A while back I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine. He was interested in what my day-to-day life looked like as a writer, and I was curious as to what was the typical week of a pastor. I didn’t even make it to Monday of his week before I had to stop him and ask, “Wait, what?” After preaching two services in the morning and often going out to lunch with parishioners after church, he would come home, catch the end of the football game if it’s in season, take a power nap, then start right into next week’s sermon.

“Don’t you want to take a breather or enjoy the afterglow of a well-preached message?” I asked.

He just laughed. “No, I need to get working right away because I have a Monday afternoon deadline to have my sermon done.” He went on to explain that his deadline had nothing to do with a lack of study time later in the week. It was all about the “mull”. As soon as he said that, I just smiled and nodded my head. I know all about the “mull.”

For me, the writing process begins with the advent of a new year. My goal is to have all my writing ducks in a row by January. For example, with The Persian Gamble I had spent time earlier the previous year with three former CIA directors asking them what causes them the greatest concern. High up on each of their lists was Iran and its growing relationship with Russia and North Korea. Listening to them talk, I began to understand why they often spent their nights sleeplessly nights staring at the ceiling. Those conversations birthed the just-released novel’s heart-palpitating plot.

With storyline in hand, I begin writing in January. I try to put in six hours a day—10 a.m. to 4 p.m. By the end of those six hours, the creativity tap is about ready to run dry for the day. That schedule continues through February. When March comes, everything changes. I say good-bye to the book, hop a plane, and head for the U.S. As much as I hate to abandon my new project right when I’m getting some good momentum under my feet, it has to be done. March is book release month for me—hence The Persian Gamble currently waiting on the shelves of any bookstore you may walk into. That third month of the year is filled with interviews and conferences and meetings and catching up with friends. It’s always a great month, but it’s also one during which I feel my writing time ticking away.

But even though that baby manuscript is many thousands of miles away, it isn’t forgotten. March is “mull” time. In those rare times when I can stop and breathe, the plot line worms its way through my mind, looking for a little tweak or a new twist. My pastor friend loves Thursday because that’s the day he returns to his sermon with a fresh set of eyes and a richer perspective—the bounty of his “mull” days. For me, April and May is when I see my bounty. These are often the months when a good book becomes a great book. When I finally turn in my manuscript around June 1, the richness of the month apart colors every part of the story. Absence makes the heart fonder and the creativity more vibrant. My manuscript and I may miss each other when we’re separated, but we both reunite better for having had the “mull” time apart.

-Joel