Focus and control have the been the hardest thing for me to learn as a writer. It took many manuscripts of "going down the wrong road" and major rewrites to listen to the little voice inside my head that told me I needed to look ahead and reorganize my thoughts. I've always been a plotter, but that doesn't mean my plotting/outline doesn't change as I write the book. I need to make sure those changes are going in the right direction.

I stay as far away from word count as possible. For some reason it messes with me head when I look at word count. Progress for me is writing a scene. Editing a scene, or whatever with a scene. I also move in acts. When I get a TP, I go back, evaluate, then look at head to the next TP before moving on. The only time I measured in word count was the one year I participated in NaNoWriMo. And while I got a book out of it, it was a one hell of a rewrite.

Thanks for all the lovely tips and tidbits. You always keep me grounded. Thanks!