I’m 39 pages and 17,000 words into “Message in a Bottle” and I have most of the foundation laid, with only a few key scenes left to sketch. From here, I’ll just fill in details, go off on a few tangents and tell as many tales as it takes to fill the pages.

Last year, I religiously wrote 2500 words a day, never less, not much more. I wanted to control my momentum, keep from reaching dead spots. This year, my schedule is more chaotic and so is my writing schedule. Because my novel is already well developed, I’m confident that working in the empty spaces will be plenty of time to get this done.