Lynne Simpson

Unlike many writers, I don’t have a muse. That’s just not the way my conscious mind relates to wherever-it-is my characters and my stories come from. To paraphrase something Jody said a few years back, if a muse ever showed up around here, I’d put her (or him) to work raking leaves or folding laundry! :-)

Something odd has been going on for the last two months. Since I don’t have a muse, I can’t say she went into hiding, but I do know that my stories and my characters absolutely deserted me the night I saw Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention. It’s like some part of me said, “Until I know for a fact that the closest this crazy, incompetent chick will come to the Oval Office is on a tourist trip to the White House, I can’t even THINK about writing.”

I actually tried a few times to work on outlines. Then I attempted to do some edits. Nothing. I guess I should be grateful I had the sense to back away and not end up making a hash of things. Still, though, it was creepy not to be able to write. I haven’t felt that way in a long, long time.

In the last few weeks, I should’ve had an inkling Barack Obama was going to win. Not only were the polls looking that way, but the volunteer efforts in this area and elsewhere also gave every indication that he had broad, enthusiastic support all across the country. But still I just couldn’t find my way back to my stories.

A couple of days before the election, I suddenly got a rush of character voices, scenes, and visuals of landscapes. Stories. After two months of NOTHING, they were all back, and more vivid than before.

I think I knew then that he would win. But I didn’t dare let myself hope until every single network, even Fox, called the election for Obama and McCain gave his concession speech.

I’m glad to be getting my life back. :-)