Skipped Chapter 4 and worked on Chapter 5. And what I did on Chapter 5 was nothing I was supposed to do to move the scene forward; instead I stayed with my characters in a muddy hole (really, they're in a muddy hole) for nearly a page. It feels a lot better to me than most of the stuff I tried with Chapter 2 over the weeks I worked on that, so I'm good for now. Tomorrow may be a different story, but if today's good, that's what counts.

A patient writer friend kindly sent this link to Cheryl Klein's Aristotelian Plot Checklist (I wonder if CK can really spell Aristotelian off the top of her head, or if she had to look it up), and also the link to the lecture notes that go with it.* WF has talked about these before, but I forgot because it's all about plot and my head don't go there, and if it ever does go there, it don't stay there.

http://www.cherylklein.com/id19.html

I'm wondering if I can modify and use it for individual chapters. I think I might try it with Chapter 4. Whenever I get the b*lls to face down Chapter 4, that is. I'm thinking this checklist might help me zero in on what, out of all the massive amounts of stuff I have to choose from, needs to be in there.

It sure would be nice to have something solid to fall back on as these transitional chapters pop up.


* CK's lecture notes: http://www.cherylklein.com/id18.html