I’m not a huge believer in the muse as something you need to wait for before you write. In my limited experience, you need to write daily, and keep working to be ready. The muse will arrive when she does. For instance today at 3:30 a.m., when she shows up like some drunken coquette looking for action in the middle of the night.

So what was I to do but take her up on her offer, follow her down to my basement writing space and let her have her way with me. Turns out it was just a quickie, a 45-minute roll around my imagination. I came away with some excellent ideas to work with in the time until her next visit.