Welcome to La Muse

A journey back to my writer's heart

Muse: the source of inspiration, magic and joy for writers, musicians, artists and creators.

La Muse: A place where I hope to rediscover and reconnect with my muse.

If you’ve followed me on Facebook or Instagram or at my website for a few years, you may remember that I used to regularly blog about my writing journey. Whenever I was stuck or frustrated with my journey I’d “write it out” … and I’d always feel better after. It was cathartic in a way that journalling never was.

But I let blogging fall by the wayside and now I find myself needing to “write it out” once more.

Why?

For the past six to nine months, I’ve been feeling "lost" creatively. I haven’t been able to find a creative flow. To settle into writing my third book - to know what it is I want to say.

Why do I feel lost? Is that even the right word? What is the true nature of this creative malaise and where has it come from? Is it stemming from something within me? The world in its current uncertain state? Both?

As I muse on my creative malaise and the best way forward, I want shake off the overthinking and “should mentality” I’m prone to. I want to celebrate the fact that I’ve had two novels published in two years, rather than push on to the next. And I’d love you to be part of that.

Here’s what I learned in 2022 - I am not a writer who can write book after book. I need time to replenish and recuperate between books. My mind needs it. My heart too. And now, so too does my body. In May 2022, I broke my thumb in a car accident and, after surgery and seven months of hand therapy I’ve been told it will never fully recover. My focus has been forced elsewhere - on appointments, on therapy, on a heavier workload in the day job - but oh, did I fight it hard. Instead of taking the time to rest and recover, I kept pushing back and trying to force words, story, creativity from a mind cluttered and stressed and utterly devoid of energy.

It didn’t work. There was no spark. In me. In my words.

And here is something I know in the depths of my soul: the Muse appears when we provide a fertile, uncluttered space for it to breathe stories, designs, music to life. It inspires us when our creative heart and soul is fully open to its spirit.

But what happens if your muse disappears? What happens if your creative space is cluttered and lacking in nourishment? We pay the price. We lose the Muse.

And I don’t want to do that. If you’re still reading, I’ll bet you don’t either.

It’s time to put what I know back into practice. To try a different approach - to nourish my creative Self with rest, creative play, and the enjoyment of art created by others. To actively seek Moments of Joy and explore what they awaken in me.

And by sharing that process of rediscovery here, who knows, maybe I’ll inspire YOU as well as myself) …

Will you join me?