25,800 Words and Writing Schedule

Hit 25,800 words today.

Some people have asked how I do it, what's my schedule, any tips, etc.

I hate to be coy, but I really don't know. The only thing I can think to say isn't really advice, because I know some people write this way and some don't. But I have found it most effective to outline a work thoroughly, especially a longer work. (I don't really outline short stories.) So when I sit down to write, it's only after years of thinking generally about a story, letting the general plot and main characters settle into my imagination, and after weeks of outlining it down to a pretty detailed level (e.g. I don't block fights, but I do know when and how many fights will occur). So I'm not thinking of new ideas and trying to make plot elements fit together when I'm at the computer. I'm free to think of dialogue and symbols and make those work the way I want them to.

PS. You'll also notice the word count tends to lurch forward 2k or so every other day. I need the intervening day to proofread and smooth over points of continuity, as well as to think of how the next chapter will mesh and follow through on what I have.

As I say, that's not "prescriptive" so I don't know how helpful it will be to anyone.