Adult Workshop: Pushing Past the Ushy Middle (In-Person & Virtual)
Venue
Adult Workshop: Pushing Past the Ushy Middle (In-Person & Virtual)
91 Jefferson Ave
Columbus, Ohio, United States
This workshop will be offered in-person (Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave, Columbus, OH 43215) and virtual (Zoom).
ABOUT
The challenge is omnipresent: a fiction writer has written a gripping opening section and has a page-turning last few chapters in mind. But on the way from beginning to end, the narrative sags. Characters flail. Pace diminishes. Unfortunately, as Mickey Spillane said, “No one reads to get to the middle.” In this class, Andrew Welsh-Huggins will discuss how to overcome the phenomenon known as “the mushy middle” through outlining and plotting techniques. He will also review the pros and cons of the three-act structure, and discuss time-honored techniques for reviving a flagging narrative, from love affairs to fist fights. He’ll also walk the class through a hands-on activity to create an outline for a book that keeps the reader engrossed to the end.
The challenge is omnipresent: a fiction writer has written a gripping opening section and has a page-turning last few chapters in mind. But on the way from beginning to end, the narrative sags. Characters flail. Pace diminishes. Unfortunately, as Mickey Spillane said, “No one reads to get to the middle.” In this class, Andrew Welsh-Huggins will discuss how to overcome the phenomenon known as “the mushy middle” through outlining and plotting techniques. He will also review the pros and cons of the three-act structure, and discuss time-honored techniques for reviving a flagging narrative, from love affairs to fist fights. He’ll also walk the class through a hands-on activity to create an outline for a book that keeps the reader engrossed to the end.
INSTRUCTOR
Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the Shamus, Derringer, and ITW-award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, the editor of the Columbus Noir anthology, and author of the standalone crime novel, The End of The Road, which Kirkus called, “A crackerjack crime yarn chockablock with miscreants and a supersonic pace.” His stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and many other publications, and in multiple anthologies including The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 and 2024. His nonfiction book, No Winners Here Tonight, is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the Shamus, Derringer, and ITW-award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, the editor of the Columbus Noir anthology, and author of the standalone crime novel, The End of The Road, which Kirkus called, “A crackerjack crime yarn chockablock with miscreants and a supersonic pace.” His stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and many other publications, and in multiple anthologies including The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 and 2024. His nonfiction book, No Winners Here Tonight, is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio.
Learn more and register: https://www.thurberhouse.org/adult-writing-workshops...
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03/01/2025
Columbus, Ohio, United States
