The Muse

This post is probably going to piss some people off. That's not a warning, just a fact. I'm going to say some things in this post that a lot of writers will argue with.

I'll start with a bold statement: There is no such thing as "the muse"!

There, I said it. Am I going to go to hell? Writer's hell? Probably, but not because I don't believe in some superstitious, antiquated concept that a writer can only write when the fickle muse is present, that those brilliant ideas are only possible when she/he is around, buzzing in your ear, whispering delicious secrets. It's ludicrous. Why would you give credit or place blame on something/someone that doesn't exist?

No, more like when we can't write it's because we're lazy, pure and simple,and we all suffer from it now and again.

Now, I do believe in writer's block, meaning lack of motivation, which I equate with the same notion as laziness. Well, they're in the same family anyway. You know that feeling you get where it's pure torture to write anything? I've experienced it and it sucks but I didn't place the blame on some fictional muse. I blamed myself and rightly so, I was the cause of my lack of motivation, or at least my hectic life was anyway. To blame the muse seems to me like another cop-out that writers use to shift the focus away from themselves, to say, no sorry I couldn't write today, the muse wasn't speaking to me. Lame. Just tell it like it is, no sorry, I didn't write today cause I didn't feel like it. End of story.

Maybe you haven't met anyone who speaks that way but I have, especially now that I've become involved in a few different on-line writing forums and communities. There are more of them out there than you think. I call them The Muse People (insert eye rolling here).

Do I think that sometimes it's easier to write than other times? Sure! Sometimes the words and ideas flow and aren't stunted by stress or depression or life and that's great, but am I willing to give anyone other than myself the credit for that? Heck no! My ability and drive to write rests solely within myself, that includes the bad times as well as the good. Outside forces can influence that for sure but that's not to say I'm going to blame anyone else for them. Especially not the muse!

Some would argue that this is a figure of speech, that waiting for the muse to strike is a metaphor, that I shouldn't be so dense, to which I reply, (with my middle finger cocked and ready) get your head out of your ass, you pompous jerk...I know it's a metaphor, what bothers me is how many writers use it as a legitimate excuse for not producing anything. Be honest; it's not some dead Greek goddess, it's you, it's all about you.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Why I love my ereader!

Yes, I'm back from the revision cave! I've made it through with a brand new, totally revised manuscript that is currently with my agent. Fingers crossed that she likes it.

Anyway, I thought I would do a short post on my amazing pre-Christmas gift that my husband bought for me and I had to have before the 25th: my Kobo.

I convinced my husband that I needed to open it immediately and start downloading books because I wanted to make sure it worked ;) In the two weeks I've had it I've discovered my love for ereaders! So I thought I would give you my top five reasons why I think you all need an ereader.

1. I can buy books anytime, practically anywhere! That's right, I don't have to wait for the bookstore to open in the morning; as soon as I finish one book I can download the next! Pretty darn convenient! (And possibly deadly expensive, but that's another issue altogether - don't give a book junkie accessibility to books at all hours of the day!)

2. The books at Kobo and other sites are cheaper than in the book store. It's just a few dollars but sometimes there are sales and you can really get great deals.

3. I've found back listed books that I haven't been able to get in the stores! I can fill in the gaps in some of the series that I'm reading! As well, I've found free books put out by some of my fav authors who give back stories to some of their characters - pretty cool!

4. It's super light and easy to carry around in my purse and no one knows what I'm reading! Some of the novels I read, especially the romances, have some pretty graphic covers but with my ereader, no one has to know what I'm currently reading so I can bring whatever I want out with me.

5. People are very interested in it...usually I'm not the most social of people when out in public but I've had a few really interesting conversations with strangers about the merits of ebooks and ereading which is great since I am currently published in the e-world.

Sure there are some downsides to an ereader like not being able to loan books to my friends or having a solid copy of a book in my hands - oh and that book smell - I really do love that book smell. But for the sheer convenience factor I give my Kobo a double thumbs up!

Romeo and Juliet and Zombies

I'm guest blogging over at Midnight Seductions

My thoughts on supernatural literature and what I like to call supernatural discrimination.

Come and check it out!