The question has come up

11/9/10 -- The question has come up among group of my writing buddies who have made a pledge to write every day: If you are doing something besides writing -- working in the garden, for example, or going for a run -- and you find yourself thinking deeply about your story, and actually come up with a great solution for that plot conundrum that has been driving you crazy, or where the story actually starts -- page 12 instead of page 1 -- or a new and nifty title, does that count as writing, even though, technically, you weren't.

My answer is an emphatic YES! Writing is not limited to sitting in front of the computer. It requires time to observe, ponder, and take notes, lots of notes, all of which I lump together as "creative incubation." Regardless of what you call it, if it is moving the story forward in any way shape or form, it counts.

Of course you still have to weave what you've discovered into the narrative. Which if often much more easily conceived than done. But that comes with the territory, too.