One of my pet peeves in fantasy books/shows is when some outcome-affecting plot device is introduced literally just as the climax is reached. I try to write my stories such that the outcome of the plot at the climax is driven by the character's action and/or some other plot-drive mechanism that has been properly set up earlier in the book.
Here I draw upon Beatrice's earlier research (and my own) into the Medusa legend to provide the "solution" to Jen's problem.
Looking back at my notes and trying to reconstruct my idea/writing process, I knew I wanted to have the stone "cure" linked somehow to the legend, and so I included that reference at the end of part 2. Then as I wrote part 3, I had in the back of my mind that they were going to need to find the cure before the pivotal showdown. They find a half-measure earlier that doesn't work.
As the events of this chapter crystallized as I wrote toward them, I decided that the cure would be in the form of a diametrically opposite blade that was connected to the "turn-to-stone" half of the blade. And that I would leave hints sprinkled through the earlier chapters about curing various ailments with magical items for Jen to assemble once she's forced to act by Doug.
[[AUTHOR'S NOTE]]
One of my pet peeves in fantasy books/shows is when some outcome-affecting plot device is introduced literally just as the climax is reached. I try to write my stories such that the outcome of the plot at the climax is driven by the character's action and/or some other plot-drive mechanism that has been properly set up earlier in the book.
Here I draw upon Beatrice's earlier research (and my own) into the Medusa legend to provide the "solution" to Jen's problem.
Looking back at my notes and trying to reconstruct my idea/writing process, I knew I wanted to have the stone "cure" linked somehow to the legend, and so I included that reference at the end of part 2. Then as I wrote part 3, I had in the back of my mind that they were going to need to find the cure before the pivotal showdown. They find a half-measure earlier that doesn't work.
As the events of this chapter crystallized as I wrote toward them, I decided that the cure would be in the form of a diametrically opposite blade that was connected to the "turn-to-stone" half of the blade. And that I would leave hints sprinkled through the earlier chapters about curing various ailments with magical items for Jen to assemble once she's forced to act by Doug.