A story needs a beginning, middle, and an end.  Without all three, it isn’t a story. 

     Beginnings flow like a river with easy to navigate deep pools and rapids that make the pulse pound.  Beginnings can introduce your characters to your readers.  They can give your readers a time and place.  Most of all, beginnings hook them.

     Middles are a writer’s bane.  Screw up the middle of the story and you lose your audience.  You will often hear writers complain about a sagging middle.  That dull, lifeless section comes between the brilliant opening and the smashing end.  Middles need to move the story forward, excite the readers enough to keep them turning pages, and they add tension.  Middles must sparkle as bright as the beginning and drive onward to the end.  This is not easy.

     An ending wraps things up with a nice bow.  Whether it is the solving of a crime, the saving of the world or the success of a relationship, it satisfies the reader.  Keep the readers satisfied and they will keep coming back.