And how does that make you feel?

This is what I have learned in the last two weeks:  a good book isn't about what events happen in the story -- it's about how the character changes.  It's about how those events make her feel, and what they cause her to do next.  

A vague concept of this idea has been running around in my head.  Two weeks ago I started  (re)reading  Laura Griffin's books to analyze what makes them so good, and to help me figure out what is missing from my own story.  I figured out it's all that introspection, all that feeling and emotion she puts in them.  

Then today I got my daily email about a new post on Writer Unboxed.  Lisa Cron's "The Importance of Letting Them See You Sweat" struck a chord. With my interest piqued, I followed the link to her craft book, "Wired For Story", which in turn led me to another WU post, "Here's What Both Pantsibg and Plotting Miss: The Real Story" and POW!  Right in the kisser!

Lisa smacked me with a very understandable discussion on the concepts of INTERNAL GMC.  I know GMC. I can do GMC.  But my WIP is currently all external GMC.  I have 65,000 words about the events that happen in the story.  That's the plot.  I need to get to the parts about how what happens makes her feel.  About why she's going to take that next action.  I need to get to the internal stuff.

I have heard this before.  I just wasn't ready to learn it yet, I guess.  Right when I was FINALLY ready to get it, internal GMC popped up.  Thank you, Lisa Cron.  

Now excuse me while I go dissect my book - yet again - to make it more than just a bunch of interesting events happening.