Writing on spec, an author has to set self-imposed goals to finish a book, even if it’s to write one page a day. Thus I decided I’d finish one book proposal every two months through December. I’m now on my third month and am still working on the first WIP. So much for progress. My goal has shifted: I’d like to finish this proposal by the end of the year. What happened to throw me off? Many things: travel plans (visit my website to see photos from England!), retired husband, legal matters, and any other excuse you can find. The biggie, as I see it, is that this is a complex story and part one of a six book series. So my initial proposal must encompass the series as a whole. Each story involves a different hero, but they are all members of a team introduced in book one. I have to characterize not just my hero/heroine for this story, but all seven guys (one is killed off along the way). I need to weave in a plot thread to connect all the stories and lay the groundwork for clues in book one toward the climax in book six. So while I’ve written the first forty pages of the story, I’ve come to a halt in the synopsis. What happens after the next few chapters? I have to plot ahead before my writing will take off again. This necessitates more research. I’ve decided to focus on Norse mythology and ancient runes, so I’m reading up on the subject now. How I’ll use it in the story remains to be seen. The good thing is that I have no deadline. I can take as long as necessary to lay the proper groundwork, plan out the relevant points for the next five books, and then proceed when ready. The glory is when it all comes together and the writing flows.