Switching gears is hard to do

I decided that I finally had to get started on my income tax organization yesterday. I don't do my own taxes; I'm fortunate enough to have someone do that, somebody I can pay with a kiss (ie. my husband, lest anybody think I'm having a wild affair with an accountant). He does the research, the filling and filing of the form(s). I have to organize my expenses. So yesterday, during my lunch, I began to do that.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get to my writing first. Life interfered. So that meant I had to do my writing after the organizing, and I tell ya, it was not easy switching from "organizational/secretarial" mode to "creative first draft writing" mode. I did get my writing done, but it took me awhile to get "into it."

This is yet another reason I don't like doing a lot of PR-related things. The main reason is that I'm not convinced anything I can do with my limited resources and time could possibly match what my publisher can (and sometimes) does do. And it is time-consuming. For my last chapter booksigning, I wrote and sent out several press releases. That took time away from writing -- and irony of ironies, of all the authors doing the signing? Guess who got not a single media mention? Yep, that would be me.

But regardless of PR's possible benefit or ultimate futility, that sort of thing requires a different mindset from creative writing. And right now? I need to be in "creative first draft mode." I'll finish the organization of my expenses, and I have to update my website, but I'm going to do the writing first. (And in case you're wondering? I consider this blog a creative writing warm-up exercise. )