Protect the middle

Every draft sags here

Somewhere past a third of the way, the excitement of the opening is gone and the ending is still far. This is where most first drafts are abandoned. Expect it, and do not take it as a sign the book is bad.

The map is a compass

You will discover things the map did not know: a chapter that needs splitting, a character who wants something else, an argument that leads somewhere better. Follow them if they serve the question from day 1. Update the map in a line or two, and keep writing.

When you are stuck

Do not stare at the hard part. Skip it. Write [the scene where they argue] or [explain the pricing model here] and move to the next part you can actually see. Often the gap is easier to fill later, when you know what comes after it.

Other ways through:

• Write the scene or section badly, on purpose, in a list.
• Write a letter to your reader about what you are trying to say here.
• Change the place you write for one day.

Keep the streak

The streak is the point this week. A short day is fine; a skipped day costs two.

Done when

You are past the halfway point of your map, and the hard moments were skipped and marked, not fought.