Nancy was supposed to post this blog yesterday. But she was waiting for “the Muse.”

Sigh. If I left things up to Nancy, you guys would never hear from me.

The thing about the Muse is, she’s a busy gal. You can wait for the Muse all you want, but she’s not going to wait for you.

You have to set regular appointments with the Muse—and show up for them. Otherwise, your progress on your book will be sporadic at best.

The most accurate take on the Muse I’ve seen comes from Stephen King. Here’s a quote from his excellent book, On Writing:

“Don’t wait for the muse. As I’ve said, he’s a hard-headed guy who’s not susceptible to a lot of creative fluttering. This isn’t the Ouija board or the spirit-world we’re talking about here, but just another job like laying pipe or driving long-haul trucks. Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you’re going to be every day from nine ’til noon. Or seven ’til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he’ll start showing up.”

I’ve been a pro ghostwriter for over a decade, and I can tell you that “writer’s block” or “waiting for the Muse” are just excuses to not do the work. If I waited around for them, I would fail to pay my electricity bill.

Work ethic trumps inspiration every time.

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