This has to be first for me. I feel a little nutty even blogging this, but I do like to hear everyone's suggestions and pointers. And I take my writing very seriously, as the characters usually come from some deep place in my heart. This is scary sometimes....
So, okay, here goes:
My characters have always been real to me, but never so much as the h in the current ms. She's in a plotted predicament that I literally can't seem to get her out of. Also *sigh* 
I think she may be too much of a smart @ss for her own good. I'm not even sure I like her, though she is interesting as heck. I suppose I'll have to either clean her up some, or totally scrap her. Man, I hate to do that. Makes me feel like I'm giving up on a friend who's in jail or a pycho ward when they need my help the most - LOL.
Help! Have any of you other writers/authors faced a similar scenario with your character/s?
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Can you get some extra eyes
Can you get some extra eyes to read it over for you, and tell you what they think the heroine needs to do to be redeemable/likeable? Someone could tell you where they would like to see the heroine go from there, and that might spin you off in a good direction...?
I am so there...
I like smart sassy heroines so that is what I write. My little sister was visiting 2 weeks ago and was the extra pair of eyes I needed. She is a great fan of romance and very blunt with me about what worked and what didn't. We even brainstormed my way out of my plot predicament.
Do you have a CP? I would love to read whatever you are having problems with. Let me know if I can be of assistance. I am by no means an expert but I can give you the opinion of a reader.
Angel
abbarbin@hotmail.com
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
Janet....
Well, you see, here where I come from we don't have a writer's critique group. I sure wish we did! My husband, bless his adorable little heart, helps me in the editing process (finding grammatical and punctuation mistakes), but he's not keen on pointing out character flaws. Just between me and you
I think he's a little afraid to help me in that area. I guess maybe he figures being my critique and bedpartner might not go hand-in-hand too well - LOL. So, yes, I definitely need to find someone who can help me in tight pinches like this. It's just really hard for me to share my incomplete work sometimes - if that makes any sense? In this case, my ms flaw is like a really bad toothache - it's not going to get better until the doggone thing is taken care of! 
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Angel, too bad I don't have
Angel, too bad I don't have one of those blunt little sisters - LOL. Seriously, I didn't know you wrote. Did you tell me that before? If you did, forgive me. What sub-genre and what Harl or Sil line do you aim for?
As I was telling Janet, my DH helps me edit. But he's not much count to actually point out anything about the actual storyline or characters. I think he's afraid of hurting my feelings... or making me hopping mad. Can't figure out why he might worry about that
- LOL!
Actually, yes, it would be nice to have a relative stranger's POV on my ms. At least, certain segments. Although, I've never done that before.
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
I'm a member
I'm a member of a couple of writers group....One is sponsored by my state's Arts Commission. The other is one that was created after last year's Nano. One is good for critiquing (the Arts group) and the other is great at plotting.
Laughter is an instant vacation- Milton Berle
Amanda
I am currently writing historicals and just submitted to HH. I have been published in air force base and command level newspapers but that is the extent of my publishing experience.
You could just send me an e-mail with the plot problem you are having if you want to do that (?) I tried an on-line critique group and that was a horrid experience.Let me know if you need me.
My hubby also doesn't want to critique my work. He says it is a no win situation!
Angel
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
Amanda~Friend,
If you WANT a second (or third, fourth, fifth) set of eyes looking for directions, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll see if I can help. Wait, how far are you into this? Just kidding, I can try to help "save" your h, IF you want the help!!!!
mrs underscore tripp at hotmail dot com
Cat
Let us run with ENDURANCE the race that is set before us; looking only unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:1a-2b
Wacky ideas
OK...take what I say with a grain of salt because when it comes to writing, I don't write fiction but for 10 years I had to crank out 25-50 page academic papers. What I usually did when I was really stuck was to go do something else totally unrelated for a day and come back to things fresh. My mind was just fresher.
