Mark David Gerson

The Muse & You #6: Radio for Writers and Readers...with Mark David Gerson

2009-12-08T08:08:00.002-07:00

Episode Six:
Thursday, Dec 17, 1pm ET
(listen live or to the archived version any time after the show airs)

• Ask the Writing Coach (your questions for me about writing and creativity) and a feature interview with Karen Walker author of Following the Whispers

I first met Karen Walker at a meeting of a writers' group here in Albuquerque, and I was immediately struck by her warmth, her genuineness and her open heart. All those are eloquently evident in her memoir, Following the Whispers, which is a powerful, profound and poignant telling of her journey from a childhood of abuse and emotional abandonment to the courage and trust that mark her life today.

Karen says she always knew that the whispers were there, those intuitive sensings that were ready to guide and heal her. But it took a 50-year odyssey to gain the confidence and courage to follow them. And it took more courage still to share that journey so openly and movingly on the page.

During this month's feature interview, Karen will share more about her book and her story and will offer practical tips for memoir-writers everywhere. It promises to be a moving and inspiring conversation, and I hope you'll tune in (and join in, with your questions and comments).

During the first segment of the show, I'll offer some writing tips and inspiration and take your questions about writing and the creative process and about me and my books, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy.

Please tune in, and bring your questions and quirks -- for me and my guest!

There are three ways to ask questions of my and my guests or to post comments:
• Post your questions in the show's chat room (free Blog Talk Radio account required)
• Post your questions directly to me on Twitter (@markdavidgerson)
• Post your questions directly to me on on my Facebook wall

The Muse & You with Mark David Gerson, is all about writing and creativity, and it's for writers and readers alike -- an opportunity to listen to writers and creators of all sorts talk about how and why they create and, of course, about what they create. It's also an opportunity for you to ask your questions -- of me during the first segment of the show, when I offer writing tips and inspiration, and of my guests during the interview portion.

Listen to The Muse & You with Mark David Gerson on the third Thursday of every month at 1pm ET (10am PT).

The Muse & You Show Archive
If you miss any live broadcast, you can listen to the archived episode, which is available shortly after each show on the show's web page. You can also download any show directly into your computer for later listening.

• #5 ~ Nov 19 — Dan Stone author of The Rest of Our Lives

• #4 ~ Oct 15 — Kristin Bair O'Keeffe author of Thirsty

• #3 ~ Sept 17 — Joanne Chilton and Jeanne Ripley co-authors of Wings to Fly

• #2 ~ Aug 20 — Jared Lopatin, author of Rising Sign

• #1 ~ July 29 — Julie Isaac, founder of Twitter's #writechat, and Malcom Campbell, author of The Sun Singer and Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire

Give the gift of creativity and inspiration this holiday season...

For a limited time only:
Special Holiday Editions of Mark David's books and CDs

• Gift-wrapped books + book/CD packages signed by Mark David to your friends/family members, and shipped directly to them with a card bearing the holiday message of your choice. More information here.

• Gift-certificates for coaching sessions, for the writer or writer-wannabe on your holiday gift list. More information here.

The Birth of a Book

2009-12-09T14:55:00.001-07:00

A version of this piece about the genesis of The MoonQuest first appeared in my now-discontinued New Earth Chronicles blog. I share it again here to remind that you don't have to know how your story will end before you begin. You don't even have to know how it will start. All you need to do is begin. All you need to do is place one word after the other...and trust...

It's March 1994. I see The Celtic Tarot in Toronto's Omega Centre bookstore and it so seduces me that I can't not buy it. Days later, I use the deck in a writing class I'm teaching: With eyes closed, each student draws one of the major arcana cards and then, with eyes open to the chosen card, is led through a guided visualization into writing.

Generally when I teach, I don't write. I watch the students and hold space for them.

But this night's group is different. These five women are a subset of a larger University of Toronto class that I have just led through ten weeks of creative awakening. They don't require my usual overseeing and so, once they're settled into writing, some inner imperative has me draw a card of my own: The Chariot.

That same imperative has me pick up a pen and push it across the blank page. What emerges is a surprise: the tale of an odd-looking man in an even odder-looking coach that is pulled by two odd-colored horses. I know nothing about this man and his horses. I know nothing about this story. All I know is what emerges, word by word, onto the page.

Next morning, I'm drawn back to the story. I add to it. I keep adding to it daily, almost obsessively, rarely knowing from one day to the next (some days from one word to the next) what the story is about or where it is carrying me. A year later in Amirault's Hill, Nova Scotia, on the anniversary of that Toronto class, I complete my first draft of The MoonQuest.

It's May 2007, many drafts and years later. I'm in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a few weeks from seeing the first printed copies of The MoonQuest in book form.

I open my email to a message and image from Courtney Davis, the British artist who created the Celtic Tarot deck, now sadly out-of-print. The image is The Chariot card, which I haven't seen since I gave away my copy of the tarot deck in 1997. Davis has sent me the image so that I can write a caption for an upcoming retrospective of his art.

When I see The Chariot for the first time in a decade, I'm startled. Even though the cover designer never saw the tarot card and knows nothing of The Celtic Tarot or how it inspired me, there's a definite connection between the two. Not only are the horses identically colored, they are identically placed. There's even a tiny chalice just above the wording on the card. Apart from that, the two images just feel the same.

Today, The MoonQuest is an award-winning book on its way to becoming a movie. And although the story's opening has changed since that 1994 writing class and although the odd-looking man has been superseded in importance by other characters, The Chariot's inspiration is still evident throughout The MoonQuest's story -- a story that knew itself far better than I did...a story that knew me better than I knew myself...a story that insisted I trust it to reveal itself to me, moment by moment, word by word...a story that never let me down.

• How can you trust your stories to reveal themselves to you?

• How can you surrender to the mystery of the blank page? Can you do as author Ray Bradbury suggests: jump of the cliff and trust that you'll sprout wings on the way down? Can you write the story that wants to be written by you, even if you don't yet know what it is?

• Can you start? Now?

Art Credits: The Chariot tarot card by Courtney Davis; The MoonQuest cover by Angela Farley.

Give the gift of creativity and inspiration this holiday season...

For a limited time only:
Special Holiday Editions of Mark David's books and CDs

• Gift-wrapped books + book/CD packages signed by Mark David to your friends/family members, and shipped directly to them with a card bearing the holiday message of your choice. More information here.

• Gift-certificates for coaching sessions, for the writer or writer-wannabe on your holiday gift list. More information here.

Mark David's December Radio Show

• The Muse & You with Mark David Gerson
Special Guest: Karen Walker, author of Following the Whispers
Thursday, December 17 — 4pm ET

Holiday Book Signing to celebrate Mark David’s New Mexico Book Award for The Voice of the Muse

• Albuquerque, NM ~ Saturday, December 12
Hastings (Juan Tabo/Lomas) ~ 4-7pm

Birthing a Book

2008-05-04T01:45:00.001-06:00

I didn’t know anything about a book called The MoonQuest when its words began to flow through me.

