Was thinking about the fact that nothing happens in this ms. That sounds like a bad thing, but maybe it's a key to pulling this together. Sometimes the entire point is that nothing happens. Sometimes in life we want something to happen, and when it doesn't we get frustrated and disappointed.

What does my character want? That's the tricky thing; she doesn't know what she wants. In fact, she's been taught all her life not to want. Her duty is to serve and support others. So maybe I need to think about that, about what the character arc is in terms of inner goals. It's already tough to work with a character who has negative goals--who wants something not to happen (this has been a subject of discussion many, many times over the years among writers I know, and I don't think we've ever completely come to grips with how to handle it). But I don't think I've ever had a character with no goals. Maybe part of the story is allowing herself to want something? Not sure. I think it's an important idea, because it speaks directly to what interests me about this ms--females and powerlessness in relationships.

I think maybe the thing to do for now is get the ms into basic shape, then set it aside and let the goal/character/theme stuff jell in the back of my mind. That's the only thing that will pull this ms from "nothing happening" to having something to say and giving the reader something to think about.