Even when i'm not writing, i'm writing

When I'm taking a shower--I'm writing.
When I'm in bed, getting ready to sleep--I'm writing.
When I'm sitting at a red light--I'm writing.
When I'm staring at you while you're talking to me--I'm writing.
While I'm eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner--I'm writing.
While I'm getting my hair cut--I'm writing.
While I'm waiting in line--I'm writing.
While on the phone--I'm writing (those times you think I'm listening when I say "Uh-huh" and "Yeah"... I'm totally writing).
While driving kids to school or from school or to practice or to friends houses--I'm writing (with three kids, I spend a lot of time in the car. Okay...minivan).
While attending a PTA meeting--I'm writing.
While sitting at church--I'm writing (Poor Jesus. I'm totally not going to heaven).

My brain is constantly going. I might not be sitting at my laptop, and you may think I'm totally engaged in what you're saying or doing, but inside my head, I'm writing. Because there is always a storyline to figure out, a character to develop, and idea in need of exploring. ALWAYS. Most of the time it's the voices that force me to think about writing, fictional characters that won't let me settle and be on my own for even a minute. But there are many times in which I'm the one instigating the thinking, trying to figure out where the story needs to go next. It's exhausting really, but I don't know how else to be.

It makes me wonder if authors and writers who plot their stories find themselves in this same boat or whether their brains settle somewhat since they have ever scene, plot, and character completely lined out before they start the story process. Hmmm... all I know is that as a pantser, this is the way my brain functions. It's been this way for as long as I can remember--thinking of a story, or the next story, or the next. Yeah, the writing process is far more than getting the words written--there's a whole lot of thinking going on. Lot of "behind the scene stuff" that non-writing folks probably don't get.

Even as I write this blog post, I'm thinking of other stuff, writing stuff :)

How about you? Do you write when you're not writing? Tell me what's going on inside your head. How does your writing process work? Do tell.

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