Thanks for that clarification, stevengepp. I always had that pressuring idea I had to bang out a whole novel draft, and always felt stupid when it never worked.

And it's itching me to start, too. Being at the actual place where the story's set, walking the characters' places, is like a creative catalyst.

Oh, and don't worry too much about the YA-word count. I've read YA-books that were certainly way over 100k, and, no, it wasn't fantasy.