Bloody Head? Open a Window.

How many times do you beat your head against a door before you give up and open a window?

If you're like me, the answer is MANY.

For the last two weeks, or however long it's been since I wrote that last scene for Khenko Blitherstone, I have been fiddling with the Awen Tide manuscript to no avail.

It all started when I went back to the beginning and read Chapter One and spit-shined it. That experience was so awesome, I just knew I had devised a new plan. Remember?

So, I kept going in that direction. But as I approached the end of Chapter Two, the shiny wore off. Since then, I keep showing up at the page, according to plan, but I'm getting exactly NOWHERE.

The new plan is not working. And I'm frustrated.

Once again, I find myself crying out in astonished aggravation, "Uncle, dammit, UNCLE!" (Oooo look, a squirrel! Where did that saying come from anyway? I'll find out in a bit and report back to you.*)

Today, in the hopes of salvaging my entry into NaNoWriMo, I am changing gears. Because this writer is stuck. And I've shared with you in the past that stuck - for me, anyway - always means my Muse has applied the brakes and is reeling me in.

So, why (OH WHY!), did it take me two weeks to GET THAT? I know this is my process. Sheesh.

But now, instead of dangling and dancing at the tip of the rod, I shall relax and let go. Like Hermione, Harry, and Ron, I shall slide through the devil's snare, pick myself up off the dusty floor, and proceed through the door I'm being pointed towards—MY NOTES.

Let's just hope I've picked the right door.

So for the rest of today, I will gather my copious notes together, read through them to see where I am (and where I am not), then decide what needs to be written between here and The End.

Then tomorrow, my Muse and I will brainstorm, sketching out the titles for the remaining chapters and scenes.

This will be my NaNo outline. NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, starts in two days - on Monday, November 1st - and runs through the 30th. 

SOOOO, in a little over a month, my first draft (and the trilogy) will be complete.

Ahhh. I like the sound of that!

Y'all keep reading and I'll keep writing!

That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O. J. Barré

*P. S. Even Wikidpedia doesn't know where the Uncle saying originated. Do you?

O. J. Barré is the author of the Awen Trilogy, a pre-apocalyptic urban fantasy set in 2042 Atlanta. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising, debuted July 2019. Book Two, Awen Storm, released May 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, is on preorder and will be released in 2022. All are (or will be) available in both paperback and ebook.

O. J.'s Awen Prequel novelette, The Druids of Marduk, Part I, is available as an ebook for purchase on Amazon (or free by signing up for her newsletter). The second installment, The Druids of Marduk, Part II: UnderEarth, is an ebook novella also available on Amazon. Part III: AboveEarth, is scheduled for a 2022 release.