I didn’t know The Voice of the Muse was a book when its words began pouring from me.

All I knew in both instances was that my Muse was calling me and that the only way to answer its call was to write.

As I wrote, the books took care of themselves.

One day’s writing led to the next. One draft led to the next. One book led to the next.

Each day, draft and book drove my pen. My pen, in turn, drove me.

My only job was to release all attachment to form, structure, content and outcome. My only job was to write and let the words go where they chose and create what was theirs to create.

As it turned out, what was theirs to create were books. They could have been short stories, articles, journal entries or exercises. They could have been anything at all.

My job wasn't to try to figure that out. My job was to write, to surrender to the imperative of my Muse -- a wiser soul in all things creative than I could ever pretend to be.

Life can be like that too. When God or our higher self or our intuition or our gut guides us in a particular direction, our responsibility is to surrender -- using our discernment, of course...a discernment that gets sharpened and honed with each experience.

We can no more figure out the bigger life picture with its infinite possibility than we can the bigger creative picture with its. In both cases, the full potential lies so far beyond our imagining that, truly, surrender is the only viable option.

What can you surrender to today? In your writing? In your life?

A Light on the Creative Journey

2009-12-02T10:46:00.017-07:00

"There are no rules."
~ Mark David's first rule for writing (and most everything else)

On Saturday, November 28, I was privileged to be part of Steve and Barbara Rother's Virtual Light Broadcast. In a 26-minute interview with author/editor Sandie Sedgbeer, recorded live before a studio audience in Las Vegas, we talked about writing, spirituality and the creative process.

"The universe is made up of stories, not atoms," I told Sandie, quoting poet Muriel Rukeyser. We all have stories to tell and we all have an innate ability to free those stories onto the page in a process that is nearly always life-changing -- for ourselves and for our readers...

Give the gift of creativity and inspiration this holiday season...

For a limited time only:
Special Holiday Editions of Mark David's books and CDs

• Gift-wrapped books + book/CD packages signed by Mark David to your friends/family members, and shipped directly to them with a card bearing the holiday message of your choice. More information here.

• Gift-certificates for coaching sessions, for the writer or writer-wannabe on your holiday gift list. More information here.

Mark David's December Radio Broadcasts

• Guest appearance — Insights for the Soul Radio
Monday, December 7 — 10pm ET

• Monthly featured appearance — Unity.fm’s Spiritual Coaching Radio
Tuesday, December 8 — 4pm ET

• The Muse & You with Mark David Gerson
Special Guest: Karen Walker, author of Following the Whispers
Thursday, December 17 — 4pm ET

Holiday Book Signings to celebrate Mark David’s New Mexico Book Award for The Voice of the Muse

• Albuquerque, NM ~ Friday, December 4
Hastings (Tramway/Candelaria) ~~ 5-8pm
• Albuquerque, NM ~ Saturday, December 12
Hastings (Juan Tabo/Lomas) ~ 4-7pm

Mark David's December Workshops

• Vision & Revision: An Intuitive Approach to Editing
Sunday, December 6 ~ 1-5pm ~ Albuquerque, NM

• Enhanced Reiki I (co-led with Marisha Diaz)
Saturday, December 13 ~ 1-6pm ~ Albuquerque, NM

All About Balance

2009-11-20T20:55:00.003-07:00

In honor of Pat Bertram's blog tour, I'm featuring her post about balance here. Today on her blog, you'll a find a post by me -- "Creating Perfection"

A Guest Post by Pat Bertram

Someone asked me where they should insert dialogue into the novel they were writing. I went blank for a moment, unable to comprehend the question. Insert dialogue? To a great extent, dialogue is the story. The most personal way people interact is by dialogue, and a story is or should be about people interacting, about relationships. Even action-oriented stories come down to a basic relationship: the hero vs. the villain.

A better question might be where to insert exposition, but even that is a specious question. Nothing in a novel should be inserted. Each element should flow one into the other, making a cohesive whole. I’ve heard people say that they’ve finished writing their novel, now all they have left is to go back and insert the symbolism. If you have to insert something for the sake of inserting it, it’s better to leave it out. Symbols, like other elements should flow out of the story.

Novels need to be balanced. Dialogue interspersed with exposition or action makes for a more interesting story than dialogue or exposition or action alone. A novel that is mostly dialogue seems lightweight; a novel with too much exposition feels heavy-handed; a novel that is all action gets boring after a while.

One way to make sure the elements flow together is to know what you are trying to accomplish.

What kind of story are you writing? What is your story goal? What is your premise? What is the core conflict? Once you know the core of your story, you can make sure every element connects to it. Sometimes you won’t know the core until you’ve finished the first draft. In which case, just write, let the words flow out of you and into the story. Then, when the draft is finished, read it to see what you have. Do any themes jump out at you? What is the gist of the story (the core conflict)? How can you use the various story elements help you bring out that conflict? Does every action have a reaction? Does every reaction have a cause? Which element will bring the conflict into sharper focus? If a particular conflict is a physical one, then action interspersed with terse comments is best. If a particular conflict is personal, then dialogue interspersed with bits of action is best.

Where to insert dialogue, then, is not the real question. The real question is what do you want to say, and how do you want to say it?

Pat Bertram is a native of Colorado and a lifelong resident. When the traditional publishers stopped publishing her favorite type of book -- character and story driven novels that can’t easily be slotted into a genre -- she decided to write her own. Daughter Am I is Bertram’s third novel to be published by Second Wind Publishing, LLC. Also available are More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire.

"The Voice of the Muse" Wins 2009 New Mexico Book Award

2009-11-20T21:11:00.005-07:00

Mark David Gerson’s Medal-Winning Writing Book Honored in Statewide Competition

Mark David Gerson’s The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write was named a winner in the 2009 edition of New Mexico’s premier literary contest, the New Mexico Book Awards.

The top prize in the competition's self-help category was announced at an awards banquet in Albuquerque earlier this evening. Some two dozen books were honored at the event.

This is Gerson’s second honor for The Voice of the Muse. Earlier this year, it earned a Silver Medal as one of the best writing books of 2009 in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, also known as the IPPYs.

The 2009 New Mexico Book Awards, open to New Mexico authors and publishers, attracted more than 300 entries and included books released by Viking, HarperCollins and Random House, as well as by major university presses.

Gerson is no stranger to the New Mexico Book Awards. In 2008, he won in the science fiction/fantasy category for his novel, The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy. That same year, The MoonQuest also won a Gold Medal IPPY for best visionary novel.

Gerson’s screenplay adaptation of The MoonQuest is currently in active development toward feature film production.

