Wrote a new first chapter. Basically, I can take the middle of the first version of the second chapter and fit it into the middle of this chapter.

It's not action, though. It's planning, it's meeting two characters including the protagonist, it's set up, it's atmosphere.

Oh, well. I'm going with it.


Went for my walk and added some more. 1800 brand new words for the day. So I think I can do this. I have the story in my head, which is a huge advantage. I'm going to continue with this for now, as long as the words keep flowing.

I'm also allowing myself a fair amount of rewriting as I go along, which is another thing I've tried to avoid in the past. The rough outlines of a good story is here--I think it will really depend on whether I can find a good style and then stick to it.

So the rewrite will be even more important in this book than most.

Strange after having written so many words that I still find every book completely different. This is a real departure from the way I've been doing things, and it's risky because it entails all the pitfalls I've tried to avoid.

But there was a reason I fell into those pitfalls in the past, because it makes sense to restructure a book so that it is more immediate and to rewrite sentences and paragraphs so they are tighter. I think I've got enough experience under my belt not to tumble all the way into the pit.