A New Beginning...Another Year
21 total reviews
Comment from starkat
What a great idea - to embrace your muse on New Year's Eve, without the fancy clothes and make-up. And what a happy feeling to be thoroughly embraced and welcomed home by your muse. It's like this encounter was very special and meant to happen. Great job in setting the stage and building anticipation. I liked the drama of this being a do-or-die situation, and then the happy ending.
Great contest entry. Thanks for entering. It seems that muses appear and disappear throughout our lives, and we can sense and hope they are working hard behind the scenes on our behalf. Muses can be frustrating. Awareness of their presence can be subtle. We wonder about them. What a wonderful surprise if we actually get the opportunity to meet them, as you did yours in this uplifting, well written story.
Enjoyed your muse-encounter story. Best of luck in the contest ... ;o) Art
reply by the author on 03-Jan-2013
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What a great idea - to embrace your muse on New Year's Eve, without the fancy clothes and make-up. And what a happy feeling to be thoroughly embraced and welcomed home by your muse. It's like this encounter was very special and meant to happen. Great job in setting the stage and building anticipation. I liked the drama of this being a do-or-die situation, and then the happy ending.
Great contest entry. Thanks for entering. It seems that muses appear and disappear throughout our lives, and we can sense and hope they are working hard behind the scenes on our behalf. Muses can be frustrating. Awareness of their presence can be subtle. We wonder about them. What a wonderful surprise if we actually get the opportunity to meet them, as you did yours in this uplifting, well written story.
Enjoyed your muse-encounter story. Best of luck in the contest ... ;o) Art
Comment Written 03-Jan-2013
reply by the author on 03-Jan-2013
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Thank you so much. Behind the drama, the truth is we often bury our dreams as life gets in the way. If it is a real passion it wakens and starts prodding at some point. The fear of any expectations or the fear of finding out you're not nearly as good as your dreams might belie, is a very real anxiety. Thanks for the generous feedback.
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Congratulations on winning the contest !!!
... ;o)
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Thank you. I appreciate the acknowledgement verry much.
Comment from elliejean
Yes, our muses can see all there is to us. We fear another knowing all we try to hide. It scares us half to death. But our muses are a best friend. They want us to dig deep for all the emotions we hide. Put them down on paper and we will feel a relief. Great work.
reply by the author on 03-Jan-2013
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Yes, our muses can see all there is to us. We fear another knowing all we try to hide. It scares us half to death. But our muses are a best friend. They want us to dig deep for all the emotions we hide. Put them down on paper and we will feel a relief. Great work.
Comment Written 03-Jan-2013
reply by the author on 03-Jan-2013
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You are absolutely right. We hide from our truth and that includes the deep need to write and have our hands be guided by our souls.
Comment from NaughtieScribe
This is an excellent entry into the contest. I love how vulnerable you had to allow yourself to be in order to be embraced by your muse. This was a romantic and inspirational work. I found nothing to tweak or adjust. Very well done.
reply by the author on 02-Jan-2013
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This is an excellent entry into the contest. I love how vulnerable you had to allow yourself to be in order to be embraced by your muse. This was a romantic and inspirational work. I found nothing to tweak or adjust. Very well done.
Comment Written 02-Jan-2013
reply by the author on 02-Jan-2013
Thank you. I think sometimes women give up their dreams for careers and family and don't think they are allowed themselves back to their original passions.
Comment from Dan Diego
I really enjoy it when someone opens up and lets us peek into their relationship with their muse. It shows confidence, courage and trust - especially when you face your muse in a room full of people (FS) chasing theirs.
The strength of this commentary (for me) is the imagery. I liked the use of the door as a means to separate you from your muse and how well it fits into the theme of the contest. The "less than a fossil" image helped me understand how long it had been since you "buried" the muse so long ago.
I got the analogy of power suit to armor and loved "my side of truth." Again that door.
Of course, the end is meaningful and satisfying.
