An Open Letter to the Muse

Dear Muse,

I missed you today! What happened? I thought we had an appointment, but maybe I’m mistaken? I thought we were going to meet at that little café up the road and around the corner? You know the one. The place with the housemade coconut milk and gluten-free biscuits you like so much.

Not to press the matter, but I waited for you there… in the café… alone. Two hours I waited and you never showed! You didn’t even send a bloody text!

Even though YOU didn’t show up, I did. Muse.

I showed up and I sat in front of OUR project all morning. Though you have offered a few brilliant, even inspired, suggestions, I need to be honest… It feels like I’ve been hauling this ship all on my lonesome.

I’m the one that’s been flipping open the laptop, clicking on the word file and doing the work. I’m the one that did the outline. I’m the one that typed up the 80,000 words. I’m the one left with this stinker of a first draft!

Hmmmm…I wonder who will do the editing?

Cough, **ME** cough.

You flitter in and out whenever you please, regardless of our schedule. Do you remember the schedule? The timetable we made together to track our progress? I printed and laminated that stupid thing especially for you. You stick it on your mystical fridge that way you’d never miss an appointment. You told me you would look at it every morning as you made your mystical breakfast with your mystical frickin’ eggs and mystical frickin’ gluten-free bread!

Phew! Sorry…that was out of line.

Yes, I know.

You’re busy.

You’re an entrepreneur now.

I know I need to be more understanding. It’s not just you and me anymore. You have a whole league of artists, writers, bloggers, and vloggers to tend to. You would think with all this blasted technology around we’d have more time not less, but I digress.

And look, I have my own part to play, and I’d like to apologise for the other day.

In my defense we didn’t have an appointment, you just showed up uninvited; out of the blue and into my heart! What, too much? Damn it.

Anyway, what I am trying to say, Muse, is that I’ve been working really hard and you just happened to walk in the one time… the one time… I was goofing off. I’m allowed to watch cat videos on YouTube too ya know!

Not to nitpick, but we started this project together and now you seem to have lost interest.

But I’m not a quitter, Muse, I am sticking with this project. I will see it through to the end, with or without you! (God I hate U2).

Signed yours unfaithfully,

Tara

P.S I’ve attached the third draft of chapter one. Let me know what ya think xx