Last week I decided to give in and research the book I’m supposed to actually be writing. It is the memoir of a city. Well, a small village, actually. I’m writing it from the plural voice “we”, which is rather challenging and which may not work at all.

I’ve been finding lots of excuses not to jump all the way into the project. But, I finally did. Yesterday. And here is what happened:

On my theoretical afternoon off from my day job, I ran errands. I spent the 45-minute drive to town writing and editing in my head. I was also lining up a mental list of interviews, going over the timeline, and compiling questions for our attorney since the book involves a court case.

Three hours into my shopping trip, I knelt down to try on snow boots. And that is when I saw my shoes. Yep. Two black shoes. One from each pair in my closet. A loafer and a clog. No wonder my back was hurting and I kept thinking I was dizzy.

I was so embarrassed I almost ran barefoot to my car. But I still had errands. Plus supper plans with my daughter to celebrate the release of her book.

So, I did the only sensible thing. I bought new shoes.

Do you think they qualify as a writing expense?