And (I know, I already replied once, but my brain!) I think part of the problem is that I've never given up 20k words into a novel before. I've sped through rought drafts and looked back and decided they weren't good enough to justify editing, and I've written openings that never continued, but this is the first time I've applied my worked-so-far novel writing process (full research and outlining before ever starting the rough) and then hit a wall.

The unicorn book and Skywatch both worked really well and really easily, written this way. I guess the third time wasn't charmed.

Plus, the only other novel projects "on my plate" are Skywatch (editing is BEYOND me ATM) and Moxie (ditto complicated worldbuilding, character building, and research). Dammit, writing the rough is supposed to be the easy part.