meet the muse

This post is in response to D.Wallace Peach who had a discussion with her muses. To read her discussion click here.

Image by sipa from Pixabay

I was sitting at my computer yesterday when the door opened. I didn’t look up because I assumed it was my husband coming in to work on his computer.

I felt the person stop behind me and look at my work. I knew this wasn’t my husband because he never reads what I’m typing. I turned and saw, standing behind me, a beautiful red-headed young woman.

“What the… ?”

“That’s not right. She wouldn’t do that. You need to rewrite that paragraph.”

“That’s the best paragraph I’ve written in ages. I’m not deleting it.”

“I’m not telling you to delete it, just to rewrite it. You can save it for another time. Another story. It doesn’t fit in here.” She tossed her long red hair back.

“Who the hell are you to come barging into my study telling me my writing is wrong? How do you know she wouldn’t do that?” I frowned, trying to look fierce.

She shrugged. “Trust me. I know. I know all about your characters and writing.”

This was weird. A total stranger in my house, and my husband hadn’t said anything. He let her in, right? He must have done.

“How did you get in? My husband wouldn’t let a stranger wander around the house. And I didn’t hear the doorbell.”

“You should know me. We’ve worked together now for a long time.”

“Worked together? I work alone. I’ve never collaborated with anyone.”

She laughed. “That’s what you think. I’ll put you out of your misery. I’m your Muse.”

“M-my Muse?”

She nodded. “Yes, and I’ve come to tell you that you need to write a book about dragons.”

“But I have dragons in all my fantasy books, except one.”

“Yes, you have dragons in the books, but the books aren’t about dragons. See, there’s a difference. This one, for example, has dragons.” She waved her hand at my computer screen. “They’re important to the story, but it’s not about them. It’s about people’s reaction to them. See the difference?”

“Mmm. I think so.”

“Can you make the next one be about the dragons themselves instead?”

I nodded. “I think I can do that. Leave it with me.”

“Don’t forget to change that paragraph. Really, she wouldn’t do that.”

I sighed and turned to look at her. Was it my imagination that she turned into a red dragon before fading away, leaving just a whisper.

The next one must be about dragons.