The ever-elusive Muse. She takes many forms.
Ask any writer and they will tell you how infuriatingly fickle, stubborn and high-maintenance motivation can be. And that’s all Muse is, really, inspired motivation.
Kind of like scoring that crystalized honey at the bottom of a mason jar, sometimes you’ve got some spastic shaking and scraping to do, things can get a little sticky in the process, but put in the effort, and you’ll end up with some finger-licken’ golden sweetness.
And yet, despite the determination by many a scribe, sometimes Muse just refuses to cooperate. (This usually happens in the case of a looming deadline.)
So what’s a writer to do?
Well, once the toilets are scrubbed, the floors have been vacuumed, that entirely unnecessary errand run and the DVD case alphabetized, yes, once every innocuous task is completed, it’s time to regroup and re-evaluate. Muse isn’t going to show up because the towels are folded and the floors are clean enough to eat off of. Muse is a slob with perpetual bed head. Trust me.
When all else fails, it’s time to get mean. To wait around for inspiration to show up is a disaster in the form of good intentions. Every moment you spend shoe shopping, waiting for that special feeling to call you over to the laptop, some other bozo wearing twenty-year-old Keds is grinding out the next best seller.
The Times List waits for no writer, or muses either. It’s time to become that gym teacher you were afraid of in middle school and whip your story into action. Sure it’s uncomfortable, and yes, it feels like work. But don’t get your panties in a knot. This is nothing like trying to climb that d#*% rope all the way up to the ceiling. For goodness sake, you’re a writer. You get to work in your pajamas and drink coffee from a mug shaped like your favorite Disney character.
The trick is to find what works for you. Figure out what turns your muse on and invest in that. If a brand new ITunes playlist will break you out of your funk long enough to get your muse talking to you again, then maybe it’s worth the five or ten bucks. Or if that shakes the foundations of your Starbucks budget allotment, find a new radio station and be surprised with each new song.
Music too distracting? Maybe it’s a scent that will put you in the mood. Take a field trip to your local gift shop and play scratch and sniff in the candle isle for a bit. Find a scent that best smells like your story and get ready to bask in coconut-scented motivation.
The possibilities are endless. Which upon deeper reflection, might be why the prospect of nailing down inspiration can be so overwhelming. But suck it up and invest in the relationship with your own creativity. Remember the bozo in Keds? She’s probably typing away in a broom closet in her company’s basement next to a puddle of dirty mop water. But you can bet your last sip of chocolate-chip frappuccino that her muse is there with her. Because the bozo wants it. Bad.
At the end of the day, that’s what it’s really all about. How bad do you want it? And do you really have time to wait around for inspiration to show up on her own terms? Or do you need to lure your muse close enough to grab her by the hair and drag her kicking and screaming until she catches a whiff of your new Yankee Candle and decides to cooperate?
Do you want it bad enough to sit down and squeeze out the words even when you don’t feel like it? Even when it’s hard? If the answer’s yes, then what are you waiting for? Be your own pajama-wearing, caffeine -addicted, sweet-smelling inspiration.
So, don’t be shy. What’s your secret for wrangling your muse?
by Brenna
Sitting in the chair repeating the words “I can delete this” as I type.
Sometimes you just have to get it going. And you’re right–it is hard when the words don’t seem to want to come out naturally.
Just Keep Typing.
Lindi- I find myself doing just that quite a bit. It’s very freeing to keep in mind that anything you write down can be fixed later, made to sound better or thrown out all together. The most important thing is just getting words to paper. There’s no such thing as wasted words, even if they’re deleted in the end, because a huge part of the creative process is writing your characters into existence. There’s only so much you can cook up in your head. Most of the magic happens on the page. Great advice.
It’s funny because I just read another blog in Writer Unboxed about the rule “write every day” and how sometimes that just doesn’t happen. Every writer has a Muse that can’t be totally controlled but I love your suggestions for jump-starting our creativity. Sometimes I spend