Saving all the drama for dramatic moments makes them melodramatic.

Just spent another 1000 words in small steps. It's the theme of this book. Explicating the steps, showing the day-to-day activity. There is something innately interesting about that process. At least I hope so. And how else do I show motivations if I don't have time to let them show during the course of a day?

Saving them up for dramatic moments only makes them melodramatic.

The danger is that I'm repeating myself. Certainly, I've seen that in other books, but it also tends to lend a little depth to the characters, reinforces what is important and what isn't important.

I don't know, maybe this is all hogwash. I'm admittedly experimenting. But I really wanted to try this and so far I'm actually kind of liking it. I'm feeling more like I'm living in this world, and if I feel that way, then maybe the reader will too.

I'm letting myself fill in some of the "in-between" spots. So, for instance, in the latest chapter the protagonist is driving to the heist, unexpectedly accompanied by a goon assigned to watch over him by the crime boss. So on the way they are feeling each other out, I'm providing information, I have some inner dialogue and some description.

All this might have been passed over in a previous novel. I probably would have gone directly to the heist.

But I really like what I said above: Saving up all the drama for the dramatic moments only makes them melodramatic. 

It's better to have the character think to themselves over several chapters--"uh, oh, this is a bad development," then "if I don't watch out I'm going to get trapped," then "how am I going to escape this?" to "I'm trapped!' then to have it suddenly happen once in the middle of a scene, "OH, MY GOD, I'M TRAPPED!!!!"

I'm also letting myself use words. That is, I'm not trying to be as spare as usual. This would normally be a bad thing, but I write so sparsely that I usually have to add in the re-write. I'm just letting things breathe a little more.

Like I said, I don't know if this works, but it seems to work for me. I'm feeling as if I'm personally in this book more.

All of this is my perception. The book isn't probably all that different. Linda sort of confirmed that. But at least in my mind, I'm trying something different.