Finding the right Muse

I love the idea of having a Muse. Not a grand, ephemeral, spiritual Muse, but an actual Muse. The kind of Muse that can sleep on the bed and follow you around the house, like a dog. Dogs make great Muses. They always come when you call them. Especially when  you have a piece of meat in your hand. 

Cats in general do not make reliable Muses. My Muse is Smokie the Ragdoll cat; I introduced him in my Fat City Mysteries as Elfie, Kate's Ragdoll. (I changed his name and gender to make sure he didn't know I'd "used" him as a character!) Elfie née Smokie is a great character, but a finicky Muse. He turns up to lend creative inspiration only when he damn well pleases. Mostly he's pleased when I'm opening a can of tuna.

Recently I wondered about famous writers and their muses. I did a little digging: 


F. Scott Fitzgerald:

F. Scott Fitzgerald's most potent Muse was probably his wife, Zelda.  Her Muse-dom came with a catch, however: she refused to marry Fitzgerald until he could support her in a lifestyle befitting America's first celebrity flapper. Fitzgerald sprang into action. He quickly cranked out THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, and published it to critical success. Zelda agreed to marry him soon afterward. Then she set about making the rest of his life a living hell. 

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Rule about Muses: Don't marry them.

Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway had a similarly bad outcome with one of his Muses, journalist Martha Gellhorn. The couple met at a bar in Key West (where else?). She later became his third wife. Gellhorn was reportedly too strong and spirited for Hemingway. She dumped him.

The Hemingway Rule about Muses: See the F. Scott Fitzgerald Rule.

I'm beginning to see a trend here. Famous writers are inspired by living, real people. People with whom they have hot, torrid affairs, but are better off not marrying. 

Hmm. Those of us who are happily married to non-Muses will simply have to find our creative inspiration another way. 

What about you? Do you have a Muse? If so, send us a picture. We'll post the pictures this Friday. You can send the picture of your Muse to killzoneblog at gmail dot com.