
My muse is the ghost of Robbie past.
I see the ghostly shadow of my younger self peeking over my shoulder, watching my fingers move over the keyboard of my laptop and reading the words as they appear on my screen.
I recognise her as the little girl who used to sit quietly on a beanbag with a glass of milk and a book, and read all afternoon, every afternoon.
She was also the girl who traded sister #1 a pile of writing paper [we used to trade it at school] and an empty vanilla essence bottle [it smelled lovely] for her three library cards. Hers, when combined with my four cards, enabled me to borrow seven books at a time from our local library. This reduced my trips to the library to twice a week from three, or even four. The library was about four kilometres away from our house at this time. It doesn’t sound far, but I was eight years old at the time, so the eight kilometre round-trip, with a basket packed with seven books, took me a while.
Sometimes my younger self reminds me of the games I used to make-up as a young girl. I remember the time I involved my entire class in a mad game of catch the witch and got into a lot of trouble with my teacher when the raucous game became so loud we missed the end of break bell. My teacher, Sister I’ve Forgotten her Name but not her Fierce Expression, was extremely cross with me for master minding that one. She threatened to send me to Mother Superior’s office. Somehow, I think that game may have been a lot like ‘kikery’ from What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge. Katy got into a lot of trouble over that game too.
Ghost Robbie shares flashes of memory of sister #2 and I sitting on the roof of the garden shed [no, my mother didn’t know I led her up there] making creations for shells we gathered on the beach [no, my mother didn’t know we crossed the railway line to get to the beach either], or making baskets out of clay gathered from a ditch next to the road, or running through the veld in long dresses with plastic buckets playing Little House on the Prairie.
She reminds me of my two live dolls, sisters #s 3 and 4, who I dressed up and played with. They were my patients when I was the doctor, my children when I was the mother, Jack and Jill when we played nursery rhymes, and many other imaginary people when we played our many different games.
Sometimes, she whispers to me, reminding me of favourite scenes from well loved books from the past. If I get stuck, she’ll suggest I take a peek at one of the hundreds of books we’ve read and find inspiration. It works every time.
Most of all, she reminds me of Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery which we read when we were about ten years old. I remember how much we loved that book and how inspired we were to write poetry and descriptive passes.
We are a team and we are glad to be working together to write our children’s and adult fiction.
Author, Diana Peach, has challenged her writer friends to share a little about their muse. You can join in here: https://mythsofthemirror.com/2020/11/20/meet-the-muse-prompt/
This is a great muse story! I love your dolls. I remember when we got teddy bears for Christmas and I liked my younger brother’s better than mine, so I just made an exchange. In the end, I kept both of them. He wasn’t that interested in teddy bears, I don’t think.
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I have all the rag dolls now, my sisters were never very dolly girls.
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I have more dolls now than I had as a girl and they still whisper to me.
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That is lovely, Marilyn. I also have a huge doll collection, and some teddy bears too.
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I just love this, Robbie. So touching and what a wonderful glimpse into the young you and your love of books and the source of your inspiration to write. I’m so glad you played along. A beautiful post.
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Hi Diana, I’ve been trying to get this post written the whole week, but somehow or other, there has been something crop up every day. Mom and I have also started writing After the Bombs Fell. Have a lovely Saturday.
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I’m so glad you did. And great news about your new book. I loved the first. On top of that, what a lovely thing to do with your mom. My mom loves reminiscing (though I’m recording not writing her memories). I’m looking forward to the read!
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Yes, we are having a nice time together doing this book. Of course, she is extra critical of these ones. I’m really pleased you enjoyed the first book. I am quite far into Sunwielder and really enjoying it. It reminds me a little bit of the chose your own adventure books when I was a girl. When you died you got to go back and make another choice. Very clever.
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Thanks, Robbie. Sunwielder is my husband’s favorite book. I think he related to Gryff and the whole way that small choices can completely change our lives. I never read any “choose your own adventure books.” I’m not sure they’d been invented when I was a kid. They sound like a lot of fun. 🙂 Happy Writing and Reading.
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Thanks, Diana, you grandson might like them, they are a lot of fun. I responded to your comment on my post about Judy’s book and gave you the link to the junior Shakespeare collection. My older son loved them. I could hear him laughing when he read them.
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My grandson is into graphic novels right now, but I’ll head over to pick up the junior Shakespeare.
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That’s great, I just picked up two graphic novels about the Vikings for Michael. I discovered them on Cathy Ryan’s blog. I’ll review them at some point. Your grandson might like them.
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That would be great, Robbie. I’m always looking for reading material for the kid. Thanks!
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Your muse is so cute Robbie but that ghost seems to have grown and looms over your writings! 🙂 What about the artistic muse who makes beautiful fondants?
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Thank you, Balroop. I suspect that the art muse and the writing muse are the same ghost, but at different ages. I was in high school when I started making sculptures and doing clay work.
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Your muse is precocious and sweet and determined. Your description made me smile.
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Thank you, Priscilla. For some reason, that book I loved, Emily of New Moon, keeps popping into my head when I think about my writing and writing goals.
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These are lovely memories, Robbie, and I enjoyed the peek back into your childhood. I was a bit like you with my reading, but we were only allowed three library tickets and my sister didn’t want to trade!
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That is lovely to know, Clive. My sister was not much of a reader. She was a very social little girl and used to visit a young couple who lived in our street. They invited her to their wedding and she was a flower girl.
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We were of an age when books were our main childhood recreation at home, before wall to wall tv came along. If I wasn’t reading I’d be out playing football or cricket. That must have been lovely for your sister – I hope you didn’t mind!
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Oh no, I was never one for socialising, Clive, even as a kid I found it hard work.
