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My main character's motivation completely fell apart halfway through a draft
Honestly, I was 15k words into a fantasy novel when I realized their whole 'save the kingdom' drive made zero sense based on their backstory. Has anyone else had to scrap a huge chunk of work because the core idea just broke?
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palmer.richard7mo ago
Wait, is scrapping it the only option though? I've patched up a broken motivation by adding a single flashback scene that changed the whole context. What if your character isn't trying to save the kingdom for the kingdom's sake, but because someone inside it is secretly holding their family hostage? That's a quick fix that might save your draft.
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the_fiona7mo ago
That hostage idea feels like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. It just adds another plot hole about why the hero never mentions their family. Sometimes a draft is just bad, palmer.richard, and starting over is the real fix.
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alex_johnson7mo ago
See the_fiona's point but sometimes a band-aid works.
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