Mary Catelli's Erraticly Updated and Exceedingly Ill-Organized Journal

The heroine has connected with some folks who know the history of the world, and are willing to tell her.

The story has underscored that she has been kept in the dark, so she is eager to know it.

It's still a challenge to figure out how to dump all the info.

Heroine has to learn some truths.

Fortunately, with her powers, she learns (indirectly) of a meeting, and listens to them.

Alas it's a meeting of two people who've been plotting together for over a year. Very high context.

True, the mere fact they meet at all and talk amicably is a Big Clue -- but I decided that one character will do something to vindicate the heroine's suspicions at once.

No wonder the scene was such a pain.

All seven characters, and all of them have to express their individual characters in their comments, and still get them moving through the labyrinth.

giving the manuscript the gimlet gaze.

Our heroine has met up with friendly people who have information that is useful to her and which would help them win her trust, which they would find useful.

Still finding it interesting to pry open the story and stuff the info in. 

Early in the story, the heroine thinks she should practice a spell for later use, in case she needs to prevent prying.

Later, I am desperately wondering how to set up a conversation she wants no one to listen to except the select group -- until I remember that earlier bit.

Also, it could be used for several points in between.

Sometimes inspiration is a matter of connecting the dots

Plugging along in the story, comes to the point where the heroine joins forces with another wizard.

Wait a minute, why would the other wizard do that? How does she know what she needs to know to motivate her to do that?

That was an interesting piece of dialog. Hmm -- perhaps I need to play up two other characters. I didn't say she knew them, but I could say it.

So there's the scene serving vital plot purposes --

The heroine lacks adequate motivation for it. Or, more bluntly, the heroine would be greatly averse to doing what the scene requires. Not to mention the other characters needed motives. . . which were fortunately easier to provide.

Not to mention that the heroine has to make clear the problem, or they'll never be able to talk her into it. Good thing her motives are somewhat simpler there.

The fun part is that it contains the original inspiration for the whole book. Which may or may not be suitable for retention.

I know perfectly well why the hero lets the youngsters come with him as he leaves the house.  Indeed it's overdetermined.  He does not want to keep them prisoner -- in the final analysis, he may feel the temptation before realizing that he was kept prisoner once and does not want to do the same, and besides, it would make them unhappy.  Also frighten them.  He may even overestimate how terrifying it is.  At that, he knows he probably could not, when push comes to shove, actually keep them prisoner, and he probably underestimates how 

The problem is that he probably will have to offer some explanation why he, a mysterious man who shows up and does odd jobs and vanishes, is now showing up with six youngsters in tow.  All of them old enough to be apprentices or servants, and as mysterious as he is, they would think there was some reason.  Worse, they may gossip about him, and that might get back to people whom he really does not want to hear about him.  And that can happen even if he holds his tongue, so mere silence is not an option.

Hmm. . . he may intimidate that they would not like to be known as people who were visited by the youngsters.  Hmmmmmmm.