Reader or Writer: Got the Muse Blues?
MUSE MONDAY
Please welcome my guest Barbara White Daille to Muse Monday. She has a great giveaway so be sure to get to the end and enter!
A big thanks to Brenda for inviting me back to Muse Monday to chat with you.
Whether you’re a reader or a writer, you probably have a muse of your own. To me, a muse is that helpful voice in our heads that stimulates and motivates us to accomplish what we need to achieve. You may call him or her or it your creative well or your brainstorming cap. Whatever works for you!
Typically, people make connections between the muse and a creative endeavor. As “to muse” means “to think (in silence) on a subject,” I’d say the phrase covers such widely diverse projects as coming up with decorations to match a party theme or daydreaming a list of potential vacation spots.
My muse is female, finicky, and fickle. At the moment, I’m keeping her very much in mind (no pun intended), since I’m on deadline for a book that’s due at the end of this month. And as usual, the closer I get to a due date, the more she wants to play.
When she gets in that mood, here are some things I do to rein her in so we can both get back to business:
Sit down to work, set a timer, and vow not to get up from the chair till the buzzer rings.Make a list. For a book, that would include scene checklists, what-ifs for plot twists, or notes about edits to be incorporated into the next draft. For life in general, that could be a to-do list or this week’s menu plan.Switch gears. If I’ve been at my desk all morning, I might take the laptop to another room for the afternoon. If I’ve hit a snag while working on the computer, I’ll switch to a notepad to figure things out. Take a break. That sounds counterproductive, I know. But sometimes our muses—and brains—have been hyper-focused for so long, they need time to recharge.Do any of these strategies work for you when you’re trying to get motivated?
I can always use more ideas, so please feel free to share if you have any other suggestions or strategies you’ve heard about!
Also, I’m giving away a copy of my upcoming book, The Texan’s Little Secret. Check out the Rafflecopter below.
Cover blurb from The Texan’s Little Secret:
Coming home might be the worst decision Carly Baron has ever made. Each minute on her family's busy ranch is one minute closer to seeing him—her first love—the man who broke her heart seven years ago. While coming face-to-face with Luke Nobel again brings back painful memories, Carly quickly realizes there are other strong feelings just under the surface….
Luke would be a lot better off if Carly had stayed away. Being a single dad to an adorable two-year-old girl and managing the Roughneck is tough enough, but resisting the sparks that fly whenever he and Carly are together is near impossible. But first she must tell him her secret. The truth could heal their past…or forever destroy their chances of becoming a family.
The Texan’s Little Secret can be found at:
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble Books a Million Harlequin Powell's Books The Book Depository IndieBound
Originally from the East Coast, award-winning author Barbara White Daille now lives with her husband in the warm, sunny Southwest, where they love the lizards in the front yard but could do without the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara writes romances—usually with cowboys, kids, and a touch of humor. Her current title is Rancher at Risk, and she’s excited that her upcoming book, The Texan’s Little Secret, releases in less than a month!
Barbara would love to have you drop by her website: www.barbarawhitedaille.comand to see you on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraWhiteDaille
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please welcome my guest Barbara White Daille to Muse Monday. She has a great giveaway so be sure to get to the end and enter!
A big thanks to Brenda for inviting me back to Muse Monday to chat with you.Whether you’re a reader or a writer, you probably have a muse of your own. To me, a muse is that helpful voice in our heads that stimulates and motivates us to accomplish what we need to achieve. You may call him or her or it your creative well or your brainstorming cap. Whatever works for you!
Typically, people make connections between the muse and a creative endeavor. As “to muse” means “to think (in silence) on a subject,” I’d say the phrase covers such widely diverse projects as coming up with decorations to match a party theme or daydreaming a list of potential vacation spots.
My muse is female, finicky, and fickle. At the moment, I’m keeping her very much in mind (no pun intended), since I’m on deadline for a book that’s due at the end of this month. And as usual, the closer I get to a due date, the more she wants to play.
When she gets in that mood, here are some things I do to rein her in so we can both get back to business:
Sit down to work, set a timer, and vow not to get up from the chair till the buzzer rings.Make a list. For a book, that would include scene checklists, what-ifs for plot twists, or notes about edits to be incorporated into the next draft. For life in general, that could be a to-do list or this week’s menu plan.Switch gears. If I’ve been at my desk all morning, I might take the laptop to another room for the afternoon. If I’ve hit a snag while working on the computer, I’ll switch to a notepad to figure things out. Take a break. That sounds counterproductive, I know. But sometimes our muses—and brains—have been hyper-focused for so long, they need time to recharge.Do any of these strategies work for you when you’re trying to get motivated?
I can always use more ideas, so please feel free to share if you have any other suggestions or strategies you’ve heard about!
Also, I’m giving away a copy of my upcoming book, The Texan’s Little Secret. Check out the Rafflecopter below.
Cover blurb from The Texan’s Little Secret:Coming home might be the worst decision Carly Baron has ever made. Each minute on her family's busy ranch is one minute closer to seeing him—her first love—the man who broke her heart seven years ago. While coming face-to-face with Luke Nobel again brings back painful memories, Carly quickly realizes there are other strong feelings just under the surface….
Luke would be a lot better off if Carly had stayed away. Being a single dad to an adorable two-year-old girl and managing the Roughneck is tough enough, but resisting the sparks that fly whenever he and Carly are together is near impossible. But first she must tell him her secret. The truth could heal their past…or forever destroy their chances of becoming a family.
The Texan’s Little Secret can be found at:
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble Books a Million Harlequin Powell's Books The Book Depository IndieBound
Originally from the East Coast, award-winning author Barbara White Daille now lives with her husband in the warm, sunny Southwest, where they love the lizards in the front yard but could do without the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara writes romances—usually with cowboys, kids, and a touch of humor. Her current title is Rancher at Risk, and she’s excited that her upcoming book, The Texan’s Little Secret, releases in less than a month!
Barbara would love to have you drop by her website: www.barbarawhitedaille.comand to see you on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraWhiteDaille
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments have been added yet.
