I'm going to be playing the question-and-answer game with The Four Powers today.  That involves me going through what I've already written, making a "what we know" list and a list of questions brought up by events, character commentary and whatnot.  Then I try to come up with the answers to those questions so I can write them into the story.

This is what happens right about chapter 6 when I start out without a clear idea of what's happening.  I have a backchat page, which is a basic overview of the major plot points and who's where and why, but the real details come out in my Q & A.

I'm not going to lie, I really love this part of my writing.  It gives me a chance to take the toy into my hands, turn it around and look at it from all sides, and start pulling strings and pushing buttons.  It's a way to play "what if I did this" without dedicating all the time and effort into weaving something into the whole cloth of the story when I might just end up ripping it out again.

I have all these funny little guideposts and milestones in my writing.  If I start something new and get to page 5 before the first writing session peters out, then I know I'll keep going.  If it's less than that, I almost always stall.  If I get to page 15, then I'm more confident I'll finish the piece.  Once I get past chapter 3, then I know I'll finish the book.  Once I get to chapter 6, it's Q and A time.  At Chapter 10, I'm able to smell the finish line and it's just a race to see if I can keep up with the story as it gallops along.

Do any other writers have these self-imposed milestones?  Do you do the Q & A with yourself? Or are you more organized and "put together" than that, so that you already know what will happen, when and where, before you put pen to paper?

I'm curious about other people's methods of working.  If you can, please take a moment and tell me how you do it.  I'm sure every writer has his or her own process.  It fascinates me.