Writing
I’m still quite new to writing and there is so much to learn. Its hard to imagine the time it takes to write a book, but actually the other activities take much more time. Research involves reading many books so that your stories are historically accurate and realistic. If you are a self-publisher you need as much time again for marketing: Amazon or Facebook advertising, talking to groups, email lists, social media, blogs, loading your books to sites, etc etc. Sometimes I wish I had an editor who would do all this for me but talking to these authors, I realise I’m happy to have the freedom I enjoy and need. I have heard horror stories about the deadlines and pressures the publishers often put their authors under. And I would hate to be told what to write and when.
There is so much to learn about the techniques of writing; how to build tension, avoid boredom, keeping it relevant, showing not telling. You learn by experience, by talking to other authors and reading their books, from life experiences, taking advice from Beta readers etc. In fact you never learn everything and sometimes you just have to jump in at the deep end!
An author once told me that his books write themselves; all he does is create the characters and they will tell you how they are going to behave and react in each situation you put them in. Bizarre? Yes but true. Thats exactly how I write.