Since you posted this on 21 December, I can only hope the muse stuck around long enough to usher in the new year. And let's hope he sticks around in 2013 for a lot more courageous writing like this one.
Suggest you correct "femlininity" before the voting starts.
reply by the author on 01-Jan-2013
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I really enjoy it when someone opens up and lets us peek into their relationship with their muse. It shows confidence, courage and trust - especially when you face your muse in a room full of people (FS) chasing theirs.
The strength of this commentary (for me) is the imagery. I liked the use of the door as a means to separate you from your muse and how well it fits into the theme of the contest. The "less than a fossil" image helped me understand how long it had been since you "buried" the muse so long ago.
I got the analogy of power suit to armor and loved "my side of truth." Again that door.
Of course, the end is meaningful and satisfying.
Since you posted this on 21 December, I can only hope the muse stuck around long enough to usher in the new year. And let's hope he sticks around in 2013 for a lot more courageous writing like this one.
Suggest you correct "femlininity" before the voting starts.
Comment Written 01-Jan-2013
reply by the author on 01-Jan-2013
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Thanks for the heads up on the typo.
I doubt that I am so very different than many who shoved aside our passion for writing while real life took precendence. Then when one finally admits the need to pick up a pen or finds the time, our writing is unproven against other life accomplishments. We wonder if we are good enough,interesting to others, but then suddenly the door opens, and we understand our doubts are meaningless. It doesn't matter what others think,whether it's our famlies condescending tolerance for our 'hobby' or our own insecurities...we just need to write.
Comment from Skyangel02
The story looks technically correct to me except for one tiny spelling error. femlinity = femininity.
The rest of the spelling and punctuation looks great.
The overall impression I get from the story is that the author lacks confidence and considers themself to not be living up to their full potential. She/he attempts to put on a great show and creates an impressive outward appearance yet underneath it all really knows that others can easily see through the facade. The writer is vulnerable and is afraid of being attacked for their weakness but in spite of the fear knows that those who understand the insecurities will never attack them but embrace them.
The potential the author feels that they once embraced is still within. All they need to do is hold themselves in high esteem instead of condemning themselves. Other peoples opinions can never change the way one sees themselves.
That is the message I got from your story. Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 29-Dec-2012
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The story looks technically correct to me except for one tiny spelling error. femlinity = femininity.
The rest of the spelling and punctuation looks great.
The overall impression I get from the story is that the author lacks confidence and considers themself to not be living up to their full potential. She/he attempts to put on a great show and creates an impressive outward appearance yet underneath it all really knows that others can easily see through the facade. The writer is vulnerable and is afraid of being attacked for their weakness but in spite of the fear knows that those who understand the insecurities will never attack them but embrace them.
The potential the author feels that they once embraced is still within. All they need to do is hold themselves in high esteem instead of condemning themselves. Other peoples opinions can never change the way one sees themselves.
That is the message I got from your story. Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 29-Dec-2012
reply by the author on 29-Dec-2012
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What a strange reaction.
I operated as a senior sales executive for thirty years, a position that hardly evokes lack of confidence or insecurity.
Mt career afforded my family opportunities financially that gave them a spring board into life's challenges. However, during that time my devotion to my career was in looking after my family. I did not have time for anything othe than the family and the job. Now, when no one needs me and the career is over whenever I snap my fingers and call it a day, I realize that I didn't invest in my own interests. I can call it a vacant horizon, but not a lack of confidence or insecurity. Thanks for the spag.
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Strange or not, it is what it is. Whether you personally lack confidence or feel unneeded is not the issue and is quite irrelevant to me. The character in your story comes across to me as lacking it in my opinion. If you intended that to be the case you did a great job of it. If it was not intentional and you meant the character to come across as more confident, you might need to work on conveying that confidence better. Why would your character be afraid of meeting the muse and feel like he was some kind of threat and was going to kill them? To me that sounds like a person who is afraid of themselves for some strange reason.
If it is really about you and how you really feel, why do you feel that way?
