Writing the Second Novel: Three Things to Consider

I "started" novel number two this month, although I'm realizing that the verb "to start" is a slippery one. But I'm finding it useful to change up my process this time.

Here's what I'm doing differently:

1) I've got myself a new Scrivener program, which is going to make my research organize itself. Well, I hope so, anyway. Because novel number two is historical (Vietnam War), I'm going to have copious notes to keep track of. So far, I love Scrivener, which has all kinds of nifty gadgets for organizing characters, scenes, and locations, and umpteen methods of outlining. Anybody else out there in blog-land using it?

2) I'm starting out with an intensive "Next Level Plotting Workshop" run by Joyce Sweeney and Jamie Morris. The workshop runs this weekend, from Friday through Sunday in Mount Dora, Florida, and Joyce says we're barely going to budge from our computers for the whole 48+ hours, so I expect to come back with not only a good chunk of writing, but an outline or plan that I'm proud of. I'm not sayin' I'll stick with it (novel number one was written seat-of-the-pants.) But I have very good intentions.

3) In spite of the fact that marriages between journals and humans are not yet legal in the State of Florida, I'm unofficially joined at the hip with my (paper) notebook. I plan to take it everywhere, so whenever I have a brilliant idea, Lo, I also have a place to immortalize it. So many of those Eureka! moments got lost during the writing of my last novel -- they got scrawled down on cocktail napkins or matchbook covers (then promptly misplaced) or not written down at all. This time, no matter how dumb or misguided the notion seems at the moment, it's going into the notebook (a very pretty leather one with its own little strap). I can sort the wheat from the chaff later, when I'm recollecting my emotion in tranquility.

So, anybody else changing things up for their second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) shot at literary greatness? Tell me your tricks.