Snow Hedgehogs: Trying to explain writing to colleagues

That wonderful moment when you have to explain to your colleagues why you're looking up ancient coinage. As you do. I was spending my lunch break researching types of coinage while creating my own currency system for the novel I plan to start writing soon. I spend a lot of my lunch breaks doing such things. Colleague peers over my shoulder and just says, "Coins?" in that tone which screams "What are you doing with your life?"

So I have to explain to said colleague that I'm planning for a novel. Which leads to the inevitable, "you're writing? What are you writing?" and the just as inevitable confused looks when I tell her I'm planning for a fantasy which involves small amounts of magic and snow hedgehogs.

Yes. Snow hedgehogs. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I suppose I should be glad my brain put the brakes on before I told her that said fantasy also involves human sacrifice and amputation of frostbitten toes with a large sword. To be fair, she did drop the subject quite quickly. Seems fairly standard in my office - my colleagues discover I've been writing, show vague interest in the mere fact that I write, but have no actual interest in what I'm writing.

It happened when I started on NaNoWriMo last November as well. We had a new member of staff in the office who started just before I vanished into the murky depths of my imagination. Trying to make conversation, I mentioned that I was working on a novel. Awkwardness ensued when I then had to explain that this was Lord of the Rings fan fiction. The polite smile came into play and I didn't bother trying to explain the plot.

It's probably a good job my colleagues don't actually seem that interested in what I write - the snow hedgehogs have taken on almost drop bear status in my mind. They're not as friendly as they sound. The coinage is rather more straightforward - I think I've got that one sorted. Now onto all the other small details I'm obsessing over.

Y'know, I love my snow hedgehogs so much, I think I'll make them a thing here too. Snow hedgehogs - things you have to do when you write. Ha. Like that's going to last more than a post or two. We'll see.