Another thing is to ask your dreams to tell you the answer. You know you have the answer inside--you just have to find it. You know the character better than anyone...you just have to see the logic (including intuitive logic as well as rational logic) where to go from what you know. I took this dream workshop in high school. We kept a dream journal and I would write down my dreams every night. After some time, I trained myself to wake up, write it down and go back to sleep. After time, all the symbols of my own language bcame clear... my own symbols, not those pre-fab ones in books. Anyhow, it does take practice but it is really surprising how one can go to sleep with thoughts asking dreams to finish out a dream or story or whatever.
And of course, someone else to read...
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Amanda, I thought I wrote
Amanda, I thought I wrote out a comment and sent it via this blog, but found it never showed up. The funny thing is I made a suggestion that you consult your dreams. Imagine my surprise when I read Merri's response!
Nancy
Oh, that's neat. Glad
Oh, that's neat. Glad someone els ewas thinking that..not quite so wacky.
Sometimes we now things in some deep place but get all aflutter in trying to figure them out so that's why I suggested using dreams to access the other parts of us.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
I'm a great believer in
I'm a great believer in using dreams for growth, discovery, etc. I've done dream interpretation for some of my co-workers--the first question I will ask after they describe the dream is, "what do you think it is telling you." Then I go from there.
Nancy
Vikki, Angel and Cat....
Vikki (is this your name, or have I been totally calling you the wrong one?
), this is probably a dumb & dumber question, but what does 'after last year's Nano' mean? We don't even have an art association here in my small town, at least, not that I know of - wish we did. You're lucky! 
Angel, I think our men are probably right. They might be too close to us to really judge appropriately. And I know mine hates to sleep on the couch! LOL
Just kidding - that never really happens.... Hey, I'm guessing after Friday we won't be hearing from you at least for a few days, so I hope everything goes great when your hubby comes home! Bet your boys are excited, huh? DON'T forget to come back here.
Cat, I appreciate ALL offers to help at this point. My h does need 'saved', believe me!
I may post a very small segment on a blog (paragraph or two), and let those who've offered to help read it and give me feedback. Then it can go from there. It's written in first person, which may be part of the problem. I may want to get out of my h's head and do third person instead.... I'm going nuts in the meantime! LOL 
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Dreams....
Merri and Nancy, I don't think that sounds crazy AT ALL. I firmly believe in dreams. In fact, I'm totally scratching my head right now wondering why resolving the plot in my dreams didn't occur to me before.
This is going to sound totally off the subject, but before my husband and I had my daughter, we were married five years and were beginning to think we couldn't have children. Then one night I had a dream: I was holding my baby girl in my arms in the hospital bed and people were coming in to visit. They asked what we'd named her and I blurted Elisabeth Kathreen (not even a name I'd previously considered). It was such a vivid dream that I couldn't shake it off as being unsignificant. About a year later ***Voila*** I gave birth to Elisabeth (Katie) Kathreen.
I've had other dreams that were also impossible to ignore.
So, I'm going to try that, guys. I'll be sure to let you both know! Thanks!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Amanda,
Amanda, I just wanted to warn you that anything posted here become property of eHQ. So don't post what you don't want to lose the rights to.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
That got me to thinking....
That's true, FF. I'll have to be careful. Thanks!
Copyrights are tricky. I haven't learned all the ins and outs of it yet. Of course, I trust eHarlequin, or otherwise I'd never be blogging on here. Also it's my sincere goal to be published with Harl and Sil. But I totally see what you mean.
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Amanda
I wouldn't post your work here as stated earlier. Drop me a line by e-mail if you want to chat. I think we are close to the same place on our journey to being published.
I won't disappear even with my hubby home. He has a long to-do list to keep him occupied for a few days!
Angel
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
Some Suggestions and Questions
I have a few smart @ss suggestions, not that I am any good at this sort of thing.
1. "Deus ex machine" - hey it worked for the Greek tragedy. It (rescued by the eagles) also worked for Tolkien in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In LOTR, Gandalf's rescue from the tower top was set up with a seemingly inconsequential conversation with another wizard. The movie uses a moth.
2. Review Orson Scott Card's Characters and View Points.
3. Do you have the right H for your h?
4. Have you done the back story on your character? Did you miss anything?
Good luck
Articfrog
"And they lived haply ever after."
Articfrog
"And, they lived haply ever after."