Funny how these things go.
As I'm editing the next chapter I realise there are a few loose threads which would benefit from tying up, but none of which are important, leading me to decide to write an in-between chapter so that I know what's happening, the intention being to use it or not depending on if anything comes of it.
And somehow that goes through three drafts, three endings, and a whole day's writing junked as it really takes Jim and Lia in directions I don't think are right for them. The proof of this is that when I cut that section out and write something else, it feels much more 'them'.
So now I'm somehow tidying up the first draft of a disposable chapter that ended up exploring some interesting things and running to over 10,000 words. And it was meant to be no more than an afternoon's amusement for me.
All of which means I'm now free to go back and do the (hopefully) final pass on the next chapter (6), though that might get broken in half as it runs over 20,000 words even though it does cover a very long weekend's events. That's what happens when Lia invites him to meet her Pop.
Thank God for copious cups of Earl Grey.
Neen