I’ve had a very productive last two days. I’ve written about 5,000 words each day, and now I think I’m really hitting the good part of book 4 (not that the other parts aren’t good, of course). There have been doubts about my writing plans, but I’m pushing through them for the moment.
It’s strange. Usually, the middle of the book is tough to write, but I’m actually having a lot of fun with it.
I’ve also adopted a new method. Recently, I’ve been more of a “seat of my pants” kind of writer. However, I read some great writing advice from Rachel Aaron. She was able to write more by outlining a scene shortly before writing it.
I always feel stifled by a rigid outline, but this method has worked wonders for me over the last two days. I usually think about my whole chapter in a big picture sense. Then the actual writing is filling in the details and possibly throwing in a few things I didn’t think of while outlining the chapter. This approach gives me both structure and flexibility, and I hope it continues to work so successfully. With the other demands on my time, I will take anything that can make my writing time more productive.
Ryan W. Mueller: Fantasy Author 