My blog-writing, fantasy novelist buddy Diana Peach from Myths of the Mirror has invited her visitors to write a short story about our muses.
Heh.
I remember the last time we had a muse read-around. Man, what a blast!
I’ve finally passed 50k for NaNoWriMo–yippee! Of course, the story isn’t done yet. I’ll take a couple weeks to finish, or at least get mostly finished with it before I return to Book 2.
My Muse has been writing my posts during NaNo. Mostly. Thing is, when I hit 50k, he called Mr. E and the two of them took off on a pub crawl Down Under, because apparently bars around here are substandard.
A crisp breeze gusts through my writing office, sending shivers through me. The back door clicks shut. A scent of fried food, stale beer, and sweat permeates the air. My Muse toes off his deck shoes and hangs up a red windbreaker on the coat tree. He’s wearing a new pair of jeans, judging by the lack of worn seams, and a rugby jersey. Not as nice as his burgundy henley, but it does leave his forearms bare.
“That was a short crawl. Thought you and E would make a long weekend of it.”
He leans a hip on my desk, and crosses his arms on his broad chest. “He said he had to get back to Mae.”
“And you can’t find another muse to hang with? Diana has a whole convention over at her place.”
He grimaces. “The Merc and I have an understanding.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He understands I don’t follow his orders or requests, or hell, directions to the nearest Seven-11, and I understand a lack of personal hygiene and the stench of battle are none of my business.”
“O-kay. I sense a bit of animosity there.”
He pulls up a chair and straddles it, bringing his face even with mine. Whoa. His eyes are bluer than I remember. Was that divot in his chin always so enticing? And dimples. I haven’t noticed his dimples for a month. Is it getting warm in here?
A finger-snap yanks my wandering imagination back. “Are you paying attention, love?”
Um, sure. “Would you mind repeating that last part?”
“I said, I tried to warn the Bossy Muse about that guy, but she insisted her writer needed a change of scenery.”
“Scenery?” I ask. “Seriously? I mean, I get the whole Conan the Barbarian thing for the fantasy genre, but even Schwartzenegger would be a better Conan than that brute. At least his nose wouldn’t be crooked.”
My Muse arches a brow. “Schwartzenegger? Why him?”
“I don’t know. He did the movie.”
He shakes his head. “Anyway. You’ve had a couple days off.”
“Hey, one day for enjoying crossing the finish line, and one day to deal with my migraine.”
“I’ll give you the migraine day, but you need to finish the story so you can get back to Book 2.”
I lean back in my chair. “I know. That’s the plan. I figure I’ll give myself until Christmas on this project, then hit Book 2 after Christmas, since we won’t be going anywhere for the holidays anyway. I’m sure there will be another COVID-19 surge by then.”
“Good. Get back to work, love.”
Thanks to Diana for the opportunity to join another round of muse posts!
Keep on writing!
November 28, 2020 at 10:05 am
You know, your blog was the first place I read a muse post, Julie, and I had a crush on your muse. I wanted a woodsy muse who smelled like pine trees and drank craft beer! How did I ever end up with two ornery muses, one with terrible hygiene??? Congrats on finishing Nano, and thanks so much for the “conversation.” I have it lined up for a reblog! Happy Writing.
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November 28, 2020 at 8:16 pm
LOL! I still have a crush on my Muse, but I didn’t say that out loud, right? π Thanks for kicking off the muse round-about again! What fun!
Have a great writing weekend, Diana!
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November 29, 2020 at 8:51 am
You too! π
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November 28, 2020 at 10:28 am
This is really clever! Thanks very much, both! You know, I don’t think I’ll give my blog over to my Muse; no telling what secrets might be spilled! π
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November 28, 2020 at 8:17 pm
Heh. Sometimes I worry about letting my Muse take over, but so far, he’s been behaving himself.
Have a wonderful weekend, Margot!
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November 28, 2020 at 10:58 am
Oh, Zoey. Making me feel guilty, especially since your human is such a writing dynamo. I will! I will! P.S. Meow.
A character in my second book is half Australian and spent a lot of time Down Under with his dad. I love his accent too. Too bad my readers can’t hear his voice in their heads. Or maybe they will…
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November 28, 2020 at 8:22 pm
I so love Aussie accents! Not the Crocodile Dundee ones, more the Hugh Jackman ones. Or Hugh Jackman π
Zoey says ‘Hi’! I’m going to have to have my son video chat with me so I can see the kitties. He’s in quarantine; recovering from a mild case of COVID-19 courtesy of his girlfriend. He should be okay (non-infectious π ) by Monday.
Have a great weekend, Betsy!
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November 28, 2020 at 8:48 pm
“Or Hugh Jackman”!!! Haha!