The Voice of the Muse, distilled from Gerson's 30-plus years as a professional writer/editor and nearly two decades as a writing teacher and coach, is a dynamic blend of inspiration and instruction for anyone in any genre seeking to write more effortlessly, flowingly and engagingly. It has been likened to such classics in the genre as Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird

Lauded by critics as "the wise guide any writer would dream of" and a "phenomenal guide to overcoming writer's block and unleashing your creative potential," The Voice of the Muse has been equally praised by novice and seasoned writers alike.

Gerson has also recorded The Voice of the Muse Companion: Guided Meditations for Writers, a two-CD album that includes powerful exercises to free up and deepen creative flow. It's sold separately from the book.

Both Gerson's books are available from www.markdavidgerson.com and from Amazon.com and other online retailers, as well as from selected U.S. retailers. The CD is available from www.markdavidgerson.com and Amazon

A writing/creativity coach, editor, project consultant and script analyst, Mark David is also a popular speaker on topics related to creativity and spirituality. He is host of The Muse & You, a radio show about writers and writing, and is a regular featured guest on Unity.fm's Spiritual Coaching radio program.

Mark David Gerson lives in Albuquerque, NM, where he’s currently working on a memoir and on a sequel to The MoonQuest.

• Written and audio excerpts from The Voice of the Muse book, The Voice of the Muse CD and The MoonQuest

• Calendar of Mark David's upcoming writing classes, workshops, events and appearances.

• Register for Mark David's classes and workshops.

• Mark David's approach to coaching writers

The Muse & You #5: Radio for Writers and Readers...with Mark David Gerson

2009-11-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Episode Five:
Thursday, Nov 19, 1pm ET

(listen live or to the archived version any time after the show airs)

• Ask the Writing Coach (your questions for me about writing and creativity) and a feature interview with Dan Stone author of The Rest of Our Lives

Some months back, I got a call from a friend here in Albuquerque. "You've got to meet this guy, Dan," he said. "He writes fantasy, like you. I know you'll have a lot to talk about."

He does (write fantasy) and we did (find a lot to talk about). And when I read his book, I was bewitched. The Rest of Our Lives is a compelling, original story that is sure to touch you with its humanity and universal wisdom. Blending magic, romance and the paranormal, this timeless tale is enchanting, entrancing and always entertaining.

The author, of course, is Dan Stone, and he brings to this first novel, his experiences as a poet, journalist and editor, as a college instructor and human resources trainer, as a personal and professional development coach, and as a mystic and an intuitive "Daneller." No, that's not a typo. And if you want to know what a Daneller is and does, you'll just have to tune in on the 19th (or listen to the archive, which will be available immediately after the live broadcast goes off the air).

During this month's feature interview, Dan will share more about his book and other writings, about his creative process and about "the stream of well being that is ever flowing." It promises to be an eclectic, free-ranging conversation, and I hope you'll tune in (and join in, with your questions and comments).

During the first segment of the show, I'll offer some writing tips and inspiration and take your questions about writing and the creative process and about me and my books, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy.

Please tune in, and bring your questions and quirks -- for me and my guests!

There are three ways to ask questions of my and my guests or to post comments:
• Post your questions in the show's chat room (free Blog Talk Radio account required)
• Post your questions directly to me on Twitter (@markdavidgerson)
• Post your questions directly to me on on my Facebook wall

The Muse & You, a production of Red River Writers, is all about writing and creativity, and it's for writers and readers alike -- an opportunity to listen to writers and creators of all sorts talk about how and why they create and, of course, about what they create. It's also an opportunity for you to ask your questions -- of me during the first segment of the show, when I offer writing tips and inspiration, and of my guests during the interview portion.

Listen to The Muse & You on the third Thursday of every month at 1pm ET (10am PT). December's guest will be Karen Walker, author of Following the Whispers.

The Muse & You Show Archive
If you miss any live broadcast, you can listen to the archived episode, which is available shortly after each show on the show's web page. You can also download any show directly into your computer for later listening.

• #4 ~ Oct 15 — Kristin Bair O'Keeffe author of Thirsty

• #3 ~ Sept 17 — Joanne Chilton and Jeanne Ripley co-authors of Wings to Fly

• #2 ~ Aug 20 — Jared Lopatin, author of Rising Sign

• #1 ~ July 29 — Julie Isaac, founder of Twitter's #writechat, and Malcom Campbell, author of The Sun Singer and Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire

The Only Writing Rule That Matters

2009-09-10T17:55:00.000-06:00

There are no rules -- This is the one rule that never changes.

No matter what you're writing or revising, the only unqualified certainties are that flow is fluid, your creation is unique and your writing makes its own rules.

Truly, there is no universal right or wrong way. There is only your way, the way of your Muse.

• Click here to read/listen to more rules for writing from The Voice of the Muse book and companion CD.

New Rhythms, New Routines

2009-09-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

Because so much of my writing history at the time I created The MoonQuest was linked to desks, deadlines and other people’s projects, the only way I could banish old associations that felt anything but free-flowing was to break all the patterns of my previous writing life.

First I abandoned the computer, composing The MoonQuest’s early drafts with pen and paper. Next, I abandoned my desk, bound as it was to the soul-numbing words that had so recently comprised my livelihood.

Mornings, with a pad balanced on my knee, just before or after breakfast, I allowed The MoonQuest’s scenes to pour from my pen onto the blank page.

Evenings, I input the day’s jottings into the computer.

Some days I needed a more dramatic break from the old to connect with my nascent story.

On those days, I often drove over North Mountain to Baxters Harbour on the Bay of Fundy. There, as the Atlantic surf crashed on the rocky Nova Scotia shore, I sat in the car or on a boulder and let the ocean tell me what to write next.

A one-day change of habit and venue was all it took to put me back on track.

When you feel blocked in your writing, one way to get unblocked is to break the pattern of your normal creative routine.

• If you tend to write on the computer, switch to pen and paper.
• Write in the morning instead of the afternoon or evening, or vice versa.
• If you generally write at your desk, move away from the perceived pressures of your “work” environment.
• Go for a walk to clear your mind.
• Take pad and pen and curl up in a comfortable chair.
• Sit out in nature.
• Move to a favorite café.
• Drive to some place quiet...different...inspirational.

And feel the creative power of your new rhythm.

When you feel blocked in your life, the same principles apply. Break your routine. Get of your rut. Take a risk. Step out of the cocoon of your comfort zone. And discover the new light and life of your infinite potential.

What can you do today to break the patterns that are keeping you rutted in routine? Whatever it is, do it. Now.

For more tips on how to move through writer's block and live your creativity, read The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, winner of a 2009 IPPY Silver Medal as one of the top writings books of the year.

Photo of Baxters Harbour from www.baxtersharbour.com

Changes

2009-11-13T17:44:00.001-07:00

Wander in my words
Dream about the pictures
That I play of changes
~ Phil Ochs

If you're particularly observant, you'll notice that the header of this blog has changed. No longer titled The Voice of Your Muse, it's now titled simply with my name. Why? To reflect the blog's new, slightly broader scope and to reflect, as well, my philosophy that life, creativity and spirituality are all intrinsically linked.

