October Novel Prep Challenge

I was plodding along for a while, putting in the time but coming away disappointed and frustrated because I was having a hard time making things connect, but working on the activities for days 8 and 9 may have just helped me plan out the structure of my whole (first) book. A throwaway character grew some plot-relevance and will now be both a foil to and a supporter of my protagonist. And I decided that the first book will probably end in a not-so-good way. All the important things will be resolved in the denouement, of course, but the very action that cemented an important relationship will also catch the attention of the wrong people and (I think!) unwittingly harm the person they meant to save. *evil laughter*

I'm still terrified that it's boring, but I'm trying to do a chronological timeline (like the one linked in Oct. 17's description) to help me make sure I'm constantly teasing information and developing the seven primary themes and questions I want to deal with in the book. That way, at least, I'll be consciously building up the things that matter in every scene.

What have you discovered or pinned down about your story thanks to the exercises so far?