Finding motivation

Following a blog post from Sarah Webb I've been thinking about this thing called writing.

People often ask me how I find the time, or indeed the discipline and it is hard to explain. There are times I want to throw this laptop across the room in frustration. There are often stories in my head which can't seem to find their way into words and it can drive me demented.
Other times it is as if another voice is channelling through me and I can write 2000 words without blinking.
Facing a new project is daunting. When you write a book it becomes an all consuming part of your life for the duration of the project. You become your characters. When I was writing Rainy Days and Tuesdays I spent a lot of time asking myself how Grace would react in each eventuality, I had conversations with her on the bus and played out scenes in my head each night as I tried to get off to sleep.
The same was true of Beth and Aoife for Blue Line Blues - but even the best of friends can get on your nerves some times.
There are times I wonder why I'm doing this. I could manage quite well with the day job and the responsibility of parenthood without adding another "must do" into the equation, but there is a part of me that could never walk away from writing. It's in my blood.

And on those days when my characters are like annoying friends nagging to get my attention, I just remind myself that writing is a bit like marital sex.
It takes a lot of effort. Sometimes you just want to watch the TV instead or curl up with a good book, but once you get going it really is quite enjoyable and you wonder why you don't do it more!