Conflict

I've been angsting for a bit about the latter half of The Thief Book. She's married to the prince, which should be nice conflict (no, the wedding is not the happy ending), except no matter what I do, everything seems to be sounding rather like a romance novel.

That's not okay. Sure, I like reading romances, and I like having a bit of romance in the story, but that's completely left field for a story that started out being about a girl working as a pickpocket and living with a professional thief.

Then, yesterday, my MC said something stupid. Not stupid like, 'Gee, that was a ridiculously dumb thing for you to say.' Stupid like, 'Well, jeez, why'd you say that? You just about admitted to everyone that your cover story is false.' And then it hit me.

Why would they think the cover story is false? I mean, she's no liar, and her dad isn't a liar, and the prince seems to believe them (yeah, he's in on the lie, too), so why would people be so ready to believe the lie's a lie. Except it is.

So why would that guy across the room, who seems like he should be figuring this out (Not my fault. He just plain told me he'd figured it out. Not even the extras consult me these days.) be able to see the truth. Unless maybe he's that guy from earlier in the book who never really had an identity.

So, it's decided. The extra is actually the guy they almost got arrested robbing about 7 chapters ago, and he knows. At least, they think he knows. Joy of joys.

Well, who am I to complain. It's not like it's my story or anything. I'm just writing it all down. At least it's conflict, and not a romance novel.

You know you're a writer when conflict makes you happy.