12-25-2025, 01:54 AM
I'm writing a fantasy novel where my protagonist starts as a cynical mercenary, but I'm struggling with the character development to make her believable transformation into a reluctant leader feel earned. The inciting event is the loss of her squad, which should spark change, but my beta readers say her subsequent decisions still feel selfish and the shift too abrupt. I need techniques to subtly show her internal conflict and growing sense of responsibility through her actions and dialogue, not just tell it.