ABSTRACT
Most stories fail in the middle, where they turn into mushy, confused, or muddled messes. This chapter talks about how basic story structure principles and the Enneagram can help any writer to structure and execute a powerful story middle that can support their characters from the inciting incident through the final battle. First the classic story middle is introduced: the classic approach to structuring the middle of any story with clear and defined story milestones. But this is not enough to guarantee a strong story middle; you also need the Enneagram-based narrative engine middle. This structure describes the essential patterns of decline and elevation needed to complete the protagonist’s emotional journey. Within the Enneagram-Story Connection, the classic story structure beats of the middle and the Enneagram-based structures for the middle work together to assure any story will have a satisfying and solid middle.