In effect, I've suspended posts to my New Earth Chronicles blog (still filled with all kinds of good stuff, so check it out!). Instead, I'm consolidating all my blogging efforts here. The result will be a more dynamic blog, still focused on creativity but with a more eclectic flavor that should appeal to writers and nonwriters alike.

If you're already a subscriber to this blog, nothing will change for you. If you subscribe only to New Earth Chronicles, you will eventually be subscribed to this one, too, once Feedblitz merges the lists. If you'd rather not wait, simply use the subscription blank up top.

One more change to note: I've revamped and redesigned my web site. Please have a look.

I hope you'll continue to enjoy my musings on life and creativity here, and I encourage you to continue to share yours here, too -- with me and with each other.

Larger Than Life

2009-11-13T17:33:00.001-07:00

A version of this article first appeared in the June 3, 2007 issue of my inspirational newsletter.

Watching the DVD recording of that 2006 concert this evening prompted me to revisit the original piece and share it again with you here.

Back in October 2006 when I was visiting Toronto, a friend treated me to a ticket to Barbra Streisand's first-ever concert performance in that city. Although we were sitting high in the rafters in a hockey arena that was anything but intimate, I was startled by how fully and personally her energy filled every corner of that venue.

"She's larger than life," I remember gushing to my friend at intermission.

I recalled that experience the first time I listened to the CD recording of the concert tour, some months after my return from Toronto. "That's what I want," I heard myself say at the time and was so startled by what seemed such a profoundly ego-driven thought that I was almost embarrassed.

But it wasn't until some months later that I fully understood both the Streisand experience and my inner voice. What I realized was that "larger than life" isn't about being famous. It simply means living larger than the restrictions and limitations we all carry so willingly through life. I also realized that access to that energy is not limited to the Barbra Streisands of the world, unless we choose for that to be so.

Even as our souls yearn for us to "play big," to discover our passion and live it to the fullest, our fearful self continues to seek out ways to hide and play small.

"Our deepest fear," writes Marianne Williamson in A Return to Love, "is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

Perhaps even deeper than the fear she describes is the fear of experiencing and expressing our power out in the world, of being larger than life, of living beyond the self-imposed walls and barriers we create in the mistaken belief they will keep us safe.

They can't and they won't.

Our only safety resides in living our largest life to its fullest potential, in living our truth...in living our passion. In walking through life as though we are safe...as though nothing can stop, limit or restrict us.

As I write this, an old Cole Porter lyric keeps running through my head:

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in

At a literal level, the song is sung by a cowboy who longs for the endless space of the open range.

Yet it's also the song of every soul deprived of its fullest expression by the fences of a fearful mind, a soul that seeks only the limitlessness of its natural state.

Whatever you think of Barbra Streisand's talent or personality, when you are in her energy field, you touch that limitlessness and your soul cries out, "Me too! That's who I am, too!!"

Here in the Western world, where we have been taught to play small, we transfer all of our natural desire for the fenceless world of a life lived large to our movie stars and sports heroes.

If we can't play out our own passion and power, we play it out through a celebrity cult that's no healthier than any other cult, one we also find in countries with charismatic leaders/dictators, in religions with unapproachable gods and in all situations where we abdicate the expression of our infinite nature to someone or something outside of ourselves.

In my novel, The MoonQuest, very much a metaphor for all our journeys, the main character is destined for a greatness he continues to resist. Yet destiny, as he is constantly reminded, is not cast in stone. There is always a choice.

"Every choice you have ever made, has led to this moment. Your moment. Still, the power to make a different choice remains yours."

The power to choose is always ours. In every moment and through every situation, we're offered the opportunity to choose our greatness, our passion, our light.

It's what we do with each moment and situation that governs our destiny, that decides whether we live in our greatness or in the shadow of someone else's, that determines whether we build fences or tear them down.

In this moment, what do you choose?

A Musing About My Muse

2009-11-13T16:33:00.002-07:00

A Guest Post by Elizabeth A. Galligan

Every now and again, I post work here that was produced in one of my classes or workshops.

Today, I'm featuring Elizabeth A. Galligan, an Albuquerque resident who penned this meeting with her muse during my "Spirit Writes" workshop earlier this fall. No one was more surprised than she was to discover the form her muse insisted on taking....

I imagined a larger muse, something like a manatee or a mammoth, something with mass -- strong, hairy, ponderous even. I wanted a muse with gravitas, at whose entrance all would incline slightly, acknowledging her immensity and power. I had wanted a notable muse, one that would attract positive attention. Others would think how grand I must be to have a muse like her. Muses like these are honored in muse-ums, aren’t they?

But I am learning to see that my muse is not massive. She’s tiny. She has a funny voice. She makes music with her legs. She comes, and goes, when she wants. Mostly, she leaves. Her leaving increases my desire for her, my companion, my co-creator.

She is small and unassuming, almost insignificant, easily stepped on. She is often mistaken for a cockroach.

My muse visits me only when I am in crisis. Then, she sings to me. Her singing begins in the evening and lasts while I slumber. In the morning, she is gone. For many mornings after, I miss her. I don’t know what calls her to my patio.

I once thought it demeaning to have a tiny, fragile insect as my muse. She suits me now. Her songs and mine will blend.

I find it a-musing to dissect this tiny creature which has allied itself to me in times of intense emotion. My cricket sings all night without pause. What meaning is there in this? Does her habit simply indicate mechanistic movements without consciousness? If I attribute emotion or caring to these cricket acts, am I simply projecting my human feelings onto her insectness? Am I able to let go of these misgivings long enough to hear, really listen to my diminutive muse?

Will her songs and mine blend? The songs of a cricket, are they really songs or messages from another reality? We hear through human ears. What we call "song" conveys emotion. Do crickets have emotions? If not, what do they have, cricket-consciousness? In many native traditions, all creatures have spirit. There was a time when animals, insects, and people spoke with each other in a mutual language. Insects were helpers, guides, and saviors. To communicate with them, one had to learn to listen carefully.

Opening up to my muse demands my release of desires rooted in the ego and the twin-enemy gods, domination and power. This demands humility.

To listen properly to the cricket, what should I do? Since she rarely visits, perhaps I should avail myself of human technology and make a recording of cricket sounds. It would be a kind of elevator muse-ic to trigger my writing in her absence.

In these late summer days, I have not needed her. My songs keep flowing. But what about the winter? Will she come again and nestle near my hearth the way she rested near my bare toes on the day I realized that she had come as an ally?

My cricket muse has not arrived, and I long for her. Now the only sounds on my patio are the faint chirps of sparrows and the louder thrum of traffic on the interstate. A soothing breeze blows a cool hint of fall. When will my muse come again? Until she arrives, I shall have to write alone and explore the gifts she brought. How long it takes to recognize both the fragility and the power of the cricket within. She and I share gifts. I know her songs and mine can blend.

