A to Z of Things Writers Should Know About Writing: New

See? I told you I'd actually write about things not related to the two books I'm about to release into the wild. Can't help it, honestly. I know posting only about my books makes me a bore. Heck, it bores me to be so boring.

BUT! This is my shameless marketing plug for those of you who've missed recent events. Firstly, I'm still looking for people who'll spread the word, so if you'd like to help, please click here. Then, The Vanished Knight is back on Goodreads and available for pre-order. Click here for more info. 

Right. Now that's done. Time for the proper post.

New

If you're still new to the writing gig, you're probably approaching the whole thing with stars in your eyes. It's a wonderful feeling, that liberal sense of endless possibility mixed with the delusion that your muse is actually your friend.

In this time, you're going to find that you're very productive. You'll be able to churn out hundreds or thousands of words every day while you're exploring the characters, world and story.

If you're a veteran to the fiction writing gig, you'll be writing like a madman-or woman, trying to get as many words down as possible while the going is good.

Why? Because for most of us, the feeling of "newness" wears off around the time we hit the middle of the story. (The exception to this being those writers who can write 10k words per day, every day, for a week. I know exactly one such writer.)

The sucky thing about the newness wearing off at this particular point is that usually, the middles are the hardest parts to get right. Because the middle will usually be where you discover plot holes. The middle is where you'll find that your goal is too weak to sustain a story. Where you'll find that the stakes aren't what they should be. Where other characters start clamoring for the title of "Main Character".

So exactly when the newness fades (and perhaps because of it), we're faced with the harsh realities of our story. Mainly, those realities circle around the fact that the story really isn't as good as we thought. (More on this later.)

Either way, the middle is arguably the place where most people lose steam and give up.

Don't. Be. That. Person. 

Remember when I said that you need discipline more than inspiration? This is where the change happens. Once the newness is gone, you need to find it within yourself to keep going.

But while the story is new, get as much writing done as possible. The more you get done, the more momentum you have. Which in plain English means that the more you've written, the less intimidating the rest of the required word count will look.

So whatever you do, don't procrastinate while your story's new.

Because newness has a fixed expiry date. And your time's ticking.

Anyone here capable of huge word counts in a day? Do you also have your writing slump when the newness wears off? By how much?