Narrative Tension

This is the visual I use to inspire me when I write King Rolen's Kin. Since we're experiencing an autumn with over 30 degrees heat and high humidity, the thought of snow is very alluring.

I spent all day driving children to the train station, picking children up from the train station, while trying to read my current Work in Progress and pin down a niggly feeling that one of the three narrative was flagging.

I'm using three PVs, weaving events in so that all three characters will arrive at the denouement which has to happen on a certain festival day, ready to play their part. Now, this wouldn't be too hard, if I could actually sit down and read what I've written in one go, but what happens is this.

I read up to a point where I think, this scene should go back one chapter to heighten the tension of character three's story arc, or I need to write a new scene to screw the tension higher. So I move the scene or write a new one. Then have to go back and re-read the book to see what this has done to the other two time lines. And then I read on. In the middle of all this, I have to get up from the computer and rush off to drive kids around and deal with minor family emergencies.

I'd just like a few hours without interruptions. Now child 5 has just come in to tell me that the washing machine is broken. Argh!!