. . . without sounding hokey. At a certain point in my novel, I plunge my FMC into a relational and professional crisis involving the MMC. She's an analytical sort and in his absence spends a good 8 hours reviewing her past to try to discover how she got herself into the mess and what she should do about it. As presently written, I take her back to her college days and show all the relevant past events happening as they happen. But it's gotten out of hand and I think I'll have to cut all or most of it and work the crucial bits in elsewhere in the story. I've already tried summarizing what she thinks about, but my critters said it came off as too distant. But I can't just say, "She sat and thought, until the coldness of the apartment brought her to herself and she realized it was 2:00 AM." I mean, can I? Can you cite me some books (available from the library) where the author has pulled this off?
