In the beginning...

When I start a new story, I'm always excited. Two or three of the main characters are already in my mind as complete people. I know what they look like, what they do for a living, their general outlook on life, and one or two of their quirks. I know their relationship to each other, though not necessarily how they get along.

I always know the main plot. In fact, the writing goes a lot smoother when I flow chart both the main plot and the sub-plots and where they connect to each other. The chart is simple, written in pencil on graph paper, which let's me easily change it if I want to. And I frequently do, at least a little.

I have a clear picture of the beginning and the end of the story. Sometimes, I write both those chapters first because they keep nagging at me if I don't. Together they make up about twenty to thirty pages.

It's those pesky three hundred pages in the middle that are the problem.

Status: 3,478 words, 76,522 to go.