Cautious optimism

Chapter 12 is really turning out to be an Itsuko chapter. The other characters are appearing, certainly; but Itsuko is the main focus. Which, considering how the previous chapter ended, is I suppose not that surprising.

A lot of what's slowed me down is that, when I outlined the overall plot, many of the implications of what happens in this chapter didn't really occur to me. I knew that some of the events would have significant run-on effects, but until I started writing I hadn't realised just how significant. Working out how to handle it, and which direction to take things, has caused me some soul-searching.

I'm actually making decent progress at present. After a long period where I wasn't doing much more than tinkering, the chapter now stands at 25122 words (142K). One scene to finish, another fairly significant one to write, and a few tidy-up bits to do. And one plot point left that I still need to work out—something that needs to be in place for chapter 13 to be able to work.

It's getting close…