The ideas keep coming.

Went on a 6 mile hike yesterday, but didn't stop to write this time. I just let the ideas flow, and the ideas just kept on coming. I think that's a sign that a story is going to become a book. There is plenty of material.

I kept asking myself -- how can I make this surprising? How can I make it bigger?

As the ideas flowed, I realized that I needed to nail down the mythos of this world, so that the plot makes sense. I have a tendency to try to fit the mythos into the plot instead of the plot into the mythos.

The tone is light, while the story is dark. That seems to be about right.

I'm at that point in the book where I've figured out at least half the book, but have very little idea what is going to happen in the second half of the book. I haven't decided yet if figuring out the ending early is a good thing or a bad thing.

I love to discover the story as I go along, but I also know how easy it is to write myself in a corner. However, I trust my subconscious much more these days -- trust that it will deliver a coherent satisfying ending.

The trick is not to make substantial changes in the middle of the book. Additions and subtractions are fine on a first draft, but changing the plot is not.

I'm not pushing it. If the ending comes to me, so be it. If not, so be it.

I'll just keep writing.