Wounds From a Friend (by Bion)

Pneuman and Jerry both work pretty hard--well, at least Pneuman does. Jerry mainly just puts stickers on his eyelids and starts singing showtunes...and then he hugs me for no apparent reason. But I've seen Pneuman and my human struggle through some fairly difficult plots and characterizations. Writing is difficult work.

What most people don't realize is that editing is even more difficult than writing. Of all my human's muses, I, Bion, am probably the one who works the hardest. I'm also the one who gets the least amount of gratitude. After all, who wants to thank someone for tearing apart what they've written and telling them to do it over?

Miss Campbell has often said that she hates editing. I understand that she doesn't mean that she hates me. My human isn't wise as Dragons go, but she is a wise enough human to understand that editing is necessary, even if it's unpleasant. If I were to let her get away with some of the drivel she and Pneuman write, she really might hate me. I edit her work because I want it--and her--to be the best possible. I edit, not because I am heartless, but because I care.

Another thing that Miss Campbell has often said is that she appreciates my honesty, even when it hurts. I think my writer has a good grasp of reality. I, too, am a realist. Realists are often misunderstood. Both my human and I know that ignoring a problem or hiding an unpleasant truth are not kindnesses. To quote a proverb, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:6)" I don't like telling my human to fix part of her plot or change one of her characters; I know it hurts her. But if I were to neglect to help her edit because I didn't want to hurt her, I would be a poor friend. Sometimes a person--or a Dragon--must tear down in order to build up. Miss Campbell knows this, and even if she doesn't always like what I have to tell her, she trusts me.

I'm very well aware of the fact that my fellow Dragon Muses think I'm uptight, but they also understand that I have a high calling. I'm the friend who wounds: the editor. Without me, my human's writing would be less than what it could be.

The Importance of the Physical

Right now, my writer is taking a break. I'm a very bored Dragon Muse. While she's not writing, I'm not truly musing. I'm still Dragoning. I can't very well stop Dragoning.

My writer is reading some C. S. Lewis right now, and she was kind enough to let me sit on her tummy while reading. It was a pleasant time for both of us, even if I wasn't busy inspiring her. While I've been with my writer for some time, my physical presence has only been with her for a few days. I've realized how important the physical actually is.

While Dragons don't feel this as deeply as humans, I think that both of our kind has a strong desire for something they can feel and touch. While it is not necessary for humankind or Dragonkind to have something we can feel and touch, it is very much wanted.

In the time I have known my writer, I realize she draws great comfort and connection from calling her family on the telephone. She lives far away from them. It would take her ten hours in a car, a few hours in an airplane, or a good half hour on a Dragon flight to see them. Since it is not practical for her to fly with me (what would the neighbors think?), she is not able to visit her family as often as she would like. The phone call is comforting, but it is not what she wants. She wants to be able to physically be with her family. She wants her mother's embrace. She wants to be able to tickle her nieces and nephew. She wants to arm wrestle her brother. While she is with her family, she savors their physical presence. That's how people, and Dragons, were made.

So while I have mentally and emotionally been my writer's muse for several years, my physical Dragon form has not been with her. I've found that our connection has deepened in the past few days since I have been physically present with her. There is something soothing about being with her, and not just a voice inside her head.

But on a side note, I hope she finishes this writing break soon. I want to get back to musing and not just Dragoning.

On Being a Dragon Muse

I am a Dragon.

If that were not impressive enough, I'm also a muse. My chosen profession is the inspiration of aspiring writer A. R. Campbell.

I am not the only Dragon Muse Miss Campbell has in her arsenal. At the moment, there are three of us. I am the main muse, Pneuman Excelsior. You can see my lovely image (though the picture does not do me justice) in the title of this blog.

The other Dragon Muses who inspire Miss Campbell are Jerry, the silly Dragon, and Bion the editor. They might be posting on this blog, as well.

Miss Campbell is always looking for more muses, so there may be new Dragons in the future.

This post is just an introduction. The Dragon Muses have much to say on writing, life, and inspiration, so come back often. We promise not to eat you, unless you're a peasant.