Nope. I'm in before Sunday night this week. Amazing!

I've been struggling with what I thought was an errant Muse this last couple of weeks (as you might be aware if you've seen my posts regarding same. Apologies for boring you to death.)

Actually, I've discovered that the Muse is not errant at all, just otherwise employed as a character in a local theatre production, an adapted version of Gogol's 'The Government Inspector'.

Doris has a favourite saying which has something to do with low flying ducks, one of which you can see is creeping out of her big 1960s hair-do. She's here with Ivana, the postmistress and with Pip, the hospital matron. (By the way, the local Kangaroo Island Players team is the best, a great bunch of fun-loving people).

So why did I feel Muse-abandoned? I watched other writers' FB posts, marvelled at the talent and success and wondered why I couldn't do/write/engage like that. Why can't I be like that (and etc)? was the wah-wah cry. 

(Stay with me - the Muse bit is back on) ... Then I realised I do 'do' like that, I do 'write' like that, I do 'engage' like that, just not like any one else ... I do it like me.

Because Doris is from the Muse as well. She came channelling in like a mad thing to take over for a couple of weeks sucking up all the creativity, bursting forth like an alien being chewing gum (you had to be there...). Any wonder the writing bit stalled.

Over the last couple of years my delight in returning to the thing I love to do (writing) and also taking up something I have always wanted to do (acting), has turned my life around. Not that life was bad. I just suddenly I realised I didn't give a toss what others thought of my output or ability, I was free to do what I wanted. (Improving my craft as well, one would hope). There is relief, wonder, joy, satisfaction, fun in having something to love, love, love, and do, guilt-free.

We are near the end of our KI Players little season and though Doris is still top billing in the Muse stakes, she's on the wane. I can hear the simmer and rattle of other Muse projects in the background. 

Doris has been good for the process. The Muse is not errant at all; she's alive and well doing her thing, and I'm so heartily glad she's bullied her way to the forefront. Low flying ducks, besides.

Really. It is Sunday night this time.

Nope. I missed Sunday again. There's something about Sundays I keep missing...

Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. Right now, what matters is that the Muse, damn her to all places, has disappeared again. Apparently she's off into the biggest black hole some-thing-or-other with other recalcitrant muses making like they need a holiday. With music.

Muses do not need a holiday! What is that with a holiday? MUSES do NOT need a holiday.

There I was, finishing up a book and lucky enough to have it published. Yep, doing a bit of marketing, hoping my readers enjoyed the story and all that jazz. I admit it was a little different to my usual, but you know - we have to stretch ourselves a bit this way and that.

Well, I learned something. You can hurt yourself stretching ... but the doesn't mean it's not good for you. And that's OK. It's all part of it. After you hurt stretching, your muscles get used to it. You know what not to do again. (Yep, Your readers like s-e-x in their stories. Note to self: put s-e-x in your stories. Next note to self: do it.)

Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. Right now, what matters is finding a solution to this problem about the Muse. A friend suggested that the Muse was absent due to an infliction of a character called Doris (not affliction. Infliction. Really.) Here's Doris... she's a bit shy. Not. (Well, in this pic she is.)

Anyway, this sort of thing takes up a lot of time. But wot FUN!

Then aside from Doris, there's all this interesting stuff on Facebook, and Amazon, and there's other time-wasting stuff like the laundry etc and then -

There's learning about deep POV. (Not time-wasting). I love Kristen Lamb. (Thanks for posting, Kylie Short.) Kristen Lamb makes you realise how long you've been dabbling in the mysterious art of story-writing for the masses. (Let's not go into the other mysterious art of just story-writing for yourself. Or for your mum. Or your PG nieces. But anyway...) She makes you realise that unless you're really awake, the omniscient author-dude voice can still lurk even after careful self-editing and therefore give the game away. You've been doing this a long time.

This revelation was a little startling. I have been around the traps (not doing an awful lot by all accounts) for a LONG time. Then, why do I not have JK Rowling's bank account?

Which brings me back to my original grizzle - where the hell is my Muse?