I've been a woman possessed this week. Since last Wednesday, I've added 12k words to my WIP. Hollah! I wish I could tie up my muse and force him (yes, he's male, I write romance, people) to stick around until I finish this thing--but he doesn't respond well to threats. So I will exploit him while he's here and get everything I can out of this streak.

I'm also happy to report that during this streak I've been able to just write without that b*tch of an internal editor (yes, she's a chick) holding me back. I know that I'll have to go back and revise and tighten up motivations, inject better words for the place-holding adverbs and weak verbs, and deal with how best to arrange the chapters in this dual timeline story, but the story is On. The. Page. Which is most important for me right now. I'm still not sure how long this one will end up being, but I'm thinking another 20-30k will get me to where I want to go.

Then I can enter my favorite part of the process--revising. (Yes, I know, I'm insane to enjoy that part. But once I have a rough draft, my anxiety level decreases and my mind can relax and see the story more clearly.)

Alright, now a friendly reminder: next Tuesday is the Let's Talk Blogfest! We have seventy people signed up, so if you want to be part of the cool kids, go here and sign up. It's going to be a lot of fun and get can all kinds of new people to your blog (and there's even a prize involved). For those of you who have signed up--thanks--and I hope you've got your excerpt ready. I look forward to reading everyone's contributions. :)

So, how's your WIP going? What's the gender of your muse or internal editor? Do you find you write in big bursts then hit a wall and have to wait for the next streak to hit or are you more methodical?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Don't Go Away" - Buckcherry

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

I know there is the age old debate of plotting vs. pantsing, but I think there is another issue that goes hand in hand with that one. Most of the advice you hear about that first draft is to just write and stuff a sock in the mouth of that internal editor so the creative muse can sing. This method can work for plotters and pantsers alike. Get the words on the page and worry about them later, right? Hell, otherwise NaNo would be a true impossibility.

However, as I write my first draft of this new novel, I'm starting to realize that I'm not so good at full out freewheeling like I was in my first two novels. I can freely write whatever scene I'm working on that day without worrying about every little thing. But, I have a hard time the next day not going back over what I wrote the previous day and doing some tweaking and editing or all out cutting. I also need time after I finish writing a scene to think through what I wrote and how I want to proceed in the next scene. Because although I do some rough outlining before starting, I only know the major strokes of the story, so I'm not always sure what I want to happen next.

Therefore, it seems that with this book thus far I'm more of a rewinder than a freewheeler. I'm not sure what the cause of this is. Am I not as confident in my story? Have I been studying craft so much that I'm second guessing myself? Or is just that each book has it's own personality and the its own way of wanting to be written? I honestly don't know.

What do you think? Has this ever happened to you? Are you able to freewheel or are you more of a rewinder?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Backslider" - The Toadies

(player in sidebar, take a listen)