In lieu of Twitter, yes, let's see, this is what I'll do...

Situation: I have two stories. Three, actually.

-The first took place about two months before the second.

-The second introduces a character and the current political situation. It also builds up a sort of rapport between the introductory character and the protagonist.

-The third tries to kill someone, and instills a mixture of forced trust and doubt between introductory and protag.

--

The first story is not important for my purposes. The third makes for a nice start-up piece after the first's cliffhanger, but the second has all the important bits. And some nice character development. And lots of angst. Ohyay.

The easy solution is to rewrite the second, but since the once-third story has instilled a sense of distrust, it changes the whole tone. Hm. Though I might want to do that.

Gah, the more I read either, the worse it gets. Sigh. Okay. The third story needs to be rewritten to fit, so it can be first after the break. Less distrustful, because I need to work up a good rapport. The introductory scene needs to be cut and summarized, nice and somber as it is. I think... I THINK I can do this.

What about anyone else? Unsolvable plot conundrums?

temporarily stopped

Ire/"The King Is Dead" is currently being beta'ed.
Which is farther than any other novel-length story I've written has gotten.
Yay.

During a big climatic scene.

" “You mistake me. I don’t want to be friends with you. I want you dead. I erased all chance that you would have a change of heart, burned the democratic proposals to cinders and stirred the ashes; I ruined you by letting you blind and ruin yourself. And now, having ventured out of sanctuary, you’ve given me permission to ruin you in the name of the state of Landria. You went after a little too much in taking Vivi. There are many things I’ll let you steal, but I warned you about this one. I’ll lose her on my own terms, thank you, I won’t let her be stolen.”
Then he lunged.
Also, he did some squats, a couple of push-ups, and several handsprings as Ire looked on, bored. Once Quinton had thoroughly warmed up and shaken out his sword arm, he attacked, and things got a lot more interesting."

Annnd, after thousands of words and dozens of chapters, Matthard wants to have conversations with himself NOW.
Good golly, Matthard, REALLY? NOW?

Grrrrrrr

Okay, Ire, you really make me mad. I think I smooth out all your plot problems and then...
YOU MAKE THESE COMMENTS CHAPTERS AND CHAPTERS AGO.
"As if I want to be elected over your corpse"?
Trying to send Matthard out of the country?
You're OBVIOUSLY trying to get rid of him and I'm supposed to believe that he's going to blow a gasket when he figures out about the competitor rule?
GAH.
IRE.
SHUT UP. STOP TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE, YOU ARE MAKING THE CLIMAX...ISH... THING... CONFUSING.
Unless it's a massive misinformation thing. Which is kinda is. Matthard hasn't heard about this, so he freaks. Ire needs to be a bit more ominous. Because, really, Matthard... people've told you you're not expendable. You don't think Selah would know?
Or maybe she hates you.
Good grief, he can't be this paranoid.

Oh. And those campaign ideas in scene 16.5/17? You're totally going to be confused about those in later chapters. Oh Ire. I can't maintain a political stance with you. At all.

whining part one million

Today is not really as stressful as I am making it be. Alphonse and Albert have been giving me MASSIVE trouble, ever since I decided to plot out to the end. They don't have the personalities I wish they did, at least, not to the degree I wish they did.

I realize why I avoid plotting.

On the bright side, this SHOULD make things easier. Alphonse's opinion is easily swayed--he sides with his father on everything, follows the rules, is polite, which made the character change so impactful. But, as things are now, it doesn't make sense for him to do that, so he won't. Ire won't help him. Albert will still be an issue.

Those are actually my only major issues, dealing with Alphonse, the slavery issue, and where's Patton. The other things are okay or becoming okay with some reworking. This is the point where I'd usually bail on a story. There's tons I could do with Sedna, after all, but that story gives me the heebies. There's Monarchy, there's Untitled but Important, there's shorts I could be working on.

*deep sigh*

I'll go back to it. I'll know I'll feel better when it comes together. I just know I'm being temperamental, putting off other things for writing, I know I've been in this chair all day, just trying to PLOT. Edit. Plot. Plot. Consternation.

Now I want to dance. Procrastination time.

too many

Too many people. Too many plot threads. Before=not enough. Now it's a disconnected monstrosity of things I don't want to abandon.
Such as:
Albert being in the hospital, which was in the first two drafts.
Quinton being killed, which is reasonable but there's so much PLOT wrapped up in it.

At least I can tie up the war... and Matthard is still justifiably angry at Ire, but not AS much, because of the fact Ire tried to get him out of the country. And Ire... poor guy, he is miserable, and I am good at making him so, without having to hurt him, himself.

but what to do about Albert? I got rid of Patton, sent him home, but Tristan just paired up with Guppel and kept going. Wait. Can't do that, they're Britacan and Peternian--- oh KINGS, they're going to war and I've got them looting together.

And there's that slavery mess.

Patton went home. Tristan is waiting for Matthard. Quinton is jealous. Alphonse is swayed by fear (show). Albert is loyal to new regime. Guppel is bailing. Matthard is intent. Selah is responsible. Manda is insufferably in love/dedicated.
Anyone else?

Quinton could unbribe the guards. They should be better by now.

It just seems like so much is sifting through my fingers, leaving things that were important alone, it's all so... loose.