I write and listen. I hear the sound of the thick silver tip of my pen as it moves across the page. Can I close my eyes and write? No, the last line obliterated the previous one and I lost the meaning. Can I let the pen say what it wants and push back my critic, my inhibitor, so that the words can flow? If I stop saying “I” and begin with “We,” will that make a difference? If I think outside the box of my own self, will I arrive “somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond” as e. e. cummings wrote? Will I be glad to “travel beyond” or will I quickly jump back, fearing to step into the muse stream? Will I greet the beyond?

The poem continues, “your eyes hold their meaning.” What meanings will I discover in this muse-questing? Who knows? At least the journey moves me forwards to listen more intently.

The silver tip of the poem slows. Some intruder in my usually tranquil neighborhood has activated all the guardians into noise. A tiny yapper yelps, another huge dog gruffly barks, somewhere another howls. At last, the dogs settle down. Finches contest sparrows for seeds in the rain gutter, the traffic noises subside.

I listen for my cricket.

I listen for my cricket.

I listen for my cricket.

With thanks to Mark David Gerson for his guidance and the concept

Elizabeth Ann Galligan is an award-winning poet who is also exploring other genres. Currently she is at work on a mystery novel set in northern New Mexico. Her writing often reflects her love of the Southwest.

Cricket photo from arturovasquez.wordpress.com; cartoon drawing of Disney's Jiminy Cricket

Snap a Pic for Me and Promote Yourself!

2009-07-25T22:33:00.006-06:00

See more reader pics on my New Earth Chronicles blog.

Do you have a copy of either of my books? If so, I'd love to include a pic of you reading either The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, The MoonQuest, or both in my Readers Photo Album on Facebook.

And to help you promote your book and/or web site, I'll include in the photo caption not only your name but your promotional info/link. I'll also post a selection of reader pics here in a future blog post.

If you have my email address, simply email me your pic and caption information. If you don't have my email address, contact me via Facebook, Twitter or my web site once you have the photo, and I'll tell you where to send it.

Thanks to Wendell Goff (top pic, above), Robert Adams, Edward David Jennings, Josh Reid-Davis, Karen Walker and Karen Vaughan for their reader pics. I'm looking forward to getting yours!

New Mexico Writing Workshops: Last 2 for 2009

2009-11-04T16:22:00.003-07:00

What you have lived is unique...
What you have learned is beyond price...
What you can share through your words
carries the potential to transform you and others
in ways you cannot begin to imagine.

For a complete list of all Mark David's upcoming events around the country and on the web -- including classes, workshops, talks, media appearances and his radio show -- visit or subscribe to his page on www.booktour.com.

Sundays, Nov 15 + 22 (1 - 4:30 pm)

From Memory to Memoir: Writing the Stories of Your Life
Learn powerful techniques to help you create compelling narratives that will bring words to your life and life to your words.
• $99 by Nov 8; $122 after Nov 8 (plus NM Tax)

Sunday, Dec 6 (1 - 5 pm)

The Heartful Art of Revision: An Intuitive Approach to Editing
Your draft’s complete. Now what? Learn how to revise your work effectively and gently -- in a way that respects not only your work but you as its creator.
• $55 by Dec 1; $99 after Dec 1 (plus NM Tax)

It doesn't matter what your genre or experience level is, these workshops will transform your creative process and revolutionize your creative life.

Register Now!
Space Limited
(Advance registration required for all classes and workshops)

Additional information

COMING SOON:
Online, web-based classes.
Sign up here to be kept informed!

You’ll never feel the same about writing again!

Snap a Pic for Me and Promote Yourself - Part II

2009-11-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

This is a repeat of a piece I posted here in July, but featuring a whole new gallery of readers! (A version of this also appeared in August in my New Earth Chronicles blog.)

I hope you'll join the fun. Read on to find out how....

Do you have a copy of either of my books? If so, I'd love to include a pic of you reading either The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, The MoonQuest, or both in my Rogues Gallery of Readers Photo Album on Facebook.

And to help you promote your book and/or web site, I'll include in the photo caption not only your name but your promotional info/link. I'll also post a selection of reader pics here in a future blog post.

If you have my email address, simply email me your pic and caption information. If you don't have my email address, contact me via Facebook, Twitter or my web site once you have the photo, and I'll tell you where to send it.

Thanks to Lynn Higgin (top pic, above), Dave Rhodes, Cristina M.R. Norcross, Laurent Delpit, Irene Brodsky and Joanne Allgoewer for their reader pics. I'm looking forward to getting yours!

A Writer's Creed

2009-11-01T18:55:00.002-07:00

"Speak from that place in your heart where you are most yourself. Speak directly, simply, lovingly, gently and without any apologies. Tell us what you see and want us to see; tell us what you hear and want us to hear....Trust your own heart. The words will come. There is nothing to fear...."
~ Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

• Where in your writing and your life can you speak more heartfully, directly and unapologetically?

• How, in your writing and your life, can you share what you see and hear in ways that are more trusting -- of yourself and others?

• Why are you waiting to express your potential and potential to a world so hungry for your wisdom and creativity?

• Isn't it time let your words express the truth of your heart?

What are you waiting for? Do it now. Write it now. Be it now.

The Muse & You #4: Radio for Writers and Readers...with Mark David Gerson

2009-10-14T16:50:00.006-06:00

Episode Four ~ Thursday, Oct 15, 1pm ET

(listen to the archived version now)
• Ask the Writing Coach (your questions for me about writing and creativity) and a feature interview with Kristin Bair O'Keeffe author of Thirsty

My first introduction to Kristin Bair O'Keeffe was a few months back on Twitter, where I learned she had amassed this weird and wonderful collection of writers' quirks and eccentricities. "What a fun opener for one of my shows," I thought at the time.

But when I learned more about Kristin, I knew she was more than an opening act.

In addition to her quirky collection, the Pittsburgh native has been living in Shanghai since 2006 and has just published the luminously lyrical Thirsty, a historical novel set amidst the gritty, fire-breathing steel mills of 19th-century Pittsburgh.

During this month's feature interview, Kristin shares her stories about China and Pittsburgh, talks about her writing process and revels some of her quirks, as well as those she's picked up from other writers -- like the one about the writer who wears heavy headphones, not for the music and not to block out extraneous sound. "They just help me focus!" the writer told Kristin. We'll also be looking to hear your peculiar writing habits!

"Thirsty is a rare and special type of book—an intelligent page turner, a forward-thinking historical drama, a picture painted with equal shades of light and darkness."
~ David Crouse, author of The Man Back There

"A beautiful tale, vivid and gently told."
~ Don De Grazia, author of American Skin

During the first segment of the show, I'll offer some writing tips and inspiration and take your questions about writing and the creative process and about me and my books, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy.

