Fantastic article. I'm a meticulous planner when it comes to writing a novel. I first come up with an ending, then work backwards with character profiles, chapter outlines, research, and so forth. So I am also able to typically manage between 1,000 and 2,000 words per day (whilst juggling other work).

Also, I too stop in the middle of scenes, for the very reasons you describe. My other trick is to never finish at the end of a chapter. I always write the first few hundred words of the next chapter too, so I don't feel I'm at a stopping point.

In this way, I usually have a first draft ready for Beta reading in three months. The fastest I've ever managed that was two months (with my gothic mystery novel The Birds Began to Sing - for some reason that one just tore itself out of my me).

Anyway, thanks again. Great article.