It's weird to think of an established author having trouble putting together a simple book, but that is exactly what has happened. No matter how many books and author has written, there is still one more that can plague him or her. I've been going through The Web of Wyrd and have pretty much determined why I stopped writing it many years ago.

It's not because the idea isn't sound — it is. It's not because I can't write it — I can. The book suffers from many faults and that almost 70,000 words, I've either got to revamp it or I have to toss it out. I don't think I'll toss it out. It has some good points to it, and I think that when I finally beat it into submission, it'll be a good book. It's just that right now it's a headache, but it's my headache.

Here are the basic problems that I see with The Web of Wyrd:

1. "The kitchen sink" syndrome — my writing seems to suffer from this a great deal. I tend to toss everything into the story, and then some. It's like stuffing 20 pounds worth of shit in a 5 pound bag. I think it's a tendency of a bored brain to start throwing in more crap than can possibly be resolved in 100,000 word novel. I did that with Runestone of Teiwas. I ended up having to simplify and cut out all whole bunch of crap that got rolled over into this book. The problem is, I tend to add even more stuff as I write, making the plot beyond complex.

2. Lack of a strong motivation. My hero, Lachlan, is plenty motivated in various ways, but he is not as driven as he needs to be. A lot of stuff happens, but it isn't necessarily plot. Never mistake motion for action, said Ernest Hemingway. He's damn right. Action, that is movement within a plot, isn't always defined by motion. My hero, Lachlan, must have a strong motivation to move the plot along.

3. No real clever twist yet. My DH in a fit of not wanting to hear me whine about my book told me that saving the universe wasn't enough — and was downright boring, actually. I could see his point, even if the words were a little on the blunt side. There isn't enough of a twist to the plot to make it intriguing enough.

4. No real elixir defined. In the hero's journey, there needs to be a quest for an elixir. This elixir is what the hero is searching for that will bring about the climax. In Prophecy of Swords, the elixir was Uruz. Along with Uruz, the elixir was the knowledge of who Shadowhelm really was. In Runestone of Teiwas, the elixir was Kalena as well as unlocking the power of Hagalaz. I know damn straight the elixir isn't quite as clearly defined.

So, my next job is to try to figure out where I am taking all of this. I have been writing, just not as much as I should. I swear though, I am going to get this book done.