What does a restless spirit have to do nowadays to get some press? Apparently a quick way is to latch onto some unsuspecting mortal being, take control of that conscious body, and start pumping out the creative stuff – be it art, creative writing, or photography.

But it can lead to some puzzling outcomes:

• A 77-year-old Brazilian woman prays, meditates, and then paints works of art that she signs “Renoir”, “Monet”, “Cezanne”, etc. – all the famous long-dead impressionist artists. She claims their spirits take over her body, needing a channel to continue producing masterpieces. Unfortunately, art critics complain the finished works don’t look ready to adorn the walls of the Louvre.

• For the reading public, renowned authors such as Victor Hugo, are alive and well in the spirit world. One well-known dead author named Lucius publishes romances – sort of. This fellow wants to bring enlightenment to the modern heathen world with a Christian message wrapped in a tantalizing love story.

• But here’s a problem: these ghost-inspired drafts pose all sorts of unique encounters for editors: One problem is they can’t commission any new block busters. On the other hand, an advantage: dead writers are easier to edit than live ones because they are less defensive. Guess they have nothing to lose? But now very alive relatives of the dead ones are able to sue for royalties, which inspires a whole new way for attorneys to make a buck.

• Photography offers another realm to communicate with the other side. Numerous photographers back in the 19^th century claimed to have captured pictures of spirits hovering around unsuspecting living beings. When accused of doctoring the films, it was obvious the camera captured creatures that were far too fast for the human eye to detect.

• So what is the bottom line here? This could be an ideal way to wake up the muse for all those writers suffering from writer’s block. Just organize a good old fashioned séance and let the talent flow.