I don’t intend to write many progress reports here, but I did want to share how my day went today.

To be honest, I was nervous about starting the sequel to The Great Dagmaru before I finish editing it. I was torn – should I concentrate on finishing the first? Or start the next in order to see where the story is going, in case I’ve missed out any important details of my character’s lives that I can still write into the first book? As you might have read last a couple of days ago, I’ve chosen to go ahead. And I’m so happy I did.

My goal is 25,000 words, which means I have to write an average of a little over 800 words a day to achieve it by the end of the month. Today I wrote 1600 — and I don’t want to go to bed. I don’t want to stop.

Getting back into my beloved character’s lives is like stepping into a warm bath on a cold winter night. It’s like going on an adventure with a lover with no preconceived notion of where we’re going, only that we’ll be going together. It’s like once again haunting my loved ones: they have no notion that I’m there but I am, lovingly watching every step, hearing every thought, and gently rounding out every feeling so that they glow warmly on the page.

I truly truly love to write. And I’m so lucky to have the luxury to pursue my passion for it.