Night Train

Noel the Ultimate Proofreader's thoughts on my writing alone seem to have struck a chord. Noel's normally right, so whether I was really listening or not never entered the equation. The fact that he said it was enough.
Writing as I do at night (mainly), sometimes gives me a feeling that I'm on some kind of night train, heading out on a journey whose ultimate conclusion is uncertain. However, the timing of this conclusion, I've come to understand, must not be uncertain - at least, I have to ensure that the timing is not uncertain.
It's now the middle of November, and I'm really pleased with the level of writing and the level of depth, or strength, I've achieved so far. After a year or so of thought, consideration and notes, the output of prologue and first three chapters - although written in a different order to which they now appear - gives me great cause for optimism.
I have certain vaguenesses concerning one or two events in the future happenings inside the tale, but they are largely deliberate (honest!) in that I want some form of flexibility in the writing of these events. I feel they are too important to attempt to decide right now, although I have already decided most of the future directions from this early point. I do want a new idea or two to jump out at me, and I hope this is a good way of allowing space for them to do just that. The ending of the first book (oh yes, there is to be a second book at least) has already been decided, so only a handful of roads can be taken before this ending. And there are some already-written chapters to help me decide the right way to go.
By the end of January, I hope to be about a third of the way in. This may not be a realistic aim. Then again, I may be even further along than that. It's impossible to say. But if I do get at least that far, then it's probable that I'll be on that part of the journey that can be described as the most critical: trying to find an agent. I may not actually be at a good enough point to enable me to send it off to agents, but I will be considering it seriously round about then.
I can tell you, the point I'm at right now seemed light years away when I first began it all. The mixed-up thoughts, the jumble of ideas, the vague events - I tied myself in knots trying to sort everything out, to unravel what I was thinking, feeling.
Jeez, to be able to even consider January to be a deadline!
So: January. Yeah. Has to be January.
This is becoming real now.