The Combination of Business Savy and Artistic Passion

My Muse refuses to take off her power suit. She's even wearing a tie; a 1940's era silk tie with a brass tie-tac to be exact. She looks stunning in the gray slacks and matching jacket, lounging on the couch while reading the first draft of the business book I'm writing. Although she doesn't need glasses, she started wearing a pair of granny cat-eyed "cheaters" I found in a thrift shop. She says they help her think.

I've been cranking out the pages on this book as fast as possible, which this time of year is pretty dang slow. My daughter is out of school for the summer, so there goes my time to write. I grab an hour here, a half hour there, running away to the cafe as soon as Rick gets home from work so I can concentrate. My daughter is a good sport, giving me an hour while she plays or watches a movie. But only one hour; any longer and she succumbs to BOREDOM and swears she will swoon away from misery if I do not stop immediately and play with her. Thirteen is so dramatic.

But despite my lack of time, my Muse seems pleased. The heart of the book is there, with a few details to be flushed out. Plus, writing non-fiction doesn't seem to take as much concentration as fiction, at least for me. I jot down notes and look up resources around coloring with my daughter and doing the laundry. Then when I have time to write, I compile all those doodles into a cohesive paragraph. Also, writing this book is helping me fill in the gaps of my own knowledge about running a small business. What is the best way to write a business plan? How do you fill out form BEA-401-EZ? Is there a better way to track royalties? Writing a book like this combines my creativity and my business acumen, which is why my Muse has pledged to keep her suit on until the book is complete.

If you are a publisher, send me a question in the comment section and I'll answer it here, plus I'll add it to the book. The book will debute this Fall. Um... that's like, what... four months away? I'd better get crackin!