Looking up for a moment

Being a writer is different from many other careers. You're busy, sometimes very busy, like other occupations.

The only difference is that none of it is real.

Oh, it's real enough to you. The setting. The characters. You work hard to make them real to you so they can be real to your readers.

But they aren't really there - except in your mind.

It's always amazing when you're in the middle of a book and the roof is leaking and needs repair.

Where did that come from? I didn't write that into the plot!

No, wait. That's the REAL roof in my REAL house!

A character has to take her dog to the vet and you realize your REAL dog needed to go last week.

It's not easy living in two or three worlds at one time. Sometimes it's hard to know which world is real.