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Sounds like you were spared an ordeal!
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That is clever. That freedom and inquisitiveness we felt in younger days–I see your point.
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Thank you, Jacqui. I try to capture those childhood qualities when writing.
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You guys sound like the Bronte siblings!
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The Bronte’s are my literary heroines. I have read every book about them I can find as well as all their published works. I particularly like Charlotte.
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Love your muse and story, Robbie… 😍
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Thank you, Bette.
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Great muse, Robbie. I’ve read some of these posts, and it’s amazing to meet each writer’s muse. What a great idea!
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Hi Olga, you should join in. I would love to read about your muse. I have also been enjoying the posts. My younger me is the closest I can get to a muse.
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I like your muse very much! I think she’s the best kind of muse to have.
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Hi Liz, thanks very much. I believe I never lost my childhood imagination and love of reading and history. Little me is definitely still a part of current me.
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🙂
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Lol – I love the creativity with the library cards.
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My poor long suffering sisters. Tricked into giving up library cards and being live dolls for their older sister to play with. Strangely, they all still look up to me, poor little things.
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Probably because they’re shorter than you. =P
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Nope, Cath is not a reader. She didn’t care about her cards. They are all bigger than me now and I still rule.
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Good on you!
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What a great muse! This is different and refreshing, Robbie!
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Hi Jan, thank you. I have been thinking a bit recently about how my younger self has influenced how I am today, or maybe it is better to say that how I am today is not that different from how I was as a girl. I even still look the same.
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Thanks for sharing this – you were always a creative thinker!
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My mother would say that I always had a healthy distain for authority, especially hers [giggle].
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HA! You have to let your spirit roam!
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Hi Robbie – enjoyed hearing about your muse team! And the wonderful layers of your past that combine to give your writing flair and fuel!
Have you ever seen the movie about Gloria Steinem ?
Your post reminded me of it a little – with the layers –
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A lovely muse story, Robbie 🙂 Your dolls are so cute. I should share a pic of the teddies that sit on my bed 🙂
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I love teddies. Maybe a get to know you prompt is in order – what childhood toys do you still cherish?
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Ooo, now that’s a good one! On it 🙂
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Reblogged this on Myths of the Mirror and commented:
A touching muse post from Robbie that shares so much of who she is as a reader and writer. Enjoy.
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Thank you, Diana.
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You’re welcome. An awesome post, my friend.
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You have the sweetest muse. I wish mine was as nice as the one you have.
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My muse is definitely very dreamy. She does get distracted easily by our artwork and baking creations. Thanks for visiting.
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Thanks for joining the muse party Robbie and sharing your tender-hearted muse and memories.
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Hi Brad, thanks for visiting me here. I’m glad you enjoyed my younger me muse.
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My pleasure Robbie.
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Robbie, this was such a sweet muse post. I wish I had had a sister who read as much as I did as a kid. I only had one library card. The book House 12 volume series was standard reading, and I branched out to Nancy Drew mysteries as a preteen. It seemed natural that you and your younger self should be writing children’s books & adult fiction. Happy writing you two. 📚🎶 Christine
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Hi Christine, thank you for visiting and commenting. I was very lucky as a girl as I had access to a lot of books. I used to buy second hand books and created my own library. I still have some of these books.
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Awesome! I still have the Book House series, minus one book that got lost over the years. I collected old books as an adult and they are in the bookcase today. I love paper books. 📚🎶 Christine
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I like the way you plait threads of reading, inspiration, sisters and dolls together so they become one life.
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Hi Rachel, these things are all an integral part of my life. I am very close to my sisters, even now that we all have our own families. I am lucky enough to have all three of them living close by.
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That’s so good– and I should know,as one of six close sisters myself!
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This is so sweet, Robbie!
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Thank you, Jill. I think about the younger me quite often lately. I think this really is the source of my writing inspiration.
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What a lovely article and how well written – thank you for sharing:)
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I am glad you enjoyed this.
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Oh Robbie…I think my eight year old self and your eight year old self would have been friends. Books, libraries, and second hand book shops have been a huge part of my life, but I was a teddy bear girl. No dolls. 🙂 In some ways, I think my muse is the sum total of all those thousands of books I’ve read in the last 60 odd years. Hail fellow well met.
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You have said it perfectly, Meeks “I think my muse is the sum total of all those thousands of books I’ve read in the last 60 odd years” – this is exactly the same for me. I have a collection of teddy bears and antique and vintage dolls plus a few other rescues who just spoke to me.
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Rescues? Oh we really are speaking the same language! One of these days I’m going to do a post on bears and things. 🙂
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How did I miss this? Now that’s a perfect muse and companion! (K)
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Hi Kerfe, I really do believe that when I write my younger self guides me. The little girl who was so imaginative and free from the disillusionment of working life.
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Robbie, I LOVE this post … it is inspired! Thank you so for transporting us to your young self, to the magical world you inhabited along with your sisters and friends. I’m smiling how you traded items for library cards and your school games are fantastic… just not all the teachers saw it this way! With so much richness to draw on, your foundation in life, your muse will never desert you! Never stop writing! Xx
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Hi Annika, I am so pleased you enjoyed this post and understood its meaning. I hope you are finding time to write with all that you are doing.
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I enjoyed this post Robbie. How many siblings did you have? All sisters? I love this descriptor, “My teacher, Sister I’ve Forgotten her Name but not her Fierce Expression,” Remembering our past and how it has become a part of us is so important.
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Thank you, Carla, I always found the nuns rather frightening, even though this teacher was really nice to me. I think she appreciated my reading abilities. I have three sisters, all are younger than me.
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