So I was trying to write, and my muse was giving me fits. So instead of writing what I was intending this little scenario popped into my head and I thought it was too funny not to share. It only took about ten minutes to type out. Hope you enjoy.~ Rebecca Jane

The Petulant Muse

Most of the time I feel like I’m arguing with a 5-year-old when I’m trying to write. As a parent who has raised three teen age daughters at this point, I distinctly remember what arguing with a 5-year-old is like, and that is exactly what it feels like most of the time. This a small excerpt of my time when I try write.

“Come on Lizzy (Hey its as good of a name as any for my muse) let’s go write this story we’ve been working on”, I tell her.
Lizzy stops what she’s doing and stands up to start coming towards me. Then something catches her eye, so she turns and picks up an idea and says, “Ooo look at this isn’t it pretty?”

“Yes, it is Lizzy, but that’s not we’re working on, remember?” I respond, amused at first.

Crestfallen, she starts to put the idea down, then a hopeful look crosses her face, “But, but look its got dragons, and fairies, and princes!” She squeals excitedly.

Trying to placate her I gently tell her, “It’s a really neat idea, but please let’s work on the one we started last week.”

Sighing, she put the idea down and started walking towards me. Then she looks down and a bright smile crosses her face. “Look at this one, it has puppies in it!!! Everyone likes puppies!!!”, She gushes loudly.

“Lizzy cmon, we’ve got a lot of people waiting on the next chapter to your original idea. Please focus, you don’t want to disappoint them, do you?” I chide.

She pouts, “No I guess not… But I really want to write about puppies, or dragons… Ooo maybe butterflies!!!” She gets more excitable with each ‘new’ thing she thinks of.

“Lizzy!” I start to fuss, but then the upset look that starts to form on her face makes me rethink me fussing at her. I continue more calmly, “Look lets just work on this for an hour okay? Then we can go get some ice cream okay?” At this point I know it’s a bribe, but I’m desperate to get her to focus… Even if its just for 15 minutes.

“I love ice cream!”, she says as she finally comes closer to me and my computer. She then glances over and sees my guitar and says, “Why don’t you play a song, I love to hear you play.”

“Huh? No, remember we were going to write Lizzy. Remember the story with Belle, Kelly, and Ben? That’s the one we need to work on.” I tell her, getting more and more frustrated.

“But, but, but… Music helps me think better. Pretty please!!!”, she begs.

“Fine, just one song and then we write, promise?” I hesitantly agree.

“Okay I promise!!!”, she tells me.

I start to play a song, and she stops me, “No not that one!”

So, I start another… this repeats about four times before she’s happy with the song I’m playing. When I’m done I put the guitar down and move back to the computer. I can tell she was happy listening, so hopefully I will have her attention now. “Are you ready now Lizzy?”, I ask her.

She looks up and smiles, “Yes I am. Uhh, ready for what?”

Groaning I shake my head and tell her, “We were going to write…”

“About puppies?”, she asks excitedly.

“No Lizzy.” I tell her getting more and more frustrated.

“Butterflies?”

“No!”

“Dragons?”

“I said no, remember…”, I start to say before she interrupts me yet again.

“Fairies?”
I sigh, “Ugh, No!”

Her face scrunches up for a moment before she looks up hopefully, “A puppy that becomes a dragon?”

“What? No! Where did that idea come from?!? That’s it no pizza for you late at night anymore!”

She starts to pout, “So what do you want to write about?”

Knowing she has won I just place my head in my hands and mutter, “You know, I don’t even know anymore…”

“Can we get the ice cream now?”, She says, perking up.

“Sure… I could use some ice cream right now.”, I respond.

-o-O-o-

Half an hour later we are at the café having ice cream when Lizzy looks up at me bright eyed, “I have an idea about what happens next to Belle!” She then tells me her idea, and sorry, I’m not going to give any spoilers.

I can’t help but laugh with all it took to get that out of her, but I sigh and tell her, “You know you are really frustrating.”

She giggles, then looks up at me with a childlike twinkle in her eye and just says, “I know.” The whole time she is giving me this saccharinely sweet smile.

I just groan, yet again, and tell her, “That’s a really good idea, remind me about it when we get home, so I can write it down.

She then looks at me quizzically, and asks, “Remind you about what?!?”

I can’t help but give up at this moment, I facepalm and utter, “That's it, I give up…”

A few quite moments pass, then she asks in her little childish voice, “Can we write about a dragon? I have a really cool idea about a dragon…”

So, my friends, that is why I feel that my muse is a 5-year-old with a severe case of ADD… Oh and by the way, yes she is wanting to write a story about a dragon…