Phase Two, Day 2: Write the Thing

If planning is the procrastination stage, then I'm okay so far. I'm at 6,122 words right now. I've got a decent lead at this point, but it's mostly because I've not got much of an exciting life. I'm visiting in Indiana with my friend Susan right now, and she has been informed that I'm not to nap or sleep until I've got a decent word count-- every day!

Tomorrow, I'll do better! But I've stopped for today at a point that will be easy to slip back into tomorrow. So far, I haven't written all drivel. It's sort of coherent at least. Since I ditched completion of a full outline, I'll be regretting it soon. Tomorrow, after I reach my word count, I'm going to type in my possible chapter headings and numbers, with maybe a note on what could happen in the chapter. At least this way I'll have a bit of guidance for potential writer's block.

I don't find it particularly effective to dwell on what I haven't finished. The characters are pretty much ingrained in me, because most of them are in my previous book. I pull other character's traits out of... thin air. Then I throw situations at the characters and see how they react. It can be fun or annoying depending on how what I WANT my characters to do differs from what they WOULD do! Major continuity conundrums ensue.