Ended up going through the old version of the ms and deleting stuff I know I don't need--nearly a hundred pages worth. Then I started a nice bit that is fun and new, and I don't know where it's going, but it adds a couple of characters and some much needed lightness. I couldn't take all the darkness and death, which didn't feel right anyway. Cole required that; this MC doesn't.

Now, the last time I added in a couple of characters along these same lines (in the swordfighting ms) it was a humongous time-wasting detour that messed me up and bogged me down for a good while. But I feel better about this one. That other detour started out much more purposeless than this did; I think I might have been trying to flesh out a new setting by introducing characters and seeing where they led. This time I see how they could fit into the story, move it forward, and develop the MCs character arc. I think I see, anyway.

Anyhow, a decent writing day. I nearly burned the spaghetti while thinking about it all, before I could get to the computer to write it down.