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Had a blinding insight yesterday about the heart of the novel-in-progress, one that transforms the whole way I see the story.

For most of January, I’ve been stumbling around trying to figure out what my main character’s core emotional journey is. I’d come up with some elaborate ideas, but I distrust such elaborations on principle; they usually mean I’m trying too hard. And lo and behold, the answer that came to me yesterday was very simple indeed. And I remembered suddenly that when this book kindled into life (in the long ago days before P) it was this very idea that called to me.

I see now that this was really what I was writing about all the time, even when I thought I was writing about something else. There’s much work to be done, but the pieces are finally falling into place and I’m seeing new possibilities everywhere.

Huge thanks to Cheryl Klein, whom I’ve never met, but whose Aristotelian Plot Checklist was my jumping-off place. (If you like Aristotle or Austen, or even if you don’t, you should check out her site.)

Truth be told, I think drinking hot chocolate helped, too.