The reality is that I write much faster with a plan in place. This is version 3.0 of this book, and the first time that I actually created a plot outline. Versions 1.0 and 2.0 were hot messes and it took 4 times as long to write. I will stand by this, but it was because even though I had a vague idea of a start and finish, I had no idea how to get from point A to point B. That alone caused way to much wandering around in the dark looking for the path and created books that weren't even editable, much less publishable.
If you're reading this, and you're just starting out, please, please, please, don't give up hope. It's only after nearly three years and almost 1,000,000 words that I am even close to producing something that I wouldn't be embarrassed to publish.
The bonus is that I feel like my stamina is increasing too, though that is not evident in my tracking. After my daughter's wreck, with her car in the shop I have been back to Mom's Taxi Service, which severely cut into writing time. I am hoping that after she gets her car back and we settle into our routine again I can prove what I feel in the numbers.