Oh, man. Your poor son. Mild at least. That’s good. Otherwise,
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November 30, 2020 at 3:50 am
Congrats on hitting 50k, Julie, for NaNo:) I had to put my story down after I hit 50k. Mine needs to be filled in but I got to the end. Sorry about the migraine they can ruin a days writing.
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December 1, 2020 at 2:59 pm
Thanks, Denise! Congrats on hitting 50k yourself! I’m still heading toward the end; not sure if I’ll get there before Christmas, but crossing my fingers!
Have a wonderful week!
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November 30, 2020 at 9:54 am
Your muse is a taskmaster! But, he did get you through NaNo with 50k words. Mine didn’t! Looking forward to your reflections.
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December 1, 2020 at 3:14 pm
Aw, man, sorry your muse didn’t get you through NaNo, Jacqui. You’ll get there!
Have a great writing week!
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December 4, 2020 at 8:05 am
Reblogged this on Myths of the Mirror and commented:
I first met Julie’s muse years ago, and I still have a crush on him. Enjoy!
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December 4, 2020 at 8:15 am
Clever musings Julie. I enjoyed the cross play with you, your muse, and Diana’s. Thanks for joining the party!
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December 4, 2020 at 7:46 pm
Thanks! I’m loving the muse stories, too! Love your search for Moka Chino and the cast of characters. What great fun!
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December 4, 2020 at 8:01 pm
Thanks Julie. I’m loving all the muse stories too!
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December 4, 2020 at 8:41 am
LOL. I love these posts. So far, I’ve read a sweet muse and a sexy muse. I can’t wait to see what gets posted next.
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December 4, 2020 at 7:47 pm
I know, right? We did this a few years back and had a blast. So glad Diana stirred the muses up again!
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December 4, 2020 at 9:06 am
Hopefully the vaccine will be available soon. Your muse is a toughie, Julie.
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December 4, 2020 at 7:50 pm
Yes! So hoping the vaccine will be available soon, but I suspect it’ll be summer before most of us can get it.
Thanks for stopping by, Robbie!
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December 4, 2020 at 10:11 am
Fun!
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December 4, 2020 at 7:51 pm
Thanks, Bette! This muse read-around has been great fun!
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December 4, 2020 at 10:47 am
Marvelous post, Julie. Congrats on NaNoWriMo. Hugs.
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December 4, 2020 at 7:54 pm
Thanks, Teagan! This muse read-around has been a blast! Hugs to you!
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December 4, 2020 at 11:33 am
Diana is a great connector! I am glad to find you and your muse Julie, he sounds quite business like!
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December 4, 2020 at 7:55 pm
She is a great connector! And I’m so glad she did the muse read-around again. Thanks for stopping by, Balroop!
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December 4, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Fun post, Julie. I clicked over from Diana’s blog. Congratulations on completing your 50,000 words. Wow. That’s a ton of sitting time!
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December 4, 2020 at 7:58 pm
Thanks, Marsha! And yes, butt in chair, hands on keyboard! At least the weather is still pretty mild here in MN, so I can still take my walks π
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December 4, 2020 at 11:36 pm
Thank goodness. I grew up in IN so I understand cold, cold winters. MN is always colder. I’m glad you got through NaNoWriMo. π
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December 4, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Congratulations on hitting 50K for NaNo, Julie. I only did it once in 2017 and Nano Camp in July this year. Best wishes for your son. The vaccine started being available in UK and part of Europe and a little later in the US. I love Australia. Hubby was born there and we went once. Your muse keeps you on your toes! Wonderful!
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December 4, 2020 at 8:03 pm
Thanks, Miriam! I’ve been doing NaNo for 15 years, plus a couple self-imposed NaNos. I find it helps me get that ugly first draft done.
Have a wonderful writing weekend!
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December 7, 2020 at 10:41 pm
Good for you, Julie! I used to accomplish more when under “good” stress or self-imposed deadlines. I guess retirement gave me excuses to do many other things.
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December 4, 2020 at 6:40 pm
I can see why Diana had a crush on your muse! Congratulations on your successful completion of NaNoWriMo!!
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December 4, 2020 at 8:03 pm
Thanks, Liz! I’m so glad Diana kicked off another muse read-around. She did one a few years ago, and it was great fun!
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December 5, 2020 at 7:25 am
This is my first muse read-around. It’s been a lot of fun to read all of the different–and imaginative!–versions of the muse.
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December 5, 2020 at 8:16 am
I noticed from your bio that you have chipmunks around your place. Never confuse a chipmunk with a muse. I fell for that once. Never again. π
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December 6, 2020 at 8:33 am
LOL! I never confused a chipmunk for a muse, but I did confuse a chocolate chip cookie for a spark of inspiration. It worked until I finished the cookie π
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