Damn me and my learning exercises.
I tend to write in a Mary Jane world where everyone just gets along. That means that I am not getting intercharacter tension. I need that. I'm cranking those cranks to increase those tensions. Early on, it's easy. Later on, and so much changes. Much like a waltz, when you get the turning going, the center of balance changes as well. I can now see the turning point for this dynamic. That changes the turn of the tale.