This is something hhertzof and I were talking about the other day. If the other day can be construed as a week, or perhaps two weeks, ago. It's about how we write.

I have to have in my head (or on paper, or both) the whole story before I start writing. It might change as I write it, but before I put finger to keyboard, I know where I'm starting and where I'm finishing, regardless of the length of the story. If it's short enough then it'll all be in my head, if it's long then I'll have to write it down. When it came to Sarah Jane of the Chalet School my notes were on a spreadsheet, it got that complicated.

When I was reading RTD's book I found he does pretty much the same thing, although he does the actual writing part far more quickly.

I'll spend days, or longer, thinking about scenes. Sometimes I can quite happily spend an hour in bed at the weekend thinking about it all and never pick up a book because I'm too preoccupied. Plus reading involves opening my eyes, putting my glasses on and admitting I'm not going to get back to sleep. The trouble comes when I have to put pen to paper and I have it all in my head, but once I start to write it all goes. Even if it's just a moment before.

For example, that short paragraph up there? I stopped and thought about what I was going to say before I wrote that, but when I came to write it that's all I could remember. It was a longer paragraph in my head.

So how do you write yours? (although it's probably a bit early for the Cadbury's Creme Egg adverts)