Friends will often ask me how long it takes to write a book.  Funnily enough, the answer is 'not all that long'.  That is, if you're talking about the physical act of getting the words down on paper.  I can type at about 80 words a minute, and my average book has 50,000 words.  So, I guess the answer is '625 minutes' or, in other words, ten and a bit hours.  But 'writing a book' is of course not just about the physical act, the 'leg tied to the desk' that I've written about before.  There's plenty of planning, research, thinking, editing, involved as well.

As is often the case, a couple of metaphors will come in handy here.  If you think of a book as an iceberg, the bit you actually see - the words on the paper - is the bit poking above the sea.  Underneath are the two thirds that balance the iceberg and keep it afloat.  It might take a year or more for the hidden bit of the iceberg to form, before I can create the bit that floats on top.

Or, to put it another way, I'm a great lover of a cup of tea.  First, warm the pot (heat up an idea in your brain), next boil the kettle (approach your publishers, submit a proposal, get a contract in place), after that put tea leaves and water in the pot (start gathering ideas) and then leave to brew for several minutes (let all your thinking about the book sit and gain form and structure inside your head).  And only when the tea is the perfect colour, pour it into your tea cup (write it) and add the milk (edit).

I'm just at the pouring stage at the moment, writing my latest book.  So, if you'll excuse me, I'd better just pop off and pour myself a brew.