In medias res

We all know it's best to grab a reader (or be grabbed) right at the start of a novel. First and foremost we want action, not backstory. For this reason, it's sometimes best to start a story in the middle of things when the action is at its peak and fill in explanatory detail later through flashback, conversation or internal monologue.

But what happens when you're at the middle of your story and you get bogged down? You've set up the conflict nicely, know where you're headed—when the climax will jump out and once again snap the reader's attention—but in that limbo land between it can get pretty nasty for the writer, a prosaist's Slough of Despond, if you will. I'm there right now and it's a slow, painful process, kind of like picking your way through swampy ground with heavy mud-caked boots.

Or it could be that I've stopped biting my nails, thanks to bitter polish, and all my inspiration hitherto came from nibbling at my fingertips!