I’m not the most adventurous soul on the block. When I find something that works or that I understand, I tend to stick with it. Not to say I’m a formula writer (I much prefer letting the characters do what they want), but short stories make sense to me. Therefore I write them.
But what happens when you have a story that refuses to be a story? Or, more to the point, what happens when you’re so bored with what you’re doing that your muse hops a plane to Tahiti just to shake you up?
You follow!
2011 has been my year of muse-chasing. I returned to my musician roots and told stories with songs. (I’m proud to say I finished my debut E.P., “Fledgling,” at the end of this summer!) And this Fall I decided to try my hand at the serial story. I’m currently posting installments to “Shatterproof” (a paranormal urban fantasy) on my website on Saturday mornings, and so far it’s a good kind of different.
So how did I get over being a creature of habit? Delving into unfamiliar territory can be frightening, after all! (Lord knows I was scared when my husband suggested I try writing the songs that kept wanting to come out! I was a short story writer, NOT a songwriter!) It came down to the question of what’s scarier: following that muse toward something new or putting your tired art down completely?
For me, the answer was “Quick — follow that muse!”
* * *
To learn more about Heather Stearns (aka. Heather S. Ingemar):
