Hello, dreamers. We are now halfway through the second week of National Novel Writing Month 2025.

I’m writing this on Tuesday night, having just completed the first chapter of this novel’s initial action sequence. I left everybody hanging, but in the coming chapter my characters will find their way through this (first) catastrophe, and come out more developed on the other side. The chapter I’ll be writing today will wrap that up, and then it will be time to move the story forward.

That, of course, leaves me thinking about the path to the end of this phase. So here’s the latest, and the outlook on the week ahead:

Aquarius 1

Part of writing a novel is always looking ahead to what comes next. I consider myself a plotter: a term used by writers for someone who writes with a clear outline of their novel (as opposed to pantsers, who just fly by the seat of their pants). However, I seldom write an actual outline; it’s all kept in my head.

I tend to picture each novel as a set of waypoints. In addition to the inciting incident, climax, and conclusion, every story is built around a series of key events. Every chapter that does not cover one of those events is an effort to build toward the next. Right now, I’m writing the first such event in this story. But I’ve already planned this out; changes will be made on the fly, but I know how this event will play out. So even as I write my way through this waypoint, I’m eyeing the path toward the next.

Once this crisis is past, I’ll be advancing the story by several weeks. By that point the characters will be settling into their lives aboard the Challenger. Scientists like Karen will be focused on parsing data from initial observations of the ocean moon, while the command crew (including Anita) will be preparing for braking maneuvers as they approach their destination.

Amid all of this, I’ll be doing something I don’t normally do this early in the story: splitting the main POV characters up. While Karen remains aboard the ship, Anita will be taking a small team to conduct an audacious repair mission on a malfunctioning orbital probe. As such, I’ll be splitting chapters between the two characters. My hope is that this will not only make it easier to settle into a groove, but also to better explore both characters.

All of this is building toward the end of phase one, during which the crew will arrive in orbit of the gas giant Al’umu. Originally I’d hoped to finish phase one this week. While I’m not sure that’s not within the realm of possibility, I’m uncertain at this point. The end of phase one may, in fact, come early next week. But in any event, I’m pleased with what I’ve written thus far, and eager to see where this story takes me next. – MK