regular world. people hiding or disguising themselves work as part of this. or simply people watching the inner world from outside, wishing they could get in. a first chapter could give the main character a chance to get in and then they see the price of it, and refuse -- if the price is hurting someone else, or giving up their friends, for example.
i often find myself writing whiny characters myself, even though i hate whiny characters that other writers write. is this because i am whiny and aware of it, and hate it in myself? or simply because whiny characters talk more and do less? i want characters who 