I notice you put your story in the commentary and philosophy non fiction section yet the muse is a fictional character so how is it non fiction in your mind? Is it the way you feel about your inner self? Do you fling open some kind of inner door and prepared to die when you face your inner self then realise you are not going to destroy yourself after all?
Since it is in the philosophy section, I would like to understand the philosophy or message behind the story if I did not "get it" in your opinion.?
Either you are telling a true story about how you feel about yourself or you are telling a fictional story about a character who is a writer and feels threatened by his own potential. Which is it? Is the author of your story a fictional character who is writng in first person or is the story about your personal true feelings and fear of yourself and that is why you took my review so personally?
It looks to me like your story is about a character who understands and admits they put on false fronts to try to impress others and knows that their facades can be seen though by those who love them enough to care.
I see through all false fronts even those which people deny they wear. I love people a lot.
Comment from KiaraLG
Brilliantly written. You've managed to make me feel your guilt for "burying" your "muse" all those years ago. Very glad you "opened the door" to him again. ;)
For me personally, this is a very thought provoking piece. Thank you so much for sharing Spiritual Echo!
KiaraLG:)
reply by the author on 28-Dec-2012
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Brilliantly written. You've managed to make me feel your guilt for "burying" your "muse" all those years ago. Very glad you "opened the door" to him again. ;)
For me personally, this is a very thought provoking piece. Thank you so much for sharing Spiritual Echo!
KiaraLG:)
Comment Written 28-Dec-2012
reply by the author on 28-Dec-2012
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We think we should put some dreams aside as we mature, but we fool ourselves. They haunt us.
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So very true. Thank you!
Comment from lakeport
A new beginning,another year indeed lets hope it will be a peaceful year.I enjoyed reading the story.God bless you. Hugs!Lakeport.
Merry Christmas!
reply by the author on 23-Dec-2012
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A new beginning,another year indeed lets hope it will be a peaceful year.I enjoyed reading the story.God bless you. Hugs!Lakeport.
Merry Christmas!
Comment Written 23-Dec-2012
reply by the author on 23-Dec-2012
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Have a good
Christmas. ingrid
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thank you.Hugs!Lakeport.
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thank you, Hugs!lakeport.
Merry Christmas!
Comment from DALLAS01
Really like the way you ended this. Our muse is really a part of us. Of all the people that we might be tempted to either impress by disowning who we truly are, it can't be our muse. (Too thine own self be true.)
I ran across this quote just the other day:
It's never tool late to be what you might have been
George Eliot
reply by the author on 23-Dec-2012
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Really like the way you ended this. Our muse is really a part of us. Of all the people that we might be tempted to either impress by disowning who we truly are, it can't be our muse. (Too thine own self be true.)
I ran across this quote just the other day:
It's never tool late to be what you might have been
George Eliot
Comment Written 22-Dec-2012
reply by the author on 23-Dec-2012
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Great quote, but not wntirly true. In my mid fifties I realized I could never be a ballerina agin! LOL
Comment from Rondeno
Wow. This modern-day parable says what, deep down, we all know, but rarely acknowledge - what's admirable about us can't be painted on. It lies within.
reply by the author on 22-Dec-2012
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Wow. This modern-day parable says what, deep down, we all know, but rarely acknowledge - what's admirable about us can't be painted on. It lies within.
Comment Written 22-Dec-2012
reply by the author on 22-Dec-2012
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Yes, and may Cristma b a joyful season for you.
Comment from BethShelby
This is well-written and thought provoking. I like the honesty it takes in the end to meet the muse with no pretentiousness. It sounds like a wonderful beginning for a new year.
reply by the author on 22-Dec-2012
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This is well-written and thought provoking. I like the honesty it takes in the end to meet the muse with no pretentiousness. It sounds like a wonderful beginning for a new year.
Comment Written 22-Dec-2012
reply by the author on 22-Dec-2012
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From your lips to God's ears.
