My 500 word January writing challenge went well until I hit the last week and our academic publisher sent us (myself, Maggie Robson and Ann Beynon) the review of a draft and the deadline for completing the Handbook for Counselling Children and Young People. However, I thought, wrongly as it turned out, that this would provide the impetus and motivation for the last week of the 500 words a day challenge.
This brings me to the title of this post, Is writing really just about writing? Well…sometimes it is and I can sit and write word after word, sentence, paragraph and page. You writers out there will recognise this, the ‘pen’ flows with words and ideas and you just can’t stop. Alternatively, you sit at the desk and agonise over every single word, phrases such as ‘like pulling back teeth’ spring to mind.
However, writing for the Handbook deadline did not involve much actual writing at this stage. It involved liaising with authors, re-structuring chapters, fiddling about with bits of prose and adding links to theory and practice and dialoguing with our publisher. This did not add anything to my 500 word challenge, it stopped me from reaching my goal.
Is this writing? Is writing as narrow as putting words onto the page?
What do you think? Post a comment to let me know your thoughts on this.

Our book: Handbook for Counselling Children and Young People, will be published in November this year by Sage Publishers, Edited by Sue Pattison, Maggie Robson, and Ann Beynon.

See link below for pre-ordering:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Counselling-Children-Young-People/dp/144625299X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399324642&sr=1-2&keywords=handbook+for+counselling+children+and+young+people