Have you Fed your Writing Muse Today?

What is it about this writing thing that we enjoy?

Why would anyone want to rise before the sun, to plunk away on a keyboard in the dark and put their precious words and feelings up for the judgement of others?

Is it all about the imagining of a character’s challenges and how they can overcome them in a heroic way? Or perhaps this writing thing is a way to come to terms with our lives or to imagine how the story could have ended differently.

 

When I consider the moments and life experiences that have inspired my best stories, I clearly see the muse for my writing.

Do you know yours?

I’m a veterinarian.

My days are spent examining pets, smelling yeasty ears, hunting through fur-forests for fleas, stitching skin back together and counting teeth. I have a highly trained, scientific mind but I must also be able to communicate effectively with owners and be intuitive enough to anticipate when a cat is about to boil over into hissing, scratching fury. In addition to all this, I’m also a business owner. I need to think about employee schedules, business hours, financial reports and how to cover employee sick days effectively.

Lately, the challenge for me, in all honesty, is balance.

It seems if I dedicate the time to write, my work and family life suffers and then I dive back into work/home life, only to forgo my writing.

At times, it gets to be a bit much; trying to be a great vet, a good boss and loving mom, wife and pet owner.

This has led me to consider… that perhaps I need balance in order to nourish my muse.

If I can’t approach being a veterinarian with an open and loving, appreciative mind, then I may forget the joy and miss out on the moments that inspire the heart in my writing.

Yesterday was a tough day. I aided in the peaceful good-bye of three beloved pet family members. As a veterinarian, I can’t tell you how often someone says, “This must be the worst part of your job.” But, in truth, it isn’t. It is a privilege to help when it is needed most and to offer comfort, dignity to the pet and empathy to a grieving pet owner.

We lost a family member recently.

A spit fire, bossy, little brown dog named, Chase.

As a puppy, Chase had a broken leg. Her owner wasn’t in the position to have the fracture repaired, so Chase was surrendered to our practice. On Easter Day, a good friend and orthopedic surgeon repaired the fracture.

We brought Chase home to recover for a couple days and when a good home came available, Chase left us.

But the next day, my daughter came home from school, broke into alligator tears and cried, “I want my dog back!”

I had failed to recognize how this little creature had burrowed her way into our home and hearts. Needless to say, Chase came home and we loved her. She was a huge presence in our lives.

Chase was hit by a car and died from her injuries. It still hurts.

The point is that—I understand. I know that when a family is losing a pet, it hurts and will continue to hurt.

I choose to embrace this feeling and to share it through my writing so others can laugh, and cry about their own pets and to normalize the love we have for our fury friends.

My muse is and forever will be, the special relationship we share with our animals. We humans are so blessed to have animal companions who love us so unconditionally. Therefore, regardless of the hurdles I’m attempting to surmount; writing an unforgettable query letter, attracting the perfect agent to represent my work, having the distance and wisdom to judge my own novels and meeting writing deadlines while still keeping balance with work and family… I need to be forever aware that we need to feed our muses.

Allow me to take this moment to say that through all the tough times, sad moments and pressure cooking conflicts… I still love veterinary medicine.

What’s your muse?

Have you fed your muse today?