Stuck Again, or IDKWTFTW (“I Don’t Know What To Write”—I’m sure you can figure it out) #amwriting

It’s my novel in progress that’s stuck, and a quarter of the way through.

I know where where I want it to go. I’ve gotten my main character off his duff and going there. I’ve written two versions so far of the “middle two quarters” (Act 2 to you fiction and screenplay writers out there.) The first one was rollicking, but petered out in the middle because it didn’t up the conflict. The second is dying of terminal exposition. And it… just feels wrong, the way the back end of the first attempt did.

I haven’t figured it out yet and I’ve been at it so damned long that I’m starting to think I won’t. I’m not giving up—yet—but today I’m feeling really discouraged.