My Creative Muse Is A 19th Century, Cast-Iron Doorstopper. Really.
For 35 years, “Elfie” has been at my side for four books, dozens of articles, and thousands of Medium posts
As strange as this sounds, my most trusted creative consultant is a 19th century, cast-iron doorstopper named “Elfie.” He has been in my life for 35 years through four books, dozens of magazine and online articles, and thousands of Medium posts.
A muse is defined as a person or personified object imbued with the power to inspire creativity in an artist. Since you’re reading this, you’re probably a writer yourself with a magical muse of your own to call upon.
Mine is tireless. When I finish a manuscript or other written piece, he sits on the printed sheets for a day or two injecting his pixie dust and Elfie epinephrine into my words and messages. When Elfie finishes “working,” I see edits, revisions and typos that were not obvious to me before. He always makes my written pieces better.
The story of how Elfie became my ubiquitous collaborator is one of the reasons I know he is suffused with “otherwordly” powers. Years ago, I was at an outdoor flea market with a friend in Pennsylvania, a sprawling place lined with stalls displaying every knickknack, old carpentry tool, baked good…
