I went on an authors retreat this weekend. Three of my buddies and I gathered in a cozy space in downtown Austin where we wrote, did 20-minute sprints, and brainstormed about our respective stories. One of the best outcomes for me was choosing a punishment for my dark fantasy characters whose actions had resulted in the deaths of others. I knew the punishment would have to be delivered in a dramatic way (read: public and gruesome) that would inflict maximum physical and emoti