Suspense in the Middle

 

The catchword this month: symmetry.
A most symmetrical structure: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
It stands 360 feet from ground to apex.
It stands 360 feet from ground to sea level.
The legs it stands on are 360 feet apart.

Interesting, absolutely. But now, to tie this into my current work-in-progress, a mystery that happens to have ghosts. 

Although the story currently stands on two solid legs – the beginning and the ending – the middle is still a big question mark. In theory, it should work but, in my mind and on a MUCH smaller scale, it’s like I’m plummeting toward the moment below; this from City-Smart Guidebook: St. Louis (1998, Avalon Travel Publishers) by Jody Feldman (yep, that’s me, too).

 

In a nutshell, the engineers were not certain that the two legs would meet in the middle.

The big questions I’m facing right now:
Will my solid beginning and ending align with the suspense I’ve planned for the middle?
Will I have to adjust and readjust and, figuratively, hose it down?
Will it forever be the big idea that didn’t work or will it stand as a proud monument in my body of work?

To be continued...

Yes, Jody Feldman did write other things before she turned to kidlit. And she’s hoping that this current WIP will be as warmly received in the MG book world as were The Seventh Level and The Gollywhopper Games series. Plus...
a bonus photo of how things stand in Jody's story. 
P.S. Check out her new website!