If I haven’t been posting my miraculous success as a morning person, you can interpret that fairly easily, right?

I did get up early today, but I couldn’t THINK. How am I supposed to finish a book without thinking?

I’ve definitely learned a few things about myself in this process. One thing: getting up early isn’t as difficult as I thought. But: If I don’t have the right kind of writing to do, it’s hard to STAY UP.

(Yes, I went back to bed after twenty minutes of trying and failing to make traction. For a blissful thirty minutes of extra down comforter snuggle time. I’m not ashamed.)

The kind of writing I can do with my eyes squinting at the screen is raw, new, pile-on-the-words drafting.

Not plotting. Not editing. Not revision. The plotting has to be done already, and the next scene bullet-pointed out so I know what bells I need to ding before we close down and move on.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve turned into a PLOTTER.

I’ve been a Pantser my whole life—

What? Pantser? It’s from “by the seat of my pants” and it’s an actual term.

—my whole life, I was saying. I have scorned the idea that I’m a Plotter. And in fact I’ll admit that I didn’t plot the first half of this book, so maybe this new label is premature. Need to start my NEXT book and then we’ll see.

(A cold shiver just went up my back. I might be a little superstitious. As in, don’t talk about your next book before the current book is finished, you fool.)

At the moment, I’m living and dying by the outline. If I didn’t have it all marked down on my notes file or in my little notebook in my purse, I’d be the new poster child for insomnia.

Instead I’m the poster girl for Can I Get My Novel Done This Week?

Maybe. Stay tuned.