What is my time writing like?
What total BS.
A lot of my "writing time" isn't spent in front of the computer at all. A lot of it spent gazing out a car window with my chin on my hand, seeing demons and angels instead of endless plains of sagebrush. A lot of it is spent in the shower with hot water pounding on my back, blinking soap out of my eyes, and trying to imagine what a den of blood-suckers would smell like. A lot of it is spent rambling at my husband, who nods helpfully and offers often-ridiculous plot ideas just to show he's listening. (I married the bastard for a reason.) A lot of it is spent stretched out in bed, my fat cat laying on my hips to my chin, purring and cleaning the same spot on my wrist for hours while I dream of conversations. A lot of it is spent nibbling at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of my screen, reading what I've already written.
Of course, this isn't to say I don't have more productive periods. I once wrote 50,000 words in two days. That was pretty much non-stop writing for twelve to sixteen hours straight on those two days, and that's the image a writer wants to project: productivity. Also, when I'm editing, I can usually do that for hours on end, since it takes less creativity and more objective, analytical thought. However, this sort of thing is rare. I try to spend as much of my supposed writing time in my home office with the door locked to help me look more productive, while really I'm slurping tea by the gallons and playing a video game (what us gaming writers affectionately call "brain-storming").
How do you kindly folks spend your writing time? And if you say "I actually write the whole time," I'll either laugh at you in disbelief or hate you forever. Risk it if you dare. *piercing stare*
