(my inspiration for the mage's tower)
Why do I empathize so much with my characters? For two weeks I've been writing this scene, and have only been able to write a few sentences at a time. The wizard's fear and anxiety is my own, and I can't tolerate putting myself into it for a long period of time.
I keep thinking about Heath Ledger after filming The Dark Knight. The theory at the time was he had gotten so into playing the character of the Joker that it got to his head.
Back to writing. Keep a thought out for Gakulisan and Foltez that they make it through this trial unscathed. And possibly me as well. :)