I'd like to be able to devote constant effort to the books, the short stories, the newsletter, promotion, and editing other books, but there just isn't enough time to do it all, not and work full time, keep house, and still have a minimal social life. That's why my main goal for my writing is to be able to support myself solely from my fiction sales. If I can give up the day job, I'll get an extra 50 hours a week or so to devote to writing. Jennifer Short stories tend to burst upon my brain, either fully formed or pretty close, and demand to be written and released. They're often based upon things I am reading, or creative writing challenges that spark an idea.
Novels require a lot more research.
I generally get an idea, then play around with it to see if it can support a full novel. I'll write three or four chapters, generally knowing how the story will end, but having no real idea what happens in the middle. Somewhere between chapters three and five, it will all come together, and I'll pick up enough threads to be able to weave the middle. As I come up with names and details, I pop them back there. Then I can go back and weave them in as needed.