Yes, this is what writing a novel feels like

It's been a while since I was writing a new novel from scratch. The Willow Maiden first draft is years old, and the current draft (about draft 3 though parts of it are more like draft 6) still needs major work, especially the last two thirds.But I'm really glad I've started this shiny new project. When I started, I thought, this will be good practice. An experiment to see if I can come up with something for the TNEO workshop this summer that's new and different from what I've written before. If I get some feedback while the idea is still new, it might be more helpful in deciding where to go with the novel, or even whether to continue it at all. Once you've got a completed draft and certain ideas and concepts have been set, it is harder to change them, as I've learned from experience.Now I'm in full novel mode, which for me means that even when I'm not writing, I'm thinking about the characters and the situations and seeing through their eyes and outlining scenes in my head. Yes, I remember feeling like this with the first novel. It feels good.