Self sufficient self starter

Did draw. Don't know how long. How long is PJ Harvey's "To Bring You my Love"? I listened to it one and a half times while I drew. I like how it's coming together, but it isn't exactly working the way I planned. The charcoal isn't staying down like I thought it would. Don't know if that's the paper or the Gesso or both. I'm going to go over it a bit with sandpaper. I sandpapered last time so that might make a difference. Plus I like the effect. The composition may not be the most dynamic but it's early still. I plan on using the page no matter how it turns out. Finish it and all that. (plus, it's my first attempt, I'm not trying to impress anybody (well not much))I am wondering about using ink after all. I can get tighter lines and draw smaller details than I can with anything else. We'll see. I'm trying not to rush. There's really no need to rush and the process itself requires a building up over time. I'd be nice to scan the page and print it, then I could try different effects, like ink, with a little more forgiveness. Or at least a light table. Scanning and printing seemed a good idea, especially since I already have the means to make it happen, but looking at the work so far I'm concerned how much detail will scan. Shows I'm learning something, I guess.
I think the anatomy of the figures is alright. I'm pleased that I seem to know where certain lines go without reference to a model or a book. I just hope they don't turn out looking too stiff. I have a tendency to make things stiff.
I can see in my head where'd I like to go, but I'm not sure how to get there, if I can get there or if I should try to get there. It comes down to how much of the process do I want to try to control and how much should come naturally.
But at the very least, I actually started something today!