Split the day’s work evenly between short fiction and longer stuff.

In the morning, took the novel outline about as far as I want to go (want to outline the first part tightly, the second part loosely, and the last part not at all) before I start writing. I’ve got characters I love, and a scenario that seems compelling.

I’m not ready to talk openly about the novel too much yet, but I’ve explained the idea to Lena and she thinks it sounds great, so I’m encouraged that it’s worth my time. On top of that, I’m excited about it, and that maybe be the best measure of whether it’s time for me to get on with it.

In the afternoon, I hacked away at a King in Yellow themed short story called “No Mask Conceals the Sound of Her Voice.” It’s almost 7,500 words and I want it to be under 5,000… yet it keeps getting longer instead of shorter.

That’s pretty much my plan for the coming year or so. Try to finish the novel while still devoting about half my time to short fiction.