Today I had a little brainstorming session for Power Penguin Book 3 at the local library. I had been working on this particularly tough nut to crack for quite some time... and today I finally came up with the answer that I had been trying to figure out for so long! The title of the forthcoming book is "The Wrath of Dracatoo." This is the same title that I had come up with back around middle school, so long ago, and I've always intended to use it as the third and final part of the Power Penguin trilogy. However, I had encountered a slight problem during my previous brainstorming sessions: WHO is Dracatoo, and WHAT is his wrath?!

I already had an idea about WHAT Dracatoo was, but not WHO he was. I was trying to focus on how he'd fit into the story I am developing, but was running into all sorts of mental roadblocks. But today, I sat down and wrote out a blurb for his personality. Suddenly, he turned from a what into a who, and I began to be able to draw out some characterization for him! Once I started breaking down his personality, character traits, and how he relates to Power Penguin, the story suddenly unfolded before me. I felt like I had managed to "crack my own code" to the story ideas not yet realized inside my noggin. Then, when I had figured out WHO his character was, I could more easily picture HOW he'd fit into the story more directly. I could now see entirely new sequences playing out inside my head. I figured out how this title character would interact with Power Penguin, and things just started clicking into place.

And, best of all, thanks to figuring out some character motivation, I was able to justify the TITLE of the book! I now know who Dracatoo is and what his wrath is! It suddenly clicked and made total sense. I felt like I had gotten a BINGO today.