This chapter originally started from an idea to just have Ine and Chris both needing to shed at the same time, and then just having a conversation about how they do it. This page was going to be one scene from what would have been a maybe kind of interesting, but otherwise not very engaging chapter: Chris wakes up and realizes he needs to shed, he starts using the shed vac, he’s surprised by Ine walking into the apartment wearing only his swim trunks, and Ine explains that he was in the steam room, and cue the conversation about shedding. One of my beta readers very helpfully pointed out that there wasn’t much of a story here. There’s potential for some species-based humor and some world-building opportunity, but that’s about it.

The chapter was rewritten, almost from square one. Shedding would still play a role, but now it would be the cause of the central conflict: Ine was shedding in the steam room, but got locked out of his apartment, and then he couldn’t get Chris’ attention because Chris was busy shedding himself. This also opened an opportunity for Ine and June to get acquainted in humorous fashion. (Meet cute perhaps? Well, that would be telling. 😉)

Since rewriting this chapter, I learned about a concept called “Gee whiz! So what?” (from the podcast Writing Excuses, which is a super helpful resource for any writer). The “Gee whiz!” factor is something that’s cool, interesting, or just different about the world a story takes place in. In this case, that would be the fact that the inhabitants of the AwwFeatherverse sometimes have to molt or shed. It’s an aspect of grooming that humans don’t really need to deal with (apart from hair cuts and shaving). But what I was originally missing was the “So what?” A good story needs conflict. How can the fact that people need to shed their skin or fur cause a conflict around which a story can be developed? The chapter I came up with was just one possibility of course, but it made for a much more compelling story than simply saying, “Oh look, Ine and Chris are shedding. Isn’t that different and interesting?” Something that makes universe interesting to the audience is a good start, but it needs more to be an actual story.