Is there enough danger?

As an introvert who writes "quiet" adventure books, I'm not much into big guns, wholesale slaughter, and the sound and fury that goes with genres like space opera.

More often my heroines are geeks, quietly working away finding out why something is or isn't happening.  Often there's a crime involved, and my characters appear in the role of unofficial private investigator.  The reality of the world is that thousands of people engageed in quiet research are behind every new discovery, but this doesn't make good TV news, or thrilling fiction.

I think there's a need for "quieter" books to satisfy the reading needs of the fifty per cent of the population who are introverts. I'm thinking of one if those mega best-selling fantasy series which has a reputation for the wholesale slaughter of its characters. That's not the sort of book I want to read, or write. But that raises a tension between "quiet" storytelling and creating enough conflict to keep the reader engaged.  And to get the main character involved In the story the stakes have to be high enough to motivate them to take action.

I had this problem with the end of Panthera : Death Song.  Towards the end of the book a crucial court hearing takes place.  It's vitally important for Panthera's future, but having trained as a Solicitor (Attorney), and having sat in courtrooms listening to hearings, I know how boring they can be.  I needed to spice up the story around the trial.  I needed more danger.  Cue handy riots outside the courthouse, and an attempted kidnap.

I have almost the same problem at the end of Jade, the novel I'm editing now.  I've got my heroine giving evidence to a hearing that's vitally important for protecting my sentient planet.  Even so, I can't make that boring for the reader.  Cue a breakdown in the communications link, and an attempt to murder my heroine.

I've had to add a whole new section to the end of the novel to create this extra tension and danger.  When I first wrote the book fifteen years ago I didn't even know there was a problem with it. But exposure to books like Robert McKee's Story and Christopher Vogler's  The Writer's Journey have shown me why the novel didn't work originally. It's often the case that I need to add more danger to my stories.