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Hey guys, you remember how I Kicked It Up A Notch the other week? After that insanity I took a little time off to read and ruminate on this new (to me) process of editing. And a few days ago, after finishing the Mortal Instruments series (which I highly recommend and will talk about soon) I started thinking of Fie Eoin again. I had been gone for a week, which is a long time for me to not visit my favorite place in all the worlds.
I don’t like to put a book down and start working immediately on any writing project, unless it’s Lady of the Light (because I aspire to write that well and it helps to read a chapter to figure out how it is written and then try to figure out how to do that in my own writing), so I didn’t really start thinking about Fie Eoin until I went to bed. You see, the only big problem anyone has had with the beginning chapters of FE so far is Kindra’s motivation. I know what her motivation is, of course, and I thought it was clear right from the beginning, but apparently not. So as I fell asleep I was trying to think of way to make her motivation stand out without having her come right out and say “Hey, I want my mark completed and I want my warrior name already! Also, revenge on the Obsidians would be nice.”
The answer is easy, when you are half asleep! Kindra wants her Mark completed, and the only way to complete a Mark is in battle. She has to dive head-long into every battle she can find and hope for the best. She’s already foul-tempered most of the time, getting her to fight someone isn’t really a stretch, and she’s in numerous fights throughout the book (one thing about a warrior MC – they don’t lead boring lives!). All I have to do is Kick It Up A Notch and really make her dive into those battles, instead of having her pulled in by circumstance. So now, instead of a Kindra who just happens to stumble into battle after battle I have a Kindra who is actively seeking them out. And I have two antagonists who are actively seeking her out too. With a combination of stronger word choices and an active MC I’m hoping Kindra’s motivation will come across loud and clear. People were already hooked and asking for more – now they shouldn’t be able to put the book down!