<aside> 💡

I explored this idea for a while but it never became interesting.

Part of the problem is this idea, within context, is too extreme. The only way it had any impact was for it to imply, “Oh, you had that one chance to be happy but you rejected it so now you’re going to be miserable.”

</aside>

Nivana is courted by a terrific, respectable young man but she rejects him because she is smarter than him.

Nivana deplores that she is single, but My own worst enemy.

<aside> 💡 It would be nice to reuse a character for the suitor role, but no previous character fits the criteria.

</aside>

<aside> 💡 This is a means-to-an-end arc: I'm not interested in it but like what it achieves. The best means of handling cases like this are to think through interesting intrinsic details and rely on implication.

</aside>

Intrinsic interest

<aside> 💡 Maybe he is indifferent to magic issues. Nivana is strongly opposed to magic, and would be annoyed by his indifference.

</aside>