At some point between drafts 1 and 2 of Dying Screams, I realised the novel had very few men in it, other than the antagonists.
Twelve-year-old me decided this was a problem. I mean, most movies and books have loads of men in them! Boys, too! And all the good guys in my book, other than briefly-mentioned husbands and fathers, are women!
This was a serious problem that needed to be resolved.
Then it hit me. Of course. It’s obvious. All I needed to do was age up the protagonist, and she could have a male love interest! Perfect! That completely fixed the problem!
I’m not sure how twelve-year-old me would have felt if she knew the love interest she created simply to fix this problem has featured in every draft since, outlasting characters that at the time were her favourites.
And is now a girl.