A week not writing

My latest novel is off to my formatter and should be ready for sale in a few days. I’m ready to go with publicizing it once it is live and plan on doing all that right after Christmas. It’s been nearly a full week that I haven’t written any new fiction material. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing (I wrote the back jacket copy for IMAGINATION and I am posting this blog) just not doing the kind of writing I love most. Though I have been marketing and will continue to reserve sponsorships, I still find I have an extraordinary amount of free time when I used to be writing. I know, those of you with kids are cursing me right now because you probably would love a little free time. That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s like someone who suddenly quits smoking and realizes that the habit had occupied two hours a day. When you’ve had a writing routine for the twenty-plus years that I have, this sudden change can be jarring. Since my mind is so attuned to being creative in the morning I find it hard to concentrate on the business aspect of being an author before the noon hour. Since my planned three month marketing blitz started, I have been selling more books, but I’ve also noticed that I’m not as happy and inspired. I don’t wake with that anticipation of creating a new scene or tweaking an existing one. I’m not longing for dreary, rain-soaked days where I can lounge all day in my jammies and write without the guilt of sitting inside. Essentially, I miss the creative writing process. Though I don’t start a new novel unless an idea comes to me that just won’t leave, I’m already thinking about a few outlines I might draw up. Maybe scribble some ideas. For me, this last week has been unusual in the sense that I feel a bit out-of-sorts not working on something. I may have to lift my self-imposed ban.