Sunday, January 22, 2012

GUEST POST: "Wrestling the Muse" - by Lorena Bathey


WRESTLING THE MUSEby LORENA BATHEY, author ofHouse on Plunkett Street


I believe in the muses. I believe in inspiration. I pick up pennies off the ground for good luck.  I throw salt over my left shoulder when I spill it. And I absolutely believe that books, really good ones, are sent directly from the place of Plato, Socrates, and Shakespeare.

Now that we've got that out of the way let's talk about how you can best meet your muse.
Every time I tell someone that I am a writer they say, "Oh, I've always wanted to write a book." Seriously, EVERY TIME. And the thought that goes through my head is, then why don't you?

It really is that simple. It's kind of like Field of Dreams, "If you write it, they will come." To meet your muse you must sit down at your computer, typewriter, or pick up a pen. You must then write. Yes, you must write words. You must stream together sentences and paragraphs. That is the preface to being introduced to your muse.

Then, you must continue to write. Don't stop and read everything or edit along the way. Just get in the groove of writing the ideas in your head or the characters you want to meet. Let your fingers do the thinking and watch as they fly furiously over the keyboard or page.

This type of creative abandon puts you in the zone. In this zone your muse will arrive and whisper plot twists or smashing pieces of dialog for your character to say. You will find yourself giggling at the greatness. And that is exactly what you should do.

Writing makes you wonder, what will people think? But that fear can stymie your ability. Your muse is there to break through that fear. Find a quiet place, get your writing instruments together, and allow the muse to speak to you. Believe me, they will.

Once they do, go with it. Trust them. Let the words and ideas flow. There will be plenty of time for editing, reworking, and worry. When you introduce yourself to your muse you must be fearless and open. You have to let them inspire you. If you allow this, your work will grow.
I know, it sounds kinda weird and ridiculous, but trust me it happens just this way. Don't believe me? Ask J.K. Rowling how she thought up all those intricate characters. Ask Stephen King how he's become the master at scaring the *hit out of you. These authors listen.

Now you know the secret. Go ahead. Don't be shy. Go get your pad of paper or your laptop and head to your quiet place. Then start typing and before you know it you'll hear your muse whispering in your ear and making your work appear. Then you've done it, you've become a writer.

Bio for LORENA BATHEY

Growing up in the Bay Area of Northern California, Lorena Bathey attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga graduating with a degree in English. Then she traveled, learned about life, and developed great fodder for a book. Losing her mother to cancer and her own marriage’s demise brought her to find herself. She wrote Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother (www.amazon.com) and found speaking and empowering others was her passion. 

Lorena Bathey found after writing her first book that characters were visiting her mind and wouldn't leave. She was introduced to Marissa, Andrea, Lily, Deidre and Beatrice and her first novel, Beatrice Munson, came to life. After finishing that book she was inspired to write more novels and she knew that pursuing her passion was the best way to live her life. So a writer she became.

After meeting the love of her life, they embarked on the thrilling life to follow their dreams bringing their families along for the ride. Today Lorena has nine novels in her writing queue all with screenplays in the works. 

But writing isn't the only muse that inspires Lorena. She has become a passionate photographer and likes to push the envelope taking shots while learning how to navigate Photoshop. Travel, walking, enjoying new restaurants, and Italy are other loves and things she makes sure she has time for.

Find her at

House on Plunkett Street
by Lorena Bathey

Phoebe Bertram is boring, bland, and unexciting. She works a job that is inadequate of her abilities. She has a boyfriend that is a dud. She is on the treadmill of her life and doesn’t know how to get off. 

With changes in her job and her apartment going condo, she must find a new place to live. Her friend Meghan brings her to the perfect apartment and the moment Phoebe steps in the door she knows there is something atypical about this perspective residence. 

What she never expects are the three ghosts that arrive on her couch to teach her how life is really meant to be lived. 

Author of Beatrice Munson, Lorena Bathey, has brought us another great example of character study combined with a moral at the end of the story. This book will make you laugh, cry, and look at your world with new eyes.

READ the REVIEWS

“House on Plunkett Street” by Lorena Bathey has 3 reviews on GoodReads. Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13159654-house-on-plunkett-street  

PURCHASE LINKS

1 comment:

Victoria said...

Wonderful post! I really do think the Muse is just plain old hard work though!

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