Start of 1st Draft, the Pantser Strikes Again!

I'm into the first 5,000 words of one of the most frightening experiences a writer faces: a new book. At the moment, I'm doing this one as a "pantser" instead of a "planner." I heard those terms on a video podcast interview. There are two basic methods of organizing a novel, planning the plot with an outline and sticking to it, or writing it raw by the "seat of your pants."

This one, the third and final (I think) book of a trilogy that has, oddly enough, one character in common, is different from anything I've yet attempted. It's just been a diversion away from the 2nd book before I return for what I hope will be the final edit. I had hoped to stop this first draft after 5,000 words (which should happen tomorrow at the latest), and then return to the other. We'll see...

In the meantime, I will return here now and then, but only more frequently if it ever seems likely that someone is reading these words.

But I'll leave this vacuum for now...