The Sagging Middle
Or Does This Plot Make My Butt Look Big?
I promised a girdle analogy. I try to keep my promises.
Some years back, while wrestling myself into one for a formal event, I stood before an unforgiving mirror contemplating gravity. The middle region of my body appeared fully committed to the earth’s core.
The girdle promised control. Compression. Containment.
It delivered. Mostly.
Unfortunately, mass does not disappear. It relocates. The regions north and south of the girdle were suddenly… expressive.
Somewhere between tugging and regretting my life choices, a terrible question surfaced:
Does this project make my creative butt look big?
Because that is what the middle of a project feels like. Bloated. Unwieldy. Wrong. What started out sleek and promising now feels bulky and awkward.
At the beginning, enthusiasm carries you. You are the captain of your fate. The queen of the world. Then one day you look around and realize two things:
You are in the middle.
There is more work ahead of you than behind you.
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This is where many people quit.
Here is what helps me push through:
Want to finish more than you want to stop.
Desire matters. If you do not care deeply about the project, the middle will win.
Expect resistance.
The middle always pushes back. Energy dips. Doubt rises. That does not mean you are failing. It means you are progressing.
Borrow belief when yours runs thin.
Listen to people who have finished hard things. Trust that it is worth it, even when you cannot feel it.
It also helps to be stubborn. I highly recommend selective stubbornness.
If the middle tests your resolve, finishing tests your identity.
And that is where we are headed next.
If you enjoyed this essay, you might also enjoy my novels. I write stories full of adventure, humor, danger, and characters who find their way through impossible situations. You can find all my books here.
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I soooo related to this. That moment when you wonder why you bother. You've done all the things, maybe seen a tick upwards - then the slide back down. Maybe you're doing the wrong things? If you're a writer, try that audit. It provides answers.