it’s that voyage of discovery; never knowing what’s coming up over the horizon. Whole new characters might appear and do - who knows what? Someone might suddenly blurt something you had no idea they were going to say and send the tale spiralling off in a direction you’d never even dreamt of, and that’s what makes it all so damn strange and wonderful and magical and fun.

Oh yes, most definitely I totally get this. I find that, even in a story I have mapped out beforehand, the unexpected often happens. It's a very organic type of thing - the way unexpected stuff pops up, making the story grow in unpredictable ways.

I'm finding that is most definitely the case with Immersion, which began as a couple of snippets with no direction whatsoever. After a short while, it became clear to me where it was headed, and I've had a plan for it in my head ever since. But the path it is taking to get there is anything but direct, and all the more fascinating for me to write as a consequence. Naomi, in particular, keeps surprising me, much to my delight!