I stayed up talking to…

I stayed up talking to Karina until 1-ish last night, and then woke up at 7; I'm groggy, tired. I promised Mirna I'd come by around lunchtime and help her hang pictures on her new walls (mostly by standing back and telling her whether things look straight/centered or not), which means I have about three hours of writing time right now, if I'm good. I don't know if I can be good; I spent the last two hours watching Voyager, trying to wake up. But I'll make another cup of tea, put on some music (right now I'm writing to the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack, very stirring), and try to figure out where my story goes next.

I think I've gotten a bit stuck because I'm not sure how to end this chapter -- the first chapter ended with Swati and Kate getting yanked into the fantasy world, and while I could do the same here, I don't want to be repetitive. Maybe we need some more grounding in the real world. Maybe I should end chapter two with them back in our world, and start chapter three still in our world, figuring things out, trying to deal with life and school and family and all. Of course, that would naturally lead to them being pulled into the other world at the end of chapter three -- but hey, maybe that'll work okay, because this time, they're going to be separated. That should be enough of a cliffhanger to end chapter three on, right? I need that chapter to end strongly, since that's what I'll be giving Sharyn, and I want to make sure she calls me up immediately, demanding to know what happens next. :-)