Stressy McRambles

I finished chapter 9.

The next scene is a monster: long, talky, introduces a bunch of colorful secondary characters. I suspect I'll be able to use big chunks of the first draft version... but before I do I need to get the scene straight in my head. It kind of ran away from me in the first draft. There's a lot going on (although very little "action"), but I need to stay focused on the most important thing that happens, which is Willa realizing that there's infinitely more at stake here than she thought. This isn't just about showing the bridgers what a badass she is and earning her apprenticeship; it's about the survival of her entire culture being threatened.

I need to do some scene work, but I don't think my usual process is quite what I need in this case. I'll do the goal steps and turning point exercises, but from there it's more a matter of working out what happens, step by step, so I don't get lost in all the details. Also, I need to figure out what the point of this "Six Nations" summit actually is. I know the Antagonist's secret agenda behind it, but I'm still not completely clear on how it's being sold to the average space-dwelling shmo. And I need to learn more about how real-world summit talks operate, because I'm having a hard time figuring out what they're actually talking about for the month it needs to be going on.

And I have an article deadline this week, which I am SO NOT READY FOR. And The Husband is in the hospital getting another blood transfusion because there is something worrying going on with his body's complete lack of interest in producing red blood cells. Bleah.