Writing, like any art, is creative exploration. In my own case, that works best if I follow my inspiration. I probably finished, or came close to finishing, the first draft of my latest novel half a dozen times. When inspiration comes, don’t turn away from it. If it suggests you write, write! If it suggests you edit, edit! It may also suggest you kill out your favorite characters, lose your favorite scenes, or re-distribute whole chapters. It may not be what you had planned, but if you keep pushing forward you will likely be much more excited by whatever you and your muses write together than you would have been by following only your own original plans and concepts.
Bob Edward Fahey
Novelist, teacher, celebrity masseur
Bob Edward Fahey 
Reblogged this on Anne T Kerrigan and commented:
I honor all of my writing mentors and teachers. I would like to give a special acknowledgment to Bob Edward Fahey. His words today here on his blog and his replies to me on the VFA page gave me new hope. Thank you for your encouraging words!
There are so many folks out there writing hack genre and my intuition suggests you’re not one of these. Too many people stick too closely to rules. Never split an infinitive, never start with a conjunction, end with a preposition, make a chapter longer than 20 pages or shorter than one. Always make an outline, and follow it precisely. If everyone’s writing about vampires, then that is what you must write about. Never use a word you can’t find in a dictionary, never use adverbs, adjectives, or exclamation points. Never ever use passive voice. Sentences must be subject/verb/object – subject/verb/object – subject/verb/object – … When I come across writing by authors so tightly constricted the only thing that keeps me awake through more than three pages is the cramp in my masseter muscles from all the yawning. So good for you, Ms. Kerrigan. You are an artist. Artists question. Artists explore. Artists invent their own rules.
Always let your art thrive in a world of surprises.