I’m currently in drafting mode, working on the sequel to my debut, Ivory and Bone. I’m definitely a planner (as opposed to a pantser,) and I'm working from an extensive outline. But even the most thoroughly planned novel doesn’t always flow onto the page without a hitch. (Okay, let’s be realistic. No novel flows onto the page without a hitch!) Often, when I’m struggling to translate a scene I’ve held in my mind into prose on the page, and it’s just...lying there, devoid of life...I’ll discover that the problem is a lack of stakes. Either nothing’s at risk, or there’s a lot at risk, but no one really cares.