Forget 'Beginning, Middle, End...'

First point: The daily goal thing has been going pretty well and I've been regularly exceeding it. I've aimed for 1,000 words per day and by the fifth day I have just over 8,000 words written. Yay me.

Second point: As much as it pains me to say this, I was wrong. I take back what I say about the chapter-by-chapter plans, at least in my case. But hey, we all make mistakes. It seemed like a good idea at first and the point still stands that it is a big help for writer's block, but after five days of writing i've found that it stifles my creativity.

I'm still following a basic version of the plan that I have stored in my head, but I'm mainly making it up as I go along now, which is working well and I'm starting to get into the flow of things, which brings me to --

My main point: after getting past the difficult opening, which I always struggle with in everything I write, I'm starting to get the hang of it. Now everything's coming to me quite quickly and boy, I'm loving it!

This had led me to a little theory of mine. I think a manuscript - be it a novel, novella, novelette or whatever - can be split into three sections, from a writing point of view that is.

These sections are the opening - the awkward part where nothing much is happened because you can't just jump to the point, but you have to introduce everything and still be interesting. This is, in my opinion, the most difficult stage or writing.

Second, the body - the majority of the manuscript, where the story unfolds and it gets easier to write. The most enjoyable part from most writers, I reckon.

Third, the very end - the last chapter or even just the last page where the writer has to think of an ending that will wrap the story up nicely and make the reader pause for a moment and smile before moving onto their next book. It can be easy to worry about this and fret about what you're going to write, although, thankfully, it's not as difficult as writing the opening. Plus, once you've finished, it'll make you pause and smile, too. Nothing like the sense of accomplishment in finishing something you've written.

So, it may just be me, but that's my opinion. Thoughts?