Thursday's thing to love...writing time!

Writers never have enough time. At least, not the ones that I know! Come to think of it, most of the people I know don't have enough time. But one of the things that I love about writing is that the ideas can continue to percolate even when no official "writing time" is to be found.

This week is a classic example. I've been way too busy with the new contract job to do much of my usual writing--and yet, by keeping stories and ideas at the top of my mind, the stories are continuing to form in my subconscious. Sometimes I think it's better when I'm too busy to write "officially." I love those days when I can tap the keys for three or four hours at a stretch, but I need the other times, too; the times when my subconscious spends hours working in the background, trying to fit together different puzzle pieces.

I have a new fantasy novel idea that I've been playing around with since this past summer. I sat down and wrote piles of notes and a general plot outline--but when I decided to write the book, I didn't have enough substance for the characters, world, and story to spring to life. I needed to daydream about characters having conversations with each other. I needed to listen to New York Public Radio's Radio Lab show, so that I could fill one of the holes in my story with one of the fascinating facts I heard on the show. I needed to listen to news stories for a few weeks through the filter of my story's questions. I needed to listen to kids' conversations and start finding voices for my characters.

At some point, the story ideas reach some critical mass and I can't sleep until I pour them out onto the page. So the downside of the lack of writing time is that I've been doing my writing between 11:00 pm and 2:00 am, and I'm not a night owl.

But today...today, I have a bit of time to spread my current project across all the desks and tables in office/family room. I'll have real time, not just borrowed time. Maybe I'll sleep better for a few nights after this!

:) Cheryl