I want to thank Katie for giving me some space here to talk about my new book, Write Your Novel From the Middle. Rather than have her come up with interview questions, I took that burden upon myself. The only problem was, when I questioned myself, I tended to go on and on. I’ve thus mercifully cut this interview to the bone.

I sat down with myself on a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles. I found myself to be a bit distracted that day, but dogged former lawyer that I am, I persevered.

Write Your Novel From the Middle by James Scott Bell (affiliate link)

Me: So what prompted Write Your Novel From the Middle?

JSB: It was a discovery I made a couple of years ago, about something I call the “mirror moment.” I’ve written this book to explain not only what that moment is, but how to use it to write better novels. And screenplays, for that matter.

Me: Can you be a little more specific about this “mirror moment”?

JSB: Yes, I can.

Me: Well?

JSB: Ah, okay. There are quite a few writing teachers who talk about the midpoint, a scene in the structural middle of the novel that does an extra something. Only I was never clear on what that thing was, because there’s conflicting advice on it, and some of it’s vague. So I set about to see if I was missing anything. I took a few of my favorite movies and went to the exact middle of the films. Then I went to some of my favorite novels and did the same. What I found excited the heck out of me.

Me: Did you ever get the heck back in?

JSB: Not even close. What I found, to my utter delight and excitement, was that the true midpoint is not a scene at all, but a moment within the scene. And not only that, this moment revealed the very heart of the story.

Me: How so?

JSB: The character is forced to look at himself. As if in a mirror, only it’s a reflection of who he is at that moment in time. Who am I? What have I become? What do I have to do to regain my humanity? Sometimes, it’s the character looking at the odds. How can I possibly win? It looks like I’m going to die—physically or spiritually. Now what am I supposed to do?

Me: Can you give us an example?

JSB: I’ll give you two. In the middle of Gone With the Wind, Scarlett looks at herself and wonders what will become of her and Tara. What must she do to save her way of life? She makes the decision right there that she will do whatever it takes. She becomes a doer, not a victim. In the middle of The Hunger Games, Katniss accepts that she’s going die. She states it plainly, right in the middle of the book. She prepares herself for death, but then gets a chance to fight on.

Me: Interesting. Any other examples?

JSB: Try Dying.

Me: Nice self-promotion.

JSB: Honestly, I was surprised to find it, because I had not yet formulated the “mirror moment” idea when I wrote the book.

Me: So how did it get there?

JSB: All I can say is it must have been instinct. Which is probably how Margaret Mitchell and Suzanne Collins did it, too. What Write Your Novel From the Middle is doing is popping open the hood and showing writers how they can be intentional about it.

Me: Should a writer know what this moment is before beginning to write?

JSB: It helps enormously, because knowing this moment illuminates the entire book you’re trying to write. It’s the deep tissue of the story, which many writers don’t discover until much later, sometimes after the book is published.

Me: You make the claim that this method of yours will bring peace to a longstanding feud—that between plotters and pantsers. So back that up, please.

JSB: Sure. The Write From the Middle Method is powerful because it can be used at any point in the writing process. If you’re a pantser, and you want to write without a plan, you can wait awhile before brainstorming the mirror moment. But then, once you do know it, your pantsing will have a focus that you’ll be delighted with.

A pantser could also start with a mirror moment “out of the blue,” and then write a whole novel around it.

Plotters will love the mirror moment because they usually have a good structure set up, but don’t always know the deep, interior story for their main character. The mirror moment gives it to them. Planning scenes gets much easier as a result.

Me: Have you found this to be true in your own writing?

JSB: Absolutely. Ever since I discovered the mirror moment it has become an absolute essential for me. For example, when I’m just starting to plan a story, when I’ve given thought to my LOCK elements, I—

Me: What is LOCK again?

JSB: Why are you asking me? We came up with it.

Me: For the benefit of the readers.

JSB: Ah. LOCK stands for Lead, Objective, Confrontation and Knockout. That became the basis of my book, Plot & Structure.

Me: Nice self-promotion again.

JSB: You asked the question!

Me: Okay, go on with what you were saying.

JSB: I like to lay out my LOCK elements first. That’s when I know I at least have a plot. But then I go right to that mirror moment. I brainstorm it. I come up with several possibilities, and invariably one of them just seems right. It illuminates the entire narrative. That’s when I’m ready to write.

Me: Anything else about this book we should know?

JSB: Just that I’ve included a section with extra tips on writing the novel. Helping fellow writers is one of the things I enjoy most.

Me: Well, that about does ‘er. Wraps ‘er all up.

JSB: You’re quoting The Big Lebowski, of course.

Me: Of course. Someday I want to have Sam Elliott’s voice.

JSB: Good luck with that.

Me: And good luck with the new book.

JSB: Thanks. It’s been a pleasure.

Me: We should do this more often!

JSB: I, um, have to go now.