I have a story to write. I went to sleep thinking about it. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it all week. I knew that I had to sketch out the physical environment of the story to make it flow properly. I went to sleep last night confident that I could draw it out quickly.

This morning I woke fresh from a great night’s sleep and lay in bed awhile, planning the story a little more.

By the time I got to my desk, ready to get to work, life had intruded. Emails to answer. My diary needed checking against my son’s University visiting days. It’s half-year end for tax payments. That took up most of the morning. Working out how I’m going to pay it, involved forward financial projections, followed by a bit of invoice chasing on the phone.

Then I thought I might as well get a couple of online forms filled in, otherwise they too will hang over me. Then I filled in a festival appraisal form.

It’s now just gone two in the afternoon and I’ve finally got my five minutes to draw my little plan. I feel I can get down to the writing now, except that I need to got to the bank and the bookshop, which reminds me of something else I have to do online.

If I worked for someone else, they would have departments to handle all these things. I’m often asked if writers and illustrators write or draw all day – they would like to, but unfortunately the business of life gets in the way.

In Ireland, creative people don’t pay tax. The amount of income tax Creatives pay is minimal compared to the amount of work and tax their brains creates for other people. Tax and general interaction with authority is something that creative people don’t really get. We would create so much more if we didn’t have to waste all our time sorting out all the bloody paperwork, and forward planning to try and have some money available for when the tax comes due. Payments never coincide with tax due dates!

It’s too much hassle to move to Ireland, and any way, I hear they are giving up that scheme soon. They need every penny they can squeeze out of the system. It’s a fool’s economy, but what do the economist know? They created all the mess in the first place.