I think this is why fan writers get all needy about comments. We all want to know our suffering has a point, some kind of reward at the end.
To procrastinate, have been writing disquisition on how there is no difference between "emotional arc" and "plot" in stories, in that emotions and character movement and everything else must be expressed through action and choice. In my reference-addled head, I refer to this as the "faith without works is dead" theory of story writing. Who the heck knows who that character is until she does something?
In other news: mmmm, strawberries and cream.