen Johnson dubbed The Middle.  That uncharted literary territory filled with all manner of beasties and unexpected pitfalls, not entirely unlike the Fire Swamp in Princess Bride.

But as Maureen points out, authors spend the majority of their time charting new territory in The Middle.  And let me tell you, while it can be thrilling, The Middle is not pretty.

Most of the time we are deep inland—sitting at home, or at the office, or some shed or underground bunker. We eat what we find and slurp coffee from anything that is sturdier than coffee. Often, we are inappropriately dressed for any human interaction. This is because we are in the middle. And in the middle, things are rough. You make bargains with yourself like, "If I finish this chapter, I can have a shower!" Or, "If I just get this paragraph right, I can eat those stale Oreos!"  -Maureen Johnson

 But for all of the unibomber-like behavior that The Middle encourages, I still love it.  I love exploring new arcs for characters and learning unexpected things about their backstories.  I love discovering the quirks and mannerisms and histories of a character who's just stepped out of the shadows and into the main action of the story.  I love introducing the audience to an aspect of the world that they've yet to fully experience or understand.  I love the meandering walks that lead to the cliffs and waterfalls that appear unexpectedly out of the fog.  I really do love blazing a trail through The Middle.  So, with headlamp firmly in place and machete at the ready, I plunge back into the darkness.  Let's see where tonight's walk takes me.