At What Price Story?

There's not enough room in this house for me and my Angst. I think we're going to need an addition for the Muse, the Editor, and the Angst that accompany my writing.

I'm working on revising the end of my novel, and it's going... okay. I like the general direction the new ending is going. I've spent more time developing characters, and while the same general things happen in this new ending, it seems that it all flows more naturally from the characters now. The events are deeper and more meaningful in their lives as well, and I think they seem a little less like an ass pull on my part (Warning: language in that link. Plus you may never come back. I warned you.)

But I ran into a problem tonight -- well, not really a problem. More of... a dilemma? I don't know. In re-writing something that happens to the heroine I've introduced a bad guy who she didn't interact with before. And he did something... Not nice. At all. And I wondered... Is this just me in a bad mood? Rough day? Something I ate (crappy cardboard freezer pizza leaps to mind)?

Or is this the way the story really goes?

I've said before -- I write to find out what happens. I re-read this part and examined it for inconsistencies. Thing is, it's remarkably consistent with who this bad guy is and who the heroine is. It also sets up some things for the future of this story very well. There is a lot I could do with this one very awful thing.

At what price story? Am I sacrificing some real depth, some serious story potential, if I remove this piece? I think I may be.

At what price story? Would I only be pandering to the sensitive among us if I removed this part? Perhaps.

Sacrifice story? I don't know if I can. If the price of story is extreme discomfort for my heroine, that's real life. None of our stories are pretty. They all involve discomfort to some extreme. And we in the Christian community are big on saying that those uncomfortable things can be used by God in mighty ways. (I believe that, by the way.)

It's consistent with the bad guy's character. It's consistent with the heroine's character. For the moment, I'm leaving it in. But maybe after a good night's sleep I'll change my mind.