I just watched a YT video of a selection from the memoirs of Bernard Diaz, a conquistador in Cortez’s group who recounted that Montezuma required two servants to assist him getting up the steps of the Aztec sacrifice altar. He assumed Cortez, also a supreme leader, would need similar help, which he refused. Apparently going up the steps alone left Montezuma weak and out of breath—heart disease? Out of shape from being carried everywhere? Might be worth listening to a translation from the original Spanish: https://youtu.be/UGaYcUTwXHc
This is an excellent example of allowing the research to take you deeper. You could have settled on the first idea and you could have made it work, but the more complex answer--anxiety, depression - whether cause or effect, gives you a much more nuanced and complex character/plot. Thanks for sharing your process!
I just watched a YT video of a selection from the memoirs of Bernard Diaz, a conquistador in Cortez’s group who recounted that Montezuma required two servants to assist him getting up the steps of the Aztec sacrifice altar. He assumed Cortez, also a supreme leader, would need similar help, which he refused. Apparently going up the steps alone left Montezuma weak and out of breath—heart disease? Out of shape from being carried everywhere? Might be worth listening to a translation from the original Spanish: https://youtu.be/UGaYcUTwXHc
This is an excellent example of allowing the research to take you deeper. You could have settled on the first idea and you could have made it work, but the more complex answer--anxiety, depression - whether cause or effect, gives you a much more nuanced and complex character/plot. Thanks for sharing your process!