For Sale… one muse. Best offer.
The advertisement in the window caught my attention as I procrastinated after shopping, knowing I should be home finishing my story if I were to meet the competition deadline, but filled with sabotaging self-doubt.
Perhaps I needed a new muse. My old one had served me well, providing excellent inspiration, but I feared he’d become stale and unfairly blamed him for my recent lacklustre performance. Another muse would be company for him, I justified.
The seller wasn’t encouraging. “I’ll take whatever you offer,” he said. “He’s a waste of space.”
“He doesn’t work?” I asked.
“Totally inefficient,” he grumbled, indicating enough rejection slips to cause the demise of an entire forest.
In a dark room he pointed into a cobweb-lined corner.
My heart went out to the shivering muse. I carefully picked him up before venting my anger at the not-so-gentle-man. “No wonder you have rejection slips. Look how you treat your muse. If you nurtured him, offered encouragement occasionally, he’d serve you well. You’re a disgrace to muse caretakers.”
He snatched my proffered coins and slammed the door.
“You’re safe,” I told the frightened bundle. My conscience suggested perhaps I’d also neglected my muse. Had I thanked him for ideas? Shared credit for my successes? I resolved to change my ways.
The muses became best friends. They brainstormed ideas, pitched them to me, and I duly thanked and praised them lavishly. My story was a winner; we celebrated in style.
The new muse flourished and is now confident and happy. Sadly, I know our time together is finite. No writer should have more than one muse; that would be greedy and unfair to the muses who revel in their own free spirit.
So, if you need a muse… call me. He’s free and doesn’t ask much, just respect and due praise for a job well done. And if, like me, you realise you’ve neglected your muse, beg his forgiveness and nurture him with care; they’re a forgiving breed and will serve you well if you treat them right.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleFrom the opening line,we were hooked. We loved the concept – that you could negotiate to obtain your muse. We all feel our current muse has become stale and lackluster, and yearn for a new one. So, what do we do with our old, used muse? We constantly read looking for literary devices; half of this story is a metaphor! Loved it.
I imagine these muses as pets: those we love, nurture and appreciate. We give them so much but they reply in kind. I really love the story!
Thank you, Greene. That’s what I was thinking, too. This story was lots of fun to write and I really felt as though I had a new pet 🙂
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleMy muse is a real chatterbox, usually in the early hours of the morning. Definitely not conducive to a good night of sleep. Really enjoyed your tale of two muses. They should certainly treat them with respect.
Thank you, Carrie. Mine whispers to me just as I’m about to drop off to sleep and I have to sit up and jot notes as I don’t trust my memory 🙂 I won’t complain – there’s nothing worse than a muse who responds with the silent treatment!
Hello Sandra, this really is the part I love, reading the stories, and also the comments by those who see the the story in different interpretations. I love your story for the simple fact you show us that you are no different to anyone else in the struggle for ideas. I understand the feeling of waking up in the early hours with this fantastic thought, saying I’ll remember that when I get… Read more »
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleHi Eric, thank you! I love reading all the comments and the different interpretations almost as much as reading the stories! I have found in so many aspects of life as well as writing that our self-doubt often has us feeling alone and ‘different’, when often we all experience similar struggles, doubts and, fortunately, some welcome revelations. I’m very pleased you enjoyed it. I wrote it as a bit of fun but… Read more »
So that’s my problem, I don’t have a muse, and now you’re telling me two are better than one, but having two is greedy. I hope they aren’t like dogs and cats, causing allergic reactions in some people, because if I get one and she causes sneezing, I’ll end up in the doghouse along with my muse. Good story, I really liked it.
Thank you, Alan. Fortunately, muses don’t usually cause allergy problems but they can lead to problems with obsessive writing which might still have you in the doghouse 🙁 Waking in the middle of the night with a new story idea, disturbing her sleep, planning your next story and forgetting to put the bin out for collection, that blank stare when she tries to tell you something but your mind is with your… Read more »
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI enjoyed reading your story, Sandra. It’s not only fun, but there are some deeper aspects to it as well. I would also be tempted to buy a new muse if I saw one for sale, but on the other hand, what I already have should be nourished, given time and care. Writing takes a lot of patience and persistence. There is great wisdom in your story!
Thank you, Christer. Yes, although I wrote this for fun, it is a reminder to care for what one already has and it does come down to patience and persistence. I think the grumpy muse-seller was looking for a short cut to fame and fortune, not realising it’s all inside, if you nurture it 🙂
And now, I see what is the problem with myself. I don’t have my muse. I learn from it and I love it.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThe story is refreshing in the newness of its central idea.
How we all need a muse! Hopefully, this story will teach us to be open to the idea and search for something to inspire us.