Today is all cut up, writing-wise. I had an hour of writing time this morning, which I did not use wisely. I had an hour this afternoon, which I did use wisely. I will have an hour tonight, which I probably won't use wisely, knowing me. Tomorrow ought to be better, but who knows.

In the hour wisely used, I wrote the dad's non-death scene, and now that it's out on paper I feel like somebody turned on the engine to the story and put it in gear. I wonder if this means anything structurally, like it's the end of the first third. No telling. And maybe there isn't really any first third or three-act structure; maybe everybody just wants to believe that because it gives them a feeling of security and of the world having an order and a purpose.

I was thinking on the way to pick up kids about a scene I have later where I rewrote it different ways, with a different emotional slant each time, thinking, "Well, the character might react this way. But he could just as reasonably feel more along such-and-such lines. Or...I could recast it to bring X forward instead." Now I am hoping that when I get to that part there will be no question about it. I didn't even notice before that I usually don't dither around about what slant to give somebody's feelings. Usually it just is, and my problem is whether I'm clarifying it properly for the reader and getting the pacing of it right.