I just updated my word count and I'm now at 18520. Definitely met my word goal for tonight, and then some!

And it's... working. It's funny, because I think most of the writing itself is crap, and will need major revisions, and yet, the story is there. The characters are there. They are already starting to become "real" in my head. I just jumped ahead some and wrote a scene that referred to the death of a major character, and I hadn't even thought to go there with him, but of course, in a war of this magnitude, people are going to die. There's no way around it.

I also realized that two of my characters - best friends since childhood - would find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the war. Again, it wasn't something I'd preplanned, but as soon as the thought occurred to me, the scene was there, the moment they themselves realized they were going separate ways and could very well never see one another again.

Hmmm... it sounds like my novel went dark all of a sudden, but I can see it all unfolding, even the eventually uplifting ending.

LOL! I think I'm sounding like a complete nutjob right now, and waaaay too pleased with myself, but yes, I am very happy with where this is all going.