Last week, I managed to sit down and write a scene from start to finish, and put it neatly in my folder of necessary scenes. I would like to point out that this is progress, although it’s not as speedy as I would like. It’s also a lot more plotsy-plotsy than I usually am when I’m writing a first draft.

I’m enjoying it, although I don’t think I could have gotten to the point of writing that without the choppy, experimental scenes that I did write in my first draft. This is more polished right off the bat, and maybe even orderly.

If I continue to do this–and maybe do it a little faster–without any kind of deviation from the plan, no “look, a plot bunny!” behavior, I should have a finished and relatively polished manuscript by the end of April.

Which would be nice, particularly if I intend to go to the conference I have my eye on. Obviously, being at a conference with a manuscript in hand would be better than being there without one. I’d still be able to drool on all the nice agents and authors, and attend workshops, but having a manuscript does have it’s benefits. It’s one of the things that would make a difference in whether to spend the money NOW or wait until later.

The scene did, in fact, come in close to (a little over) my allotted number of words. Good for it! And I’m pleased with the results.

I’m going to walk away quietly, now, before I jinx the whole thing by being over-confident. Hubris is always punished, you know. **Not falling into that trap.**