“Every time I hear writers talk about ‘the muse,’ I just want to bitch-slap them. It’s a job. Do your job.” Nora Roberts RWA 2009

And I thought I loved her before I read this quote on twitter last night! (Thanks, @Jinxie_G!)

Before anyone jumps in and points out the many times I’ve mentioned having my very own BMF (figure it out, people…got it? Good. Let’s move on now…) so I’ll come clean and do it for you. I talk about her a lot. Because she is a she. Like God is a she unless I’m talking to anyone outside of my own head. But here’s my deal: I do not wait for Muse to strike after her fancy’s been tickled (because this is not *that* kind of blog!) or throw my hands up in the air and curse Creativity for not giving my Inspiration for my Craft.

Honestly, that whole bit of drama would just mean I had the time to be an overly dramatic beatnik and would most likely be passing out permission slips to kick my ass because I’d just be that kind of annoying.

So no…Nora Roberts does not need to bitch-slap me for hiding behind my Muse or waiting for her to do my work for me. I’d really rather she didn’t hit me at all since it would kind of ruin my writer-girl-crush on her, but that’s a different story.

Now, Nora might want to have a word or two with me regarding my penchant for never being able to find the time to sit down and actually amuse my Muse with the ability to make pretty words appear on the screen that people other than my Mother will read and tell me how much I totally rock.

Yes, writing is a job. Yes, I used to make money off of this job. Then I had a kid and well, I still seem to be living in my own little World of Excuses Warning: Muses not allowed.

Laundry, cooking, looking for my last nerve because I know I just had it around here somewhere…

But ya know what? It all comes down to priorities…and mine right now is raising Buttercup (and clean underwear). Which means I need to stop mentally bitch-slapping myself and start focusing on what matters to me right now.

And that job? Let’s call it a hobby for now, Nora, shall we? Except for that whole tax deduction issue…because that is one place I have no problem referring to it as work.