Inspiration from the mental stew

So, I haven't started looking at my manuscript yet. Yes, I know I said I would, but I haven't. Still, it isn't a bad thing for me to let it breathe for awhile. It's been stewing in my mind and inspiration has struck!

While working on my synopsis, I realized that events need to be tightened. At one point Amaris, who is a cantella trying to save people from the Destroyer before Mavelle gets there, is found and led to a hidden city. This woman is a servant of the force that eventually helps Mavelle. Then later Amaris runs into Mavelle and that's how Mavelle gets to the city. Well, I thought, that's just too convenient. Tavin is already having these dreams earlier in the book, I should use them to lead Mavelle where she needs to go. I can cut the scenes where Amaris goes ahead. She can still meet Mavelle and Tavin at the same point, but I'll have to rework some of what she's doing before then. Anyway, once I figure it all out, it should be a tighter story, but there will have to be some reworking.

The other thing I thought of was the awkwardness of some of the revelations that come to Mavelle. I think if Wilhenn, the expert in everything the Order knows about the cataclysm and what life was like before, was given enough clues, he could help put things together. For example, the keeper of the spiral, might not only be guarding the spiral but other things, such as a book, or fragments, things in a language that they have forgotten how to read, but Wilhenn might be able to. Anyway, it's a thought.

Probably the most difficult thing about my story is explaining all the stuff that the characters don't know, but need to find out. I guess I need to thing about exactly what they DO need to know and what they don't.

On a side note: I am reading Sebastian by Anne Bishop because she is one of Jennifer Jackson's clients. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I am disappointed to see that there is a force in the story's world called "The Eater of the World" who is escaping from a prison. This is unfortunately similar to my Destroyer who is escaping from his prison and has an army of Eaten. sigh. There is even the concept of something being divided. In this case The Light and The Dark. In my case The Mother and the Destroyer. Well, I'll just have to hope all the OTHER stuff in my book is original enough in concept or combination.