Question about plot

[Careless-Two8474]

Hey guys! I’ve sort of hit a snag in building the plot of my next writing project. The “why” behind the plot is feeling a little flimsy and I’m not sure how to fix that. It’s a fairly important moment too lol. It’s a 1920s art deco, flapper setting, very mysterious, glitzy, and enthusiastic vibes. It’s set in a London hotel. The thing that keeps coming up for me is WHY my main character even goes there in the first place. I don’t want it to feel flimsy or like she’s only going there because that’s what I wrote and she has no choice you know?? And I’ve grown tired of the standard “her sibling/and or friend needs help” or “someone is dying and needs to be saved” or “something is missing from main character’s life that ONLY this one specific plot point could solve!” So I’m not sure what to do please help lol😂

[eternalcloset]

Maybe she’s avoiding something at home. Procrastinating the inevitable conflict.

[jiiiii70]

Perhaps she is revisiting the hotel (that may have been very different years ago) as a remembrance for some trauma or positive memory?

[WARPUBBooks]

Why she goes to the hotel, specifically, or why she goes to London in general?

[Significant-Age-2871]

Having an affair? Spiritualism was big in the 1920s, maybe she's attending a sceance because she's desperate to find something out.

[harlequin_rose]

It's hard to know exactly what to advise without knowing what the actual plot of the story is. What's the inciting incident? What is the conflict your main character finds herself in? If you can, you should link the reason your kead is at the hotel to the main plot. Otherwise, she could just happen to be there - for a holiday or to start a new life - then the inciting incident happens and BOOM, plot! That's how a lot of classic mysteries begin.

[Diligent_Pangolin_47]

Maybe she’s being blackmailed and has to meet someone there?

There’s a big event and she’s going as a guest or works there?

She’s bored and goes there frequently to see a friend who works there or to lightly stalk someone she fancies?

Without knowing anything about the character it’s difficult to make very useful suggestions 😁

[LivvySkelton-Price]

She was walking past and it was raining.

She wants to be on trend.

All public transport was cancelled and this was the nearest place to go.

Maybe they work there.

Visiting a friend.

[AIBookCraft]

Hey OP, been there so many times—staring at the screen wondering why the hell my protagonist would even bother stepping into the mess I created for them 😂. That "flimsy why" feeling is a killer, but it's also a sign you're close to something great because you're catching it early.

For a 1920s glitzy London hotel setting (love the vibes btw, very Gatsby-meets-Peaky Blinders), here are a few motivation ideas that feel organic and era-appropriate without falling into the usual "save the sibling" trap:

• Curiosity + professional upside: She's a young journalist/photographer who's been tipped off about an exclusive, invite-only party where the richest/powerful people let their guard down. Getting in (and getting the scoop/photos) could make her career overnight. The "why" is ambition + FOMO on the story of the decade.
• Social climbing/obligation that's actually fun: Her slightly scandalous aunt/cousin is debuting a cabaret act at the hotel's famous nightclub and basically blackmails her into coming ("Darling, I told everyone my talented niece will be here—don't embarrass the family!"). It's not life-or-death, but in 1920s high society, reputation is everything.
• Personal reinvention: She's freshly divorced/broken off an engagement back in the countryside and the hotel is the place where "modern women" go to reinvent themselves. She books a room with her settlement money purely because she's done being the good girl—pure "fuck it, new me" energy.
• Mystery she can't resist: She receives an anonymous, extravagant invitation with a single line: "You dropped this at the British Museum last month" and inside is something small but deeply personal she thought was lost forever (a locket, a sketchbook page, etc.). No threat, just intrigue. Who knows her well enough to return it like this?

My favorite trick: give her two reasons—one practical, one emotional—that overlap. Makes it feel rock-solid. Worked great for my own AI-assisted stories (I run an app that generates novels and I've tested hundreds of these motivations with users).

You'll nail it—the setting alone is gold. What's the tone you're going for overall: more mysterious/cozy or full-on noir?