Something I always talk about in schools is the role of luck and happenstance in writing. A character in my first book came from a hallway exhibit in the British Library - if we& #39;d left by another door, that wouldn& #39;t have happened, and the story changes completely. And when I

finished the second draft of my third book I had a pre-dinner/bathtime target, but missed and finished at 11:30pm - there& #39;s no way I& #39;d have written the same sentences without that enforced break.

One of the key things I learned as a writer was to be patient and trust this

process - the language WILL come, and the story will find its true shape.

Having to really trust in it just now. It seems like this would be an ideal time to get loads of writing done, but I& #39;ve got two kids (3yo and 5mo) and it is CONSTANT. I& #39;ve got way less time than before...

...so I have to write in scraps, and I& #39;m missing the headspace: the active thinking and procrastinating that& #39;s really where the thing is built before it goes on the page.

This isn& #39;t an actual, healthcare worker-level problem, of course. But it& #39;s a major professional challenge.

For context... this is where I’m composing this thread, along with writing a chapter of what I hope will become book four.