Friend Friday

It is a sheer joy to welcome Molly Blaisdell to the blog today. Molly and I go way back and, even though she no longer lives in Washington state (she used to live in the next town over from me!), I still claim her as a Washington writer. Her Texas friends may feel differently. Molly is one of the hardest workers I know. And you can find her all over the internet: read her blog, follow her on Twitter, on Facebook or Pinterest! And I cannot wait to read her New Adult novel, which rumor has it is loosely based on a job Molly once had as a teenager. 

Molly Blaidell

Find a Muse

Glad to be here today and sharing a piece of the creative journey for my new book PLUMB CRAZY (Swoon). Kirby inadvertently inspired part of my rom-com. She invited me to join her yoga class. I went and kept going. I've since moved away from guru guide, Kris Lowe of Heart Filled Yoga, but I learned much in those classes. I also stumbled upon an awesome writing key.

I'm all serious about craft: attending conferences, reading craft books, and taking writing classes. I overlooked something mucho important. I can't tell you how busy I was when I started yoga.  I had four children, wrote books and worked part-time.  I mean, I'd just gotten over cancer too. It didn't seem like the best time for yoga, but Kirby seemed to think it would be useful, and Kirby is a genius.  So off to Target I went to buy a mat.

The first yoga session led to a startling moment.  I emptied my mind of thoughts and realized I had not grieved the death of someone I loved. More yoga followed. In those early days, I learned about mantras and happily my character in PLUMB CRAZY, Elva Presley, discovered mantras too. I connected with the idea we are all made of condensed sunlight, and Elva did too. Yoga wove into my life and wove itself into my story life, too. Nice.

The "ah-ha" thought hit me: yoga was my muse.  

Traditionally, muses are people but this muse was an activity. It lit me up within. It provided energy for writing, you know, at 5 a.m. before the daily onslaught.  I did some reading and realized I'd stumbled into scientific territory! Success in one cognitive activity (yoga) will translate into a completely unrelated cognitive task (writing).  if you love to geek out: here's a link to a blog about increasing your cognitive potential at Scientific American.

Now, I've made it a practice to plunge into something new and mind-blowingly difficult (for me) when starting a new writing project. I've learned to knit and purl, caused daylilies to thrive, figured out why the kids love anime, and a host of other things. I am dedicated to shaking up the gray matter.

So here is my advice: find a muse.  What is calling you? Who has challenged you recently?  What has resonated with you? Sharpen that mind. Pursue your muse and uncover your story.

Molly Blaisdell is a dash of fun, mixed in with some smart cookie and a splash of capable. She started her first fan fiction group in junior high and never stopped writing. Today, she writes about geeky girls with lofty dreams and about the absolute craziness of falling in love.

When Molly's not writing, she curls up with a book, heads to a popcorn blockbuster, or kicks back to watch shooting stars. If she sees the moon in the daytime, she thinks she's lucky. Molly is the mom of four and lives in College Station, Texas with her college sweetheart Tim and two cats - one evil and one good. PLUMB CRAZY from Swoon Romance is her first novel. She's also the author of 30 books for young children.