Story is about what happens internally, not externally. Not fully grasping the importance of this is what tanks countless novels. We don’t come to story simply to watch the events unfold; we come to experience them through the protagonist’s eyes, as she struggles with what to do next. That is what mesmerizes us: it’s what we’re curious about, it’s what gives us the inside info we’re hungry for. Yep, the protagonist’s internal struggle is the story’s third rail, the live wire that sparks our interest and drives the story forward.
