At some point, I start to feel itchy. That’s the best word I have for it. Scenes start popping into my thoughts. Characters too. Inklings of plot arc. That’s when I start using the Notes folder.
This folder contains a development diary. Each day, I create a new entry and write. Word count is meaningless at this point. I’m not even trying to write anything for the book yet. I just try to write something each day.
Early on, these entries take the form of Socratic dialogs with myself, as I work out ideas. Eventually, I start writing short scenes and test pieces for these ideas.
Image: Jack London writing in 1905, as pictured in The Book of Jack London (1921) by his wife Charmian London. The photograph is captioned “The Sea Wolf”, the name of Jack’s novel published the previous year. He is seated outside, amongst boulders and trees. From the Public Domain Image Archive.