By D. Musgrave
Before I get into the topic of this blog, I thought I should introduce myself to those who have no idea who I am. You all have seen me. I was that kid in the back of the classroom, staring out the window. They called it daydreaming back in my time, now they would probably diagnose me as having ADD. The truth? Even then I was working. I grew up being told more often than not that daydreaming was a waste of time.
What a crock that turned out to be. Those wild, fanciful dreams were to one day become the fodder for the erotic tales that now flow onto the pages of my stories. If anyone is interested in sampling those daydreams that became stories, please visit my website: www.dmusgrave.com
Okay, now that I've introduced myself, I should probably get on with why I'm here on the Get a Grip. When my colleague, Jenna Byrnes, contacted me with the opportunity to wax poetic on this blog, my first thought was, "Sure. Why not?" And then when I saw the topic, "Swapping skills", my eagerness grew even more. That excitement was quickly doused as I read her definition of the topic, "…if you had to give up your talent as a writer, what skill would you choose in return?"
Did your shoulders just sag like mine?
Once I got over the initial shock and sadness of trying to imagine life without writing, I discovered this could be a very intriguing topic. Without a doubt, a chance to get philosophical and deep without people wondering where my head was and what I'd been inhaling.
So, I put my mind to work. Thank goodness I had several days notice to mull this over. I let this marinade for a few days, considering all manner of options. When I finally decided what I would do, I came back to what I would call my first love. Music.
Before I discovered I had a mind for telling stories, I loved music. It was something that my family tells stories about how I would move my body to music even before I could walk. It's a running joke in my family that the saying, Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, by William Congreve, was written about me. If I were extra cranky/whiny, my mother only had to put on a record to get me to calm down. It probably didn't hurt that she had a large collection of 60s rock music.
As I grew up, I discovered musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. One thing they all had in common was the guitar. So it came as no surprise to anyone in my family that I wanted to learn how to play.
I've played guitar for some number of years. I won't say how many as it would cause people to have to find their abacus to calculate my age. Despite the many years of playing and practicing, I reached my talent limit long ago. When I say I reached the limit, I'm talking about the technical aspects of playing guitar. I learned, quite painfully, that I was not destined to be the next guitar hero. Those few who achieve that level have something I'll never have—God given innate ability. I know what to play, I just don't have IT—so to speak.
For years, I tried to play the tunes I made up in my head. I've never been able to match the sounds or speed. I even went so far as to try humming the songs into a tape deck to play back no avail. So when I had the chance to mentor one of my nephews by teaching him the guitar, I took full advantage. Maybe I was hoping, and still am, to live vicariously through him. As I expected, he was a sponge and picked up the technical aspects very quickly. What he now needs is time and practice to develop the musicianship to make the instrument sing.
So, getting back to the blog question. If I had to lose my ability to write, I would want to be a musician. Not only would I want the ability to play whatever I dream up, but to be able to perform for people. Not that I'd want to be a huge rock star, but it could be fun.
I'd love to get feedback about this post. Tell me what you'd give up.
D. Musgrave
The Portal of Eros: www.dmusgrave.com
The Portal of Eros Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/d_musgrave_newsletter/
Check out the first title in D. Musgrave's Sexual Healing Series: The Intervention
By: D. Musgrave
Approx. word count: 7378
Genre: BDSM
Erotica Category: Pulsar
Buy Here: Sexual Healing: The Intervention
Jean and Michael's marriage is in trouble. Not because they're incompatible, but because they are ashamed of their fantasies. Out of ideas, they turn to Sex Surrogate, Dr. Marianne Haley, who resorts to the only thing that may work; an intervention. Can she save their marriage? Will they be able to handle the truth of their shared fantasies?
Hello, Derek,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Grip! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this week's provocative topic. I love the cover of The Intervention, by the way.
After reading this week's responses, I am starting to think that all creative activities spring from the same source. So if we had to relinquish the ability to write, our creativity would burst out in other ways - singing, dancing, playing guitar, or whatever. It's the same spirit that animates all these activities.
Good luck with your books, and don't be a stranger!
Hugs,
Lisabet
Hey D.,
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming to visit this weekend at the Grip! I've always known you loved music so this wasn't too much of a stretch for me. I've never played the guitar but admire those who can, even for fun.
Excuse me now while I go look for my abacus. I think I left it in the glove compartment with my 8-track tapes.
Have a great weekend!
Jenna
The thought of never being able to write again? Perish the thought! That is scary.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of Derek Musgrave never writing again? Equally scary. Your books are too enjoyable to give up.
Perhaps you can channel your inner rock god through a character! I find that I live vicariously through mine sometimes.
Carpe Noctem,
Des
Desirée Lee
Putting the Romance Back in Necromancy
http://www.desireelee.com
des@desireelee.com
Hey D!
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you at the Grip! I am so not surprised at your choice, but I actually wondered if you might not pick fishing guide or something like that. I know music means a lot to you, but so does the outdoors.
Abacus... Yeah, that works... LOL
Great post. Thank you for joining us here.
Hugs
Hi D,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I had to bail when it came to making a choice this week but I can seriously understand why being a guitar legend would appeal to anyone.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here.
Best,
Ashley
It would have been music for me, too. Singing. Of course, I couldn't carry a tune if you put it in a bucket. Still, when I'm alone listening to someone who can sing, I sing along and it sounds good to me. It brings me almost as much pleasure and comfort as writing. Quite often it serves to put in the mood for writing.
ReplyDeleteGlenn
Dr Musgrave!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting our blog!
I loved those musicians growing up in the 60s and 70s as well. I'm still thinking about getting Rock Band The Beatles for Christmas.
I don;t know what it is that is so romantic about the guitar, but its real. I tried carrying a typewriter to parties. It just didn't work . . .
GArce
I'm the aberration, I think, because I never really thought about becoming a writer -- not until I was a 'mature' individual. I kind of got into it by mistake--long story, and some lucky coincidences. But I agree that the creativity needs an outlet, and my 'short' version of why I took up writing is because I ran out of wall space for my needlepoint.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to stop writing now, I'd probably go back to photography--although now that there's no more Tri-X, I don't know whether I'd enjoy it the same way.
Just so you know, my shoulders sagged too! LOL. I didn't know that you were a musician. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteIf I had to give up writing I'd want to be able to speak foreign languages like natives. I know, weird thing to wish for but when I was little I wanted to be a translator at the UN. Had to give that up when I realized that although I can understand and remember I can't pronounce anything well enough to make it recognizable.
ReplyDelete