Prior to Jeffrey Deaver's presentation at
Killer Nashville 2010 on how he writes thrillers (check here and here for a recap of his presentation points), Clay Stafford conducted
an interview with him. One question Deaver is asked often is how he finds time
to write, given his traveling schedule.

He says there's a difference between writing books and
living a writer's life. The life of a writer is about more than writing books.
A professional writer has a partnership with his or her publisher. Therefore,
the writer's life includes travel and promotion. A writer must be prepared to
write in the midst of those activities.

Deaver cannot afford to wait for inspiration. He engages in what he calls "combat writing." He
writes, researches, and edits wherever his circumstances take him, such as in
the hotel room and on the plane.

Maybe you're thinking, "Wow, what a skill to
have!" But let's consider Deaver's "combat" concept more. It
shouldn't be foreign. All too often, life demands that we not wait for ideal
circumstances to act. If you parent young children, you might have skills that
include the following:

• Combat sleeping
• Combat cleaning
• Combat lovemaking

If you manage a marketing department, your skills might
include the following:

• Combat budgeting
• Combat product design
• Combat customer relations

The curious thing about not holding back, not waiting for inspiration, is that when you trust yourself and give of yourself wholly
in the moment, often what you produce is more than good enough. It's great.
And that's living.

What are your combat skills?