motivation

Current work: Med duo
Listening to: Michael Buble
Reading: next on my TBR pile... possibly Caro Fraser
Steps yesterday: 8523 (not bad; will try harder today but not beat myself up about it)

Went for a walk on the beach yesterday, despite the fact that it was drizzly and cold. Bit mournful with the seagulls screaming. (Am sparing you the Old English poetry, but the beach in winter always makes me think of 'The Wanderer' ... which was my nickname for my hero in the archaeologist book, but I had to lose it as it wasn't alpha enough and I'd already stuck my neck out with my previous editor over the hero's occupation.) Also worked a bit on the book and planned out my menus for the rest of the week.

Plan for today: library to pick up some research books (there will be protests, but we’re walking there), finish proof collation of my last project management job, go to post office (proofs and birthday presents), and a do bit more on my book.

I was pretty disappointed with the ending of the last episode of Robin Hood. No spoilers here if you missed it/taped it for later, but if you change a character’s behaviour, particularly if it’s in opposition to the expectations you’ve set up all series, then you need to make the motivation behind those changes very clear to the audience – otherwise it doesn’t ring true. Sure, you get the ‘shock’ value and can say it’s an ‘unexpected twist’ – but then the audience starts asking ‘Why?’, and if the motivation isn’t apparent then said twist to the plot doesn’t work properly. Even my 7-y-o picked up on it: ‘I didn’t like that. It was all wrong. He wouldn’t have done that.’

This is why I tend to write dual POV rather than just the heroine’s – I feel it’s important to see inside the hero’s head and understand his motivation as well as hers. And right now I'm hiding my current hero's motivations too much. Need to go do some layering, methinks.