This escape from The Song scene continues to brainworm me. I think it’s my first plot point according to the structure I’m conforming to during the construction of this story.
The mobile nature of the scene gives me several locations to work through. The need for there to be questions later on gives me need to be careful how I write and what I include. Ultimately the flight from The Song is genuine, but I need enough uncertainty that Charming can later doubt her experience.
Maybe doubting the truth is typical for her. This seems like reasonably likely accompaniment to her difficulty fitting in to new places; her desires to please people or show off. There’s a good pattern. She keeps her head down hoping to be accepted for herself then when she’s not—or feels she’s not—she acts out or shows off. That gives me a nice ebb and flow to work with.
Back on scene…
This scene is split in two parts: first, the Mayor chatting with Gane regarding what will likely happen with Charming and Gane’s escape planning; second, Charming deciding to go with Gane and finally her being abandoned on the edge of the Benhá River. My purpose is to split Charming from The Song when she might not have otherwise left. I have to give the circumstances just enough uncertainty that Charming can interpret them differently as needed. This is the first (near) direct attack by the opposition on Charming, so I need a motivating reason and a mechanism to exert that force remotely but not precisely.
I also need to have a place for Gane’s experiences after he leave Charming. A minor plot action revealed to Charming later. Potentially I can have the imprecise nature of the attack be interpretable as an attack on Gane or both he and her. Hmmmm. Ze plot, she thickens.
314 words on day 508