MUSES

When I hear the word muse, I think of painters with naked models spread before them. But what about writers, can we have muses? Damn straight! Without them, we would struggle with that next chapter, or getting our characters to reveal their deepest darkest secrets.

Some writers use music to unlock their creative juices or a special writing space, while others need a special author’s work: poetry or a favorite story. Others need all of those things and more.

I used to snub my nose at writing for less than two hours at a time. I needed time to create, but it turned out to be a poor excuse. With practice, I learned to write in fifteen and thirty minutes before  rushing to work. Below are muses I use to get my creativity flowing before I sit down to write so I'm off and running when my fingers hit the keyboard: 

Music: It drowns out the non-writing thoughts that try to invade my writing time and creates a mind mood for the scenes I’m writing.

Characters: I get them talking before I writing their next scene.

Story: I brainstorm the scene I plan to write or the story as a whole, whether it’s flushing out a scene I’ve written or one that I’m struggling with. I ask what if’s and why’s before I start to write.

There are many muses, the trick is to find what will help you get past your writer’s block, get a closed mouth character to spill their guts or help you find the solution to the problems in your story.

So ladies, what muses help you get past those humps in your work, other than photos of half naked men? (Although those helps too). 

Ah, such a hard decision.......

So since I'm trying to save money and edit and write more, I've decided to slow down on my book/kindle purchases. In lieu of that I've had time to go through my bookshelves and pick out books to re-read. The only problem is......which one do I want to start first? God, there are so MANY! But here are a few recent choices I had to choose from........

You've got the eternal alpha bad boy. He's totally hot, with changeable hair and eyes. He's all hard, sharp angles, distrustful of most everyone, doesn't want to be bothered with bull shit, or any other nonsense, for that matter. He can play the guitar, and he can SING.......Nickelback at that! And he's sarcastic enough to cause laugh out loud moments when you're in public. Then you get the raised eyebrow look from everyone in a fifteen foot radius. Of course I'm talking about ARCHERON.

My other selection brought me to historical England. To a Duke, a member of the peerage and ultimately, doing his very best to make sure that NOTHING causes one little blemish on his impeccable image. He's cold, arrogant, and toes the line, literally. Doesn't that just make you want to watch him get shoved, HARD, into a little scandal? Like falling in love with someone totally not suited for him? Because you and I both know that his headlong snap into Love will cause me, the reader, to fall headlong also. I'm talking about SARAH MACLEAN'S recent conclusion in her Love by numbers series, ELEVEN SCANDALS. Her hero is HOT in a way that will make you wish YOU were the one doing the prodding!

Now we have the super hot, SUPER HOT, novella, I WISH by Lisa Kleypas (a rita award winning novella ladies). The story is scorchingly searing in its intensity whenever the herione finally gets her man where she wants him. Have I mentioned how HOT this one is? Just thought I would reiterate. The hero was (in the past) an inveterate slob, drinking, smoking, gambling, looking worse for the wear, but suddenly he has to change, and change he does. Now with all that drinking bloat gone, his eyes shine with health, and the myriad things he wants to do with our little herione. With his tall, devilish good looks, pinchent for spitting out less than suitable remarks, causing our herione's face to blush, and enough charm to slip the bloomers off of any woman, he's set to get his heart caught in the herione's trap. But in the end they both get caught, rather explicitly!

I didn't have any problem picking which one I wanted to read...I chose them all! And of course lingered over the really good parts!

So my question is ladies, when you are hard pressed for a good read, what are YOUR fail safe choices? Choices that also tend to fire the imagination and get you geared up to write that one scene that has been holding out on you.....

It's Official: Sex Is Healthful

I heard some interesting news lately. Sex is good for us. No, really. It actually has positive effects in a variety of life’s areas. Checking out the info online, I came across verification in a WEBMD article “10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex.” Below is a link if you’d like to read all the delightful details. Here is a brief listing of those benefits.

1. It Eases Stress
The article says sex can lower blood pressure and reduce stress overall.

2. It Increases Immunity
Studies show those who have sex at least once weekly may produce more “of an antibody called immunoglobulin…which can protect you from getting colds and other infections.” Spoiler alert: The article says the increased level does not apply if we have sex more than twice weekly. Bummer.

3. It Burns Calories (One of my favorites)
A half hour of sex accounts for nearly 100 calories (85 + the article reports.) Come on girls--only 30 minutes? What’s the rush?

4. It Aids Cardiovascular Health
Heard that sex could cause a stroke when we’re older? Not so, says at least one study. It also says sex reduces the “risk of fatal heart attack by half.” One problem with this study is, it targeted men, only. Oh, well. It’s good news for our significant others, right? BTW, when are these studies going to focus on women, I’d like to know?

5. It Helps Self-Esteem

6. It Improves Intimacy
According to the article, sex accounts for high numbers of ‘the so-called love hormone,” (oxytocin) “which help us bond and build trust.”

7. It Reduces Pain
So ladies, we can forget the old “Not tonight dear, I have a headache.” Now it’s, “Come here dear, I have a headache.”

8. It Lessens Prostate Cancer Risk
This is another bit of good news for the men in our lives.

9. It Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
Actually if we do a few Kegel exercises, that should help ‘before.’

10. It Helps Us Sleep Better

No surprise there, right? Although after a brief nap, we can sometimes feel more energized.

http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-sex?page=2

Now all this made me think. More and more recent studies show sex is healthful. If it’s healthful and can actually reduce or prevent some illnesses, would a physician prescribe such activities?

Can you imagine a whole new category of healthcare workers that might spring up in the next decade? I wonder if these workers, like some current life aide helpers, might perform duties in the home? Would their services be covered by health insurance, like various preventive measures are now covered?

And if we’re prescribed such preventive measures, can we order up our ‘medicine’ from a company’s portfolio? Blond hair or brown? Beard or no? Ah, well. The speculation is all in fun. Of course.

But it might make an amusing story.