Been sitting on my manuscript re-edit for the last several weeks, trying to decide whether I'm procrastinating or letting it jell, and every few days I come up with a new insight into the story that makes me glad that I didn't start the edit.

Today I had another one, that again made me glad that I didn't start. The good news is that this one isn't a 'duh!' one like the last several have been. This one is vital, and I thought of it the first time around, but I didn't portray it well.

What is my heroine angry about?

Ah... that question raises a lot of things that she's angry about, and not reacting appropriately to in the current version of the manuscript. The biggest though is: She's in major denial over most of her anger, so how do I show her anger while she remains in denial?

This should prove interesting. Much to think about.

But the most interesting thing about this insight is how it came about. I was wandering a free tarot site and clicked on the 'choose for me' options. The spread it gave me used a deck of cards that I'd never seen before, and the first two cards mostly applied to the question I asked, but the third card didn't seem to apply in the least. It said:

The dark essence of fire behaving as earth, such as dry wood: The surprising appearance of a new passion or inflammatory news. A trickster who can unexpectedly ignite a dangerous situation. The intensity and childish imagination that can send even the most stable venture spinning wildly out of control. Can represent a person outwardly timid, but harboring unexpected inner fury. May indicate the birth of a child.

I looked at this for a long time, trying to place it. Then my heroine sprang to mind. She is full of inner fury, and there's plenty of inflammatory news, and definitely a trickster. Ahhhhh!

Much more to think about, and notes to make, but I think this is the key that I have been missing... her fury. Major parts of the book didn't ring true because she wasn't reacting out of her fury.

Once I know what's wrong, it's fixable. And I have another thing to add to my character sheet, to make sure I don't forget this next time around.