So it turns out that my multi-tasking brain was trying to tell me something! And I have finally figured it out. As I’ve told my students in the Productivity for Writers webinar and class (both through the Odyssey Writing Workshop), when you get stuck, it’s always because there’s something wrong. I assumed there was something wrong with my emotions or time-management, or something, but no. It’s far simpler than that. There was something wrong with the PLOT for the book.

The thing is, since my brain rewired in pregnancy, *how* I get stuck feels different. I end up multi-tasking like nuts instead of despairing and wanting to do housework. BUT it’s the same trigger, the same unconscious feeling that something is wrong with the book. I just had to learn the new feeling.

I had a good writer friend visit last weekend, and we were working on writing and plotting and such (I have a new novella idea coming). I explained the plot of Book Five to her, and the subplots were all shiny and beautiful and lovely. There was one problem, though. It became quickly apparently after explaining that I was trying to write a murder mystery without a murderer. Wait, what? Duh, that was stupid. No wonder my subconscious was freaking out about it. This is a problem! But a very fixable problem now that I know what it is.

My brain settled down within an hour of me figuring this out and I was able to write (and focus) after that, even without a full solution to the murder. So. Lesson learned. I am working with new software but the same subconscious. And when in doubt, *figure it out.*

Now to go off and figure out a nice twisty murder plot (rubs hands together in glee). Oh, and be warned 🙂 – the subplots to this one are fantastic!

(Mutters in a sing-song to self:) Words, words, words…