When people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I’m a writer, I usually get a bit of a reaction.

“Wow, really?” or “That’s so cool,” have both been heard many times. There’s always an element of surprise, and it makes me wonder what people think I really do.

Do they imagine me sitting at my desk, typing away, words just flying from my brain to the screen?

That may be what’s happening right now, but in reality, that is just not what being a writer is all about.

I’ve said it...