Please Leave Messages For F. Scott Fitzgerald's Muse Here

  Circle of Life 
  Originally uploaded by J.H.C.

I don't know if you know this, but I've been working on a very cool project these last few months--I've been researching and ghostwriting a book. Yup, an actual book!

It's a secret project, so I can't say what it's about or who it's for, but let's just say I'm learning a lot, and it's truly a joy to work on this project.

I have always loved to write--research and non-fiction writing is a special skill of mine, and it's the type of writing that I enjoy doing the most. I know lots of folks don't like to do that type of writing but I actually enjoy researching, organizing, writing, re-writing, and polishing each paragraph to a high sheen. The only tough part is that it also takes a lot of concentration and focus.

When I start to get tired I take inspiration in the fact that F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of my favorite authors, wrote Tender Is The Night in a house that is only a stone's throw away from where I live. When I'm writing I image that his muse is hanging out somewhere in the room, looking at what I've written and either shaking her head dolefully in disappointment or nodding and raising her eyebrows in approval.

I've actually been working these last few weeks to see if I can make contact with F. Scott's muse to ask her to officially come on board this project. You'll be happy to know that she has accepted my offer on the following conditions:

• She says I must focus all of my writing energy on the book and not "spread her aura too thin" (her words). This means that I must temporarily suspend posting to the various blogs I write for until she's given me clearance to return to blogging.
• She has given me special dispensation to continue to post to ChocolateChipped.com, which she says is okay cuz it's a photo blog and there's not much writing. (I think the real story is that F. Scott's muse has a HUGE sweet tooth and just plain likes looking at Chocolate Chipped ).
• Every Sunday I must bake a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies and leave them on a plate on my writing desk along with a bottle of ice cold Coca Cola. I should then close the door and not open it until Monday morning when, supposedly, said cookies and Coca Cola should be gone (she said I can have the left overs, if there are any).
• I must allow people to leave messages for her on this post on eSoup. (Maybe she's thinking she has fans or something? I don't know what the deal is.)

Those are her only requirements, so I think I'm getting a pretty good deal, don't you?

Unfortunately, as you've probably figured out, this means that I'm not allowed to write for eSoup until the ghostwriting project is complete and F. Scott Fitzgerald's muse gives me clearance. I'm thinking that this will be at least the next few weeks, possibly into November. Who knows--if she's as good as I think she is I may be able to finish early!

At any rate, I wanted to let you guys know what was up and to invite you to please feel free to leave any messages you may have for F. Scott Fitzgerald's muse in the comments of this post. Come to think of it, if you have any messages for F. Scott Fitzgerald himself, Hemingway, T.S Eliot, Ezra Pound or any other member's of the Lost Generation, feel free to leave a note. I think my new muse has access to these guys and probably wouldn't mind conveying your sentiments.

Anyhoo, I'll catch ya on the flip side. Wish me luck with this very eccentric muse, and I'll meet ya back here in a few weeks!

Comments

[Wilma]

That all sounds pretty amazing, Sharon. I will miss your esoup posts,so I do hope your gohst writing goes well.
I trust you will share some cookies with your great helper Rory Marie ;).
Wilma

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Wilma,

Thank you! I will definitely share the cookies with Rory Marie (taking the chocolate chips out of course, since dogs are allergic to chocolate!) :-).

TTYL,
Sharon

[Amusing]

Just curious if said muse will drop by and share any words of wisdom for the rest of us.

[Evangeline (F. Scott Fitzgerald's Muse)]

Greetings "Amusing"--very funny. I know everything and I know what your real name is, so you're not fooling me :-).

I do have advice for you in particular--you are at a place in your life where you have a story to tell. You need to start writing and taking notes now--do not wait for a calmer time.

In your heart you are in love with blogging, yet you resist it too. You need to embrace your love of this medium and start a new blog tonight. This new blog will be the beginning of a book that you eventually publish.

I will visit you once your new blog is well under way. Do not be afraid or surprised when I show up in your room and ask you to bake me cookies in exchange for inspiration. I promise you, do as I say and you will not regret it.

[Gavin Heaton]

Good luck! Looking forward to the end result!

[KG]

Hey Sharon (and Evangeline) —

You can do it! I know you can. :-)

My muse tells me cheesy, rhymed, inspirational sayings. I'll share one with you:
--- You gotta be in it to win it!
In other words, keep going. Be in it! Immerse yourself.

This story keeps me going, too. I was learning how to snowboard and took a tutorial from this 19-year-old snowboarding instructor hired by the ski place. He had 3 of us to teach on the mountain. He'd just come back from some boarding in Europe, and he said he'd found his "zone", his snowboarding "happy place" while he was there. He'd also just had his top front teeth knocked out while he found his "zone", so maybe this zone finding was all part of some minor head injury...

Anyhoo, I get up to board, and he's really into helping us make a brilliant run. We all keep falling down, sliding down the mountain. He's discouraged, but he's taking this lesson very seriously. He looks up at the mountain peak, and then he sits us down and says, very quietly, "Be the mountain. BE the mountain."

Something clicked. I got up, started to laugh, and for the first time, started to board and didn't fall that day.

As I slowly made my way down the mountain, this zen snowboarding dude screamed behind me, "That's it! Be the mountain! BE THE MOUNTAINNNNN!!!!!!!" With all his enthusiasm, I felt like I was winning an Olympic gold medal.

BE THE BOOK, SHARON! BE THE BOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!!!!!!!! :-)

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Thank you, Gavin :-)

KG, I love that story. It's helping me big time and not just with the book. Whenever our mind needs to be totally in tune with some activity, we need to "become it". That's a monumental thought--I love it and it's helping me, so thank you for that. :-)

[maryam in marrakech]

Sharon, I will so miss you and miss your posts, which have been a great inspiration for me. But a book......holy wowza. You so rock.

[Felix Gatos]

Do you know how to dance?

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Felix--

Evangeline--oh yeah, she can dance up a storm :-)
Me--working on it ;-)

[JT]

IM A GHOST WRITER TOO!! HOW WEIRD IS THAT?? WE SHOULD WRITE A BOOK TOGETHER! MY FIRST GHOST BOOK WAS ABOUT WIZARDS AND LIZARDS AND SWORDS... IT WAS VERY INSPIRED. OH YA AND SCOTTIE FITZGERALD IS THE MAN. I MUSE HIM AS WELL.