I don't keep a writing journal, only an idea sketch book. This is just me talking to myself, in order to find some direction.

I am not asking for advice, but I am posting this online anyway. This is sort of a progress report. I mean, I'm not posting this online for everyone to read and response, but I feel somehow more comfortable, knowing that someone else is going to see my thoughts working. Feedback would be... interesting. Maybe, sercetly, what I'm looking for is some incouragement, from real writers.

Where do I go now? Ah.. that's the question. Let's see, I'm on chapter four, fourty some pages. This chapter is so darn important, and it's the most complex, and most likely going to be the longest, yet. I've introduced Corrella, and showed the opening situation. Chapter three slowed the pace down, and explained the details of the situation from Amolh's stand point.

Dazuma can't be introduced until the middle of the story. In fact, there is just no reason to even bother with the Esh this chapter. They are far away, and I'm going to give the reader time away from them, because next time, I've got to show them for a different angle.

Suairathisis appears in the next chapter, although, I love the idea of Redegel crying at his feet at the end of chapter this chapter.... but why did i decide that that was problematic?

Someone has to know the true importance of the invasion. Suairathisis fits the bill. He's mad enough for power to exploit it too, that makes him dangerous, and an obvious antagonist.

But, the focus is corrella, and she's worthless until she grows up. So what's the focus? Charactorization is so termendously important here, now that Corrella's safe, it's time for her to beginning coping with things.

But the problem is, where the heck to Amolh and Redegel fit into the book? Ok, Amolh's a general. He's gonna either have to choose sides in the coming conflict, or be killed. But he's got to do something to justify his chapter where he was the point of view character. Redegel is going to become so terribly important, emotionally, to Corrella too. She's got to choose sides too.

So here we go. Choosing sides. There's a conflict for this chapter. And what if Redegel throws in the Suairithsis because she can't forgive Amolh? That would leave Amolh caught in between the two of them, and it's just highly likely he's going to end up dead because of it. At Redegel's hands??....
Poor Amolh.. He's always had rotten luck all his life.

And that leaves Amolh torn himself. His country? His conscienous? His love? His "daughter?" Well, let's think about Amolh. I've already show that he'll do the right thing, even if it means going against what his country is doing. I'm simply made Corrella too strong a factor in his life for him to bow to his patriotic convictions.

But he's always so torn between his emotions anyway, how's he gonna make and kind of firm choice. Talquin's going to fill in the role of protector anyway, who amolh's not needed there. Maybe he backs down at first and hurts Corrella, then, later, comes around, then gets martyred. That works. It leaves that steady guilt trip on his head, right up to the end, and then, by dying, he finds his peace in his decision. His death can't be in vain or by suprise, it's real, and choosen (in a way)... Yep. That way he makes his peace..

But Redegel is so much harder to peg here. I'm not comfortable with the idea of her being evil. But I see how she could be wrong in this matter. The key here is to show that she does love Corrella, but Suair has too much of a hold on her very will. It took Redegel a damn long time, but she came around in chapter three, and that shows she is good at heart. But, if, going with this line of thinking, that she to this day resents Amolh for forcing her into breaking her vows, it's going to be tough to reconcile the fact that later she goes in reverse and changes her mind. But isn't so possible, I mean.. she hates the fact that Amolh made her break her vows, and Corrella is a symbol of that, every day of her life.

But how can she really feel love for this child, if she betrays her like the way I'm seeing? If Suair is that persuasive, and evil, and powerful enough to turn her, wouldn't that make him so hated? So most of the blames got to go on him.

That's why this scene at the end... That's the problem. Regardless of weither it's Suair or someone else, the point is, she's making the choice to confess her "sins", and thus selling out C. Ok, so yes, she's torn, and she hates to do it, but that shows that her religious convictions got a slight edge, and that means that it would be easier for Suair to turn her.

That's great. But how much of that is going to happen in Chapter four? Arrrgh!

-more later---maybe---

In short, just write it. Don't worry about how much you should put into the chapter, put whatever feels like the right amount into the chapter, according the pace your going at.