Musings

The aforementioned Lazlo Kominksi recently awoke from a dream in which an attractive woman watched over his shoulder as he penned words of great wisdom and humor. (There are, of course, other details to the dream, details I am not at liberty to disclose since they are proprietary to Lazlo himself, and which will undoubtedly appear in one of his stories at some future date.) My initial reaction was that the woman was Kominski's Muse, something that Lazlo had considered before I did.

How lucky, I thought, for a writer to have such a Muse! (And if you were party to the details I have omitted, you too would think the same thing.)

How unlucky, however, are we writers whose Muse has been on sabbatical for quite some time. There was a time many years ago when I needed no guidance, no inspiration; words dropped from my fingertips nearly unabated. I would hear snippets of conversation and in an instant develop an idea for a poem. Or, words, such as "Almost Human," would join in my thoughts and become the genesis of a story.

Then, something happened. Or, maybe somethings. I got older, certainly; I'm sure that didn't help. My wife and I had more children, so I spent less time thinking about writing and more time changing diapers and tending to midnight feedings. I also stopped reading as much as I always had, so I became detached from language and the thoughts of other, better writers. I also left a wonderful job in San Francisco for a job in California's Central Valley, leaving behind lunchtime walks that took me into the city's energy and commotion. And, adding to the list, I no longer was closely associated with other writers, so I had no one to share ideas with.

Yes, Yes, I know--many writers are quite successful writing from rural Nebraska. And I certainly blame nobody but myself for my lack of literary production. For example, as I type this, I am watching the Colorado Rockies losing to the Boston Red Sox in game 3 of the World Series. I should be concentrating fully on these words, for invariably I will re-read this post tomorrow and find typos, illogic, and plain bad writing.

I should also be searching for ways to entice my Muse (male, female, unattractive or not) with promises of.... what? roses, candy, and wine? a foot-massage? No, those will not work. Perhaps what is needed is a promise of dedication--to the ideas that are out there, to the conversations waiting to be heard.