Character Outline Update

The time has come for another quick update on my novel in progress. I gave myself the deadline of having my character outline done by tonight, and I'm happy to say that I have met that deadline. I went over how I do character outlines in my previous post, so I hope it provided some needed insight for you. Now, it's time for the fun stuff, you know, the actual writing part of being a writer. As I write this, my wife is watching Brave Heart, and I can't help but feel like Mel Gibson, aka William Wallace before battle. The time for talk and preparation is over, and it's now time for action. Writing a book is like going to war with yourself. There will be days of victory when the words spill out of you like fine wine, and then there will be days when they look like an oil spill. Both kinds of days are important and needed. So what's next? My goal is to try and write at least 1,000 words per day, much easier than my previous deadlines as a ghostwriter of 5,000 words per day. I am setting a word goal for myself because it will push me forward no matter what, even on those oil spill days. That's the ultimate aim during the first draft, keep moving forward and don't look back. My focus isn't necessarily on the quality at this point. Don't get me wrong, I'm still trying, but I'm wanting to just get the words out of my brain to tell the story I'm trying to tell. I can go back and rearrange, delete, or add any time I want during the editing and rewrites. Remember, rewrites are your friend. Also, that pesky perfectionist mindset will only paralyze you in the long run, especially during the first draft. Like I said, I just need to write and keep writing until the draft is done, not perfect. So, that is my next goal and deadline. I'd like to have at least one chapter written by this time next week. As for the next post, I'm thinking about a few topics in my head still. I'm going to try and keep the informational posts coming during this process, but when I'm in the heart of writing the book, it will mostly be updates like this one every week. I appreciate the support, thanks for reading, and don't hesitate to ask me any thoughts or questions you may have!