Please tune in, and bring your questions and quirks -- for me and my guests!

There are three ways to ask questions of my and my guests or to post comments:
• Post your questions in the show's chat room (free Blog Talk Radio account required)
• Post your questions directly to me on Twitter (@markdavidgerson)
• Post your questions directly to me on on my Facebook wall

The Muse & You, a production of Red River Writers, is all about writing and creativity, and it's for writers and readers alike -- an opportunity to listen to writers and creators of all sorts talk about how and why they create and, of course, about what they create. It's also an opportunity for you to ask your questions -- of me during the first segment of the show, when I offer writing tips and inspiration, and of my guests during the interview portion.

Listen to The Muse & You on the third Thursday of every month at 1pm ET (10am PT). November guest will be Dan Stone, author of The Rest of Our Lives

The Muse & You Show Archive
If you miss any live broadcast, you can listen to the archived episode, which is available shortly after each show on the show's web page. You can also download any show directly into your computer for later listening.

• #3 ~ Sept 17 — Joanne Chilton and Jeanne Ripley co-authors of Wings to Fly

• #2 ~ Aug 20 — Jared Lopatin, author of Rising Sign

• #1 ~ July 29 — Julie Isaac, founder of Twitter's #writechat, and Malcom Campbell, author of The Sun Singer and Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire

Join Me In a Global Conversation on Writing This Sunday

2009-10-14T16:44:00.000-06:00

I wasn't expecting to be guest-hosting #writechat again quite so soon. (I just hosted it this past Sunday.) But I've been asked again, so please join me once more on Twitter on Sunday, Oct 18 for this live (and lively) real-time chat about writing, as aspiring writers and published authors come together to talk about what they do.

If you're on Twitter, simply access it however you normally do. Then open a new browser window to http://search.twitter.com. If the link didn't already do it for you, type the hashtag #writechat in the search bar. This will bring up all tweets that include that tag.

Make sure all your tweets also include #writechat, which will allow others to read your tweets.

If you're not on Twitter, you can sign up at http://twitter.com.

Regardless, if you're not already following me on Twitter, please do: http://twitter.com/markdavidgerson.

By the way, my calendar of upcoming book-signings, classes, workshops and other events is always posted on my page at booktour.com.

(Julie Isaac is the regular host of #writechat.)

Dare to Create. Dare to Write.

2009-10-07T22:11:00.001-06:00

"Boldly go where no one has gone before."
~ Star Trek

Creative artists are innovators. Creative artists are trailblazers. Creative artists go where others dare not go.

Your job as a creative artist is to write what yearns to be released from you onto the page. Not as others have done it in the past. Not as others tell you to do it. But as only you can: with your unique history, style and voice.

Don't write what you think you should. Write what you must. Write it as only it can be written. Write it now!

How can you be more daring your writing today?
How can you be more daring in your life today?
How can you blaze new trails and go where no one has dared to go -- in your writing and in your life?

• Read/listen to more writing inspiration from Mark David in The Voice of the Muse book and companion CD or on one of his radio or in-person appearances

• Work with Mark David directly, one-on-one or in a writing class or workshop

Living a Creative Life

2009-10-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

If you're looking to live a more vibrant life, you can't do better than to listen to Spiritual Coaching, a weekly online radio program from the Unity online radio network hosted by Rev. Carla McClellan of Unity of Independence, Missouri.

Mind you, I'm not entirely objective. I just appeared on Carla's show on October 6, and it was one of the most fun interviews I've ever done. We talked about writing, creativity, spirituality and life -- and it was so enlightening, inspiring and entertaining for both of us that we've agreed to have me return monthly, on the second Tuesday of each month (4pm ET).

For now, though, please listen to this week's show...and post your thoughts and comments below!

The Voice of the Muse Named a Finalist in 2009 New Mexico Book Awards

2009-09-20T01:55:00.000-06:00

Mark David Gerson’s Medal-Winning Writing Book Honored in Statewide Competition

Mark David Gerson’s The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write has been named a 2009 finalist in New Mexico’s top literary contest, the New Mexico Book Awards.

The Voice of the Muse was nominated in the competition’s self-help category. Winners in more than two dozen categories will be announced at a November 20 banquet in Albuquerque.

This is Gerson’s second honor for The Voice of the Muse. Earlier this year, it earned a Silver Medal as one of the top writing books of the year in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, also known as the IPPYs.

The 2009 New Mexico Book Awards, open to New Mexico authors and publishers, attracted more than 300 entries and included books released by Viking, HarperCollins and Random House, as well as by major university presses.

Gerson is no stranger to the New Mexico Book Awards. In 2008, he won in the science fiction/fantasy category for his novel, The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy. That same year, The MoonQuest also won a Gold Medal IPPY for best visionary novel. Gerson’s screenplay adaptation of The MoonQuest is currently in active development toward feature production.

The Voice of the Muse, distilled from Gerson's 33 years as a professional writer/editor and 16 years as a writing teacher and coach, is a dynamic blend of inspiration and instruction for anyone in any genre seeking to write more effortlessly, flowingly and engagingly. It has been likened to such classics in the genre as Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird

Lauded by critics as "the wise guide any writer would dream of" and a "phenomenal guide to overcoming writer's block and unleashing your creative potential," The Voice of the Muse has been equally praised by novice and seasoned writers alike.

Gerson has also recorded The Voice of the Muse Companion: Guided Meditations for Writers, a two-CD set that includes powerful exercises to free up and deepen creative flow. It's sold separately from the book.

Both Gerson's books are available from Amazon.com and other online retailers, from the publisher at lightlinesmedia.com and at selected U.S. retailers. The CD is available from LightLines Media and Amazon

Mark David Gerson lives in Albuquerque, NM, where he’s currently working on a memoir and on a sequel to The MoonQuest.

• Written and audio excerpts from The Voice of the Muse book, The Voice of the Muse CD and The MoonQuest

• Calendar of Mark David's upcoming writing classes, workshops, events and appearances, including information on his The Muse & You radio show.

• Register for Mark David's classes and workshops.

• Mark David's approach to coaching writers

The Muse & You #3: Radio for Writers and Readers...with Mark David Gerson

2009-09-16T16:44:00.005-06:00

Episode Three ~ Thursday, Sept 17, 1pm ET

(click here to listen live or to the archived version)
• Ask the Writing Coach (your questions for me about writing and creativity) and a feature interview with Joanne Chilton and Jeanne Ripley co-authors of Wings to Fly

"Wings to Fly shepherds us through inner territory with delicacy and precision. Each word cleanly counts and each image goes the appropriate depth -- many, way deeper. It has the authenticity and strength of a long and honest journey that the photographer and wordsmith have taken individually, discovering intimate revelations common to both."
~ Jeff & Beth Parker, Lyghtsome Gallery, Antigonish, Nova Scotia

Jeanne Ripley and Joanne Chilton are special to me in a uniquely personal way: because they’re in Nova Scotia on Canada’s Atlantic coast.

