It is always hard when reality intrudes on belief.
I've been writing full-time since 1978.
I see the Jedi mission as giving up a normal life in exchange for protecting the innocent. It's a life of sacrifice. There are rewards, but also a certain degree of sterility.
The universe is full of dead people who lived by assumption.
Spontaneity is one of the joys of existence, especially if you prepare for it in advance.
In one book, CACHALOT, just for my own amusement, every character is based directly on someone I have known.