9. I can stare into space and when pulled up on it, use the excuse: 'I was thinking about my characters.'
8. I can still be working, planning my stories in my head, while washing the dishes, driving the car, having a shower.
7. I can put someone I don't like in my book and have horrible things happen to them.
6. I can live several different lives, be the person I wouldn't dare be in real life, through the medium of my characters.
5. I am in charge of the destinies of my characters. I can have happy endings or sad. It feels, to be honest, a tad scary in a good way.
4. My office is my computer. It is flexible, and can be the car, the corner of the sofa or the chair in the garden in good weather.
3. No matter how many books I write, I am not expected to get it right the first time or even the second.
2. I can read all I want and call it research.
1. I get to hear from readers, people who have read my stories and are touched by them.