Some of you may know that I lived in Nova Scotia for a time a while back, and that it was there that I wrote most of the first two drafts of my novel The MoonQuest. It’s a special place for many other people as well -- a profoundly beautiful and numinous place. And so it’s not surprising that it should have inspired Joanne Chilton and Jeanne Ripley to co-create the poetic images and inspiring words that form their evocative and meditative book, Wings to Fly.

I'll be talking to Joanne and Jeanne about their book, their collaboration and their creative process during the second segment of this month's Muse & You They'll also answer your questions.

Jeanne will also read from the book, and so that you can see which photo inspired each of the poems, I've reproduced several below.

Shadow
Hail! Something is coming near,
wrapped in the shawl of shadow.
I am afraid that Truth is hidden there
my mask of scars will fall away,
I will be found.

Still Fertile
Born of Mother Earth, this Goddess of Flow is mysterious, an
erection of darkness and light, illusion and truth, a safe haven
for the lost and ravenous.
She accepts offerings made in reverence for the protection of her darkest secrets. Movement is in the balance of gifting.
The natural world has heard. This Goddess is still fertile.

Seeing
Eyes are only a vehicle for creation.
In the pool of soul behind them
all possibilities stream into a reality
seen only by the fearless heart.

During the first segment of the show, I'll offer some writing tips and inspiration and take your questions about writing and the creative process and about me and my books, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy.

Please tune in, and bring your questions -- for me and my guests!

There are three ways to ask questions of my and my guests:
• Post your questions in the show's chat room (free Blog Talk Radio account required)
• Post your questions directly to me on Twitter (@markdavidgerson)
• Post your questions directly to me on on my Facebook wall

The Muse & You, a production of Red River Writers, is all about writing and creativity, and it's for writers and readers alike -- an opportunity to listen to writers and creators of all sorts talk about how and why they create and, of course, about what they create. It's also an opportunity for you to ask your questions -- of me during the first segment of the show, when I offer writing tips and inspiration, and of my guests during the interview portion.

Listen to The Muse & You on the third Thursday of every month at 1pm ET (10am PT). October's guest will be Kristin Bair O'Keeffe, author of Thirsty and chronicler of writers' quirks and eccentricities.

The Muse & You Show Archive
If you miss any live broadcast, you can listen to the archived episode, which is available shortly after each show on the show's web page. You can also download any show directly into your computer for later listening.

• #2 ~ Aug 20 — Jared Lopatin, author of Rising Sign

• #1 ~ July 29 — Julie Isaac, founder of Twitter's #writechat, and Malcom Campbell, author of The Sun Singer and Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire

The Muse & You #2: Radio for Writers and Readers...with Mark David Gerson

2009-08-19T17:33:00.006-06:00

Episode Two ~ Thursday, Aug 20, 1pm ET
(click here to listen live or to the archived version)
• Ask the Writing Coach (your questions for me about writing and creativity) and a feature interview with Jared Lopatin, author of Rising Sign

I first met Jared Lopatin on Twitter and was struck by his eloquence, passion and charm. Those are the same qualities he brings to his new novel, Rising Sign, the first installment in his projected StarChild Trilogy.

Quick-paced and clever, Rising Sign is a compelling astrological fantasy thriller that forces twelve reluctant heroes -- each the embodiment of one astrological sign -- to face off against a powerful enemy who would destroy them and their world.

I'll be talk to Jared during the second segment of this month's Muse & You show -- about writing, astrology and Rising Sign, and about how the book was birthed backstage during an Indiana production of the musical South Pacific. He'll also answer your questions.

During the first segment, I'll offer some writing tips and inspiration and take your questions about writing and the creative process and about me and my books, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy.

Please tune in, and bring your questions -- for me and Jared!

There are four ways to ask questions of my and my guests:
• Call in during the show: (646) 595-4478
• Post your questions in the show's chat room (free Blog Talk Radio account required)
• Post your questions directly to me on Twitter (@markdavidgerson)
• Post your questions directly to me on on my Facebook wall

The Muse & You, a production of Red River Writers, is all about writing and creativity, and it's for writers and readers alike -- an opportunity to listen to writers and creators of all sorts talk about how and why they create and, of course, about what they create. It's also an opportunity for you to ask your questions -- of me during the first segment of the show, when I offer writing tips and inspiration, and of my guests during the interview portion.

Listen to The Muse & You on the third Thursday of every month at 1pm ET (10am PT). September's guests will be photographer Joanne Gallant-Chilton and poet Jeanne Ripley, co-authors of Wings to Fly.

The Muse & You Show Archive
If you miss any live broadcast, you can listen to the archived episode, which is available shortly after each show on the show's web page. You can also download any show directly into your computer for later listening.

• #1 ~ July 29 — Julie Isaac, founder of Twitter's #writechat, and Malcom Campbell, author of The Sun Singer and Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire

To Write is To Publish...Even if No One Sees What You've Written

2009-06-09T08:22:00.001-06:00

I'm not the one who invents the stories; I'm like a radio... Somehow, if I move the dial very carefully, I'll pick up the wave and get the story...
~ Isabelle Allende

Your stories exist...just as your dreams do. But it's the act of setting them to the page, of letting one word follow the next and then the next and then the next, that makes them real, that "publishes" them.

That's right: The act of publishing is an act of making public.

When you take your stories, those stories that have an existence only in your heart, an existence even your brain-mind may not see, when you take them and draw out the letters, stretch those letters into words and those words into sentences and paragraphs, magic happens. You take something that exists only in the airwaves, like a radio signal that broadcasts at a frequency not normally audible by the human ear, not normally picked up by even the most sophisticated audio equipment... You take that signal, which is your story, and translate it into a frequency that is audible. In doing that, you give it -- and yourself -- a new kind of life. A life in the public realm. A place on the radio dial of your life.

Perhaps you don't seek to have your work published in a conventional sense. Perhaps you do.

At this moment, it doesn't matter.

At this moment, all that matters is answering that call to write. All that matters is tuning in to that frequency, that normally inaudible signal, the one on which your Muse alone broadcasts, tuning in to it and taking down everything you hear. Everything. Without judgment. Without question. Without second-guessing. Without censoring.

All that matters is that you listen...and write.

Can you create enough silence in your life to listen for that radio signal, to listen for the voice of your Muse?

Stop, now. Turn off the radio, the stereo or the TV. Mute your computer.

Close your eyes, open your heart and listen.

What do you hear? What can you "publish" by setting it down on paper?

Take all the time you need. Gift yourself with all the time you need. Gift yourself with your stories, the stories that already exist in the airwaves around you. Gift yourself and the world. Start writing. Now.

