Eureka!

I figured out my plot (I think)! It did take a mixture of all the things I was trying. I had an odd little scene that had popped up in daydreaming, and after reading through the rest of the book, I put that together with what I knew about the character, and suddenly the heavens opened and my path appeared before me. And yes, it really was that dramatic. I might have even heard a heavenly choir. I've already made it past the spot where I was stuck before, and I have scenes envisioned for most of the rest of the book. I'll be able to recycle a few scenes, so it's not all starting from scratch, but if this book gets published, there will be a lot of deleted scenes that fall into the "what could have happened" realm. What's really cool is that there was a scene earlier in the book that I was wavering on whether or not I should keep it, and now it turns out that it sets up something pretty crucial.

If I'm really, really good and manage my time well, I could get it done this week, and then I can take that long-awaited vacation next week, creating an extended Thanksgiving break.

In addition to having a creative breakthrough this weekend, I also finally watched the first episode of V. I think I'm still on the fence, but I suspect that has more to do with where I am mentally and emotionally than anything to do with the show itself. This seems like a show that's going to take itself very seriously. It is Important Television, for the most part, and I don't have a lot of patience for that right now. I don't remember how quickly the big reveal in the original miniseries came about, but I think they made a wise move in doing it in the first hour here, since it's not like we didn't already know there's something wrong about the Visitors. I really like the plot line of the resistance movement and the female FBI agent and the priest. I could do without the junior alien scouts/bratty teenage son/family drama plot line, and Baltar the Journalist already annoys me (I know he's supposed to, but that doesn't mean I enjoy watching it). Since it's on a night when I'm always out and I have to watch on tape, I may fast forward through the annoying parts and just watch the parts I like, unless those other parts become utterly crucial.

I have to admit that my main thought upon seeing Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk in the same science fiction show again was that she could use her super alien powers to bring Firefly back, and then I'd be really happy. Now, there was a show that managed to have some serious, scary, even dark stuff without coming across as overly pretentious Important Television.

Meanwhile, the folks at White Collar are taunting me. That guy, holding the ancient-looking tome and digging through old books? Arrgghh. I did not want mental casting because I don't want to feel let down if a movie goes into production and they cast someone else.