Ms is off to agent. Right now I still see those two big trouble spots; I chipped away at the next-to-last bit, getting it into better shape--but it's going to take more time and work to nail it down.

The other trouble spot, the scene with the big tragedy that doesn't stop the flow of the book--well, that's a problem. A huge problem. In real life, if something terrible happens while you're in great danger, you either give up and die, or you keep moving. This guy keeps moving. But it's not working, the way I have it. It's not believable. You read it and you're like, WTF? It reads like half the words fell out and are missing, all having to with the character dealing with his tragedy and (as a writer friend says) processing it. If he doesn't process it, the reader can't. But I swear, there ain't a lot of time for him to do so. He's got bad guys after him.

It's going to require a lot of thought. But I tell you, I'm going to lie down and die if it turns out to not be fixable. It must be fixable. It has to be.

I probably won't have any writing time from now till I get back from Anaheim. Thinking time, maybe--but no writing time.

You know, sometimes white space gives the reader processing time, and that makes it look like the character has had it, too. I don't think that will work here--more is probably required--but it's something to think about. Even if a chapter break or a page break doesn't help ease the situation, it might help me to see what I need to do more clearly. It might help me isolate the character's reactions.