If nothing happens beyond the writing, you will still have experienced the miracle of creation. If no one else sees or reads it, it has still been published: It has been given a physical life it never had before.

And just as every action in the universe has an impact on every being in that universe, or so our quantum scientists would have us believe, your words made manifest will have their effect.

If you do move from that point to print, that’s a bonus. But that’s not our starting point. Our starting point is you. You and your Muse. You and your stories. You and the word.

• If you'll be in New Mexico this fall and would welcome some help and inspiration with your writing, consider one of my classes or workshops, designed to motivate you and propel you forward on your creative journey. More information.

Adapted from The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, winner of a 2009 IPPY Silver Medal as one of the top writings books of the year

Anatomy of a Writing Coach

2009-08-16T21:33:00.003-06:00

A version of this interview first appeared last month on Aggie Villanueva's Visual Arts Junction blog.

Awakening Your Muse: Writing Coach Mark David Gerson

by Aggie Villaneuva

Stumbling across Mark David was a treasure trove for me, even as a professional writer. He asks multilayered questions that will strengthen any writer who plumbs them, but more, he offers personal coaching to achieve that end. ~ AV

VAJ: Mark David, you fill a void in writing education. When and how did you get started in this nontraditional type of education? What is the story behind your web pages?

Mark David: Thanks, Aggie. I suppose my unconventional approach comes from the fact that I hated writing and pretty much any creative pursuit all through school. Somehow, at some age, I got shut down creatively and continued to do my best to avoid having to write well into my teens.

In a sense, my Muse tricked me into becoming a writer. Or, rather, she pulled me along -- “safe” step by safe step -- until I was hooked.

It began in high school when I was volunteered to coordinate publicity for a school play and had to learn how to write press releases. That PR-related writing continued through college and into my earliest jobs out of university. From there I ultimately moved into newspaper and magazine work as a freelance writer and editor. It was during that period that a colleague somehow talked me into attending a writing workshop.

Until then, my stereotyped view of writing workshops had involved public humiliation: You’d read what you’d written and would then be viciously critiqued. This workshop was nothing like that. It was nurturing, supportive and creatively awakening, and it became the foundation for my coaching and for everything I’ve taught and written about writing ever since.

The teaching and coaching ultimately led to my book, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and its companion recording, The Voice of the Companion: Guided Meditations for Writers (I used often guided meditation as a tool in my writing classes and workshops). It also led to this blog of tools, tips and inspiration for writers.

I also have a personal web site and a blog more related to personal/spiritual growth. These are not unrelated to my work with writers, as I strongly believe that life and creativity are intrinsically linked, which, of course, feeds right back into my nontraditional approach!

VAJ: What type of writer most commonly comes to you for coaching?

Mark David: I’ve worked with all sorts of writers -- both as a coach and in my classes and workshops. My approach transcends genre and experience level. Having said that, though, I tend to attract writers who are open to writing from a deep inner place and who are prepared to express themselves authentically. I work best with writers who see writing as more than a job, but as something that is a vital part of their self-expression.

VAJ: Are your coaching sessions only for the novice with an urge to write, or do you work with long-established professional writers too?

Mark David: Again, my clients and students come from the full spectrum -- from novices who don’t believe they can write to published authors. I work a lot (though not exclusively) with people experiencing creative blocks. These can express themselves equally as an inability to get going, an inability to keep going or an inability to complete. Writers at all levels of experience have these issues, and all have benefited from working with me.

VAJ: In a nutshell, how would you explain your offerings to the writer or would-be writer who wonders if your course is for them?

Mark David: The first thing I like to point out is that I offer no single course or program. I work intuitively with each individual (or, in the case of a class, each group) to discern their particular needs. No two coaching series are alike. For that matter, no two of my classes are alike — even those that carry the same name. In fact, I’ve had students take the same class with me multiple times, because they know each experience will be unique.

Perhaps the most important thing I share with prospective coaching clients is that my work as a writing coach often intersects with my work as life coach. As I said earlier, life and creativity are inextricably linked. Our writing issues are often expressions of our life issues. If a client truly desires to get to the root of the former, he or she must be prepared to also deal with the latter.

Of course, not all coaching issues are deep issues. More often than not, though, they are. Even something as simple as making time for writing can relate to how we make time in our lives for ourselves.

VAJ: Your title is “Coach.” Do you spend personal coaching time with your students in workshops, over the phone, teleseminars? How exactly are your courses set up?

Mark David: I call myself a “coach,” but I really see myself as a guide and catalyst and I work with people in whatever ways that time, logistics and technology permit. Most of my coaching clients are not local; even when they are, I often conduct sessions over the phone. It’s just more convenient for everyone. While I still offer most of my classes and workshops in person, I have offered teleseminars in the past and am now exploring video-conferencing technology so as to make my workshops and classes more widely available.

VAJ: Mark David, when a writer first starts working personally with you, where is the very starting point at which you begin?

Mark David: The starting point is the writer him- or herself. As every session and series of sessions is unique to each writer’s needs and issues, there is no common starting point, other than identifying what’s going on for each individual and responding accordingly. Creativity is not about formulas and repeating what’s been done before. It’s about invention and individuality. Therefore, there are rarely boilerplate solutions, even when dealing with something as common as writer’s block.

VAJ: Mark David, you coach us to delve into our spiritual and psychological sides. How far do you take your students into the practicalities of writing?

Mark David: As far as they need to go! I’m happy to focus on craft and technique if that’s where the session or class needs to go. But even there, clients and students often find my take to be nontraditional! For example, my attitude toward editing is much more intuitive and respectful than most conventional approaches, which you can probably tell from my workshop on the topic, which I call “The Heartful Art of re-Vision.”

VAJ: Based on past students, just how effective are your sessions towards becoming a professional writer versus a self-aware writer?

Mark David: Unless you choose to treat writing as a 9-5 job divorced from passion and calling, the road to being a successful professional writer begins by being a self-aware writer. The subtitle of my book says it all: “answering the call to write.” I work best with writers who feel that profound call and are ready to answer it. If they’re not, I may not be the best coach for them.

VAJ: For the writer or would-be writer reading this and still wonders if your sessions are for them, what would you say?

Mark David: The catchphrase I use on my book and in most of my work with writers is, “You’ll never feel the same about writing again.” If you’re ready to write from the heart, to surrender to the stories that have always been inside you, to revolutionize your writing life and/or to live your creativity, then I’m your guy!

VAJ: Any parting words of wisdom to all writers?

Mark David: Trust the story, even if you don’t yet know what it is. Trust your innate creativity. Take it word by word and allow your pen or the keyboard to spell out the story for you. Allow yourself to be the passenger on your creative journey, not the driver. And, of course, read The MoonQuest and get a copy of The Voice of the Muse -- both the book and CD set! Seriously, if you can begin to believe that your story always knows best, you’ll never go wrong.

VAJ: Thank you so much for your time and your insights. Yours is a work we will all remember.

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