During the year I was writing full-time and over the following year, when I wrote part-time (while working at the most beautiful library), I would often find myself so involved in the lives of my characters that I had trouble stepping back into reality. Sometimes at the end of a day sat in front of the laptop, or scribbling in notebooks, I'd struggle to be present when my partner came home from work, or when I went out with friends. For a while, I was caught between the two worlds; in a kind of no-man's land; neither fully present in one reality or the other. Slowly, I'd move away from the place I'd inhabited all day and settle back into the physical world. Now, I find myself struggling to make the journey in reverse. My busy day of seemingly endless tasks and the relentless demands and needs of little people is hard to shrug off. I wish I could switch into my creative mindset with more ease. There is so little time in the evening, and I feel as if I'm only just warming up, when it's time to turn-in for the night. And always there is the nagging awareness that I should probably be getting organised for tomorrow, sweeping the floor and tidying the toys, planning meals and activities, folding laundry...and not ignoring it all and dreaming up stories about people who don't exist outside of my head.
