That's how it's felt to write the latest chapter of A Separate War, which I've been serializing at JukePop Serials. My plan was to put new chapters up on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, but Friday night I was still stuck so hard on it that I could tell there was no way I'd get it done in time. I didn't even know how I was going to get it done at all.
So I printed it up and decided to take a second look at it, away from the computer. Sometimes looking at the text in different format will shake something loose in the subconscious and the words will start flowing again.
After a little consideration, I realized I needed to redo the beginning. Instead of having Nora and Deniz get the water rescue call in the middle of the chapter, it would start out with the call coming through and them racing off to respond.
However, although I got some good momentum going Saturday afternoon, I couldn't maintain it all through the evening. I'd been hoping to get the chapter done and up by Saturday evening and be able to start on Chapter 6 Sunday, preserving some semblance of my MWF schedule. But that wasn't happening, so I decided to give this one some extra time and make it my Monday posting.
So I'm now a little behind, but it's not a disaster. I'm hoping the next several chapters will prove less difficult to get written.
Assuming of course I don't have to deal with Life Happening.
