My target word count for my scifi/horror/fantasy novel is about 100,000, with two sequels planned in the work. I'm not attached to either number, it's just a completely arbitrary way for me to measure progress for book1 while designing literary cohesion with potential book2&3. I plan on going hard on Good Politics™ in the third book, before that it's mostly setup and dog whistles.
Outlines, character sheets, drafts of paragraphs/chapters that haven't had their book/chronology set in stone yet. Wild stuff.
Anyways, unsolicited advice on any aspect of fiction novel writing would be appreciated, no matter how random!
It's kind of hard advice to just immediately work into your process but you gotta feel stuff. Trust that your politics will shine through and just go with whatever makes you excited, or angry, or sad.
Planning makes it all go more smoothly but I personally avoid feeling locked into a plotline. Often having a vague idea of two disconnected plot points and no idea of how to connect them is when the best stuff emerges. You'll be establishing character relationships, feeling a little lost as to how to progress, and then something you wrote in dialogue will just slam a character into the right spot. It's the best feeling.