Been sick. Still sick. Will try to write today anyway. I need to figure out how to meld my usual approach--character-driven; I write scenes then figure out where, if anyplace, they go--with this more plot-driven project. It's becoming very clear that I can't just dive in like a plotter and force it out, because it doesn't ring true or deep. I would probably be okay with it not connecting to the reader on a deeper emotional level, but it's flat out not going to work if it doesn't ring true enough to grab the reader.

If I can figure out a way to work from both the plot and character angle at the same time, I might not have to worry about the middle at all, because there's a good chance it will take care of itself. I've got characters who will provide plenty of conflict amongst themselves, and if I pay attention and let those conflicts do what they're capable of, the middle should not sag. At all.

Right now I think I'm going to look at my turning points--there must be at least seven or eight of them, in varying degrees of importance--and think about ways they might play out or what might set them off. Right now they're mostly expressed through people sitting around talking. Obviously I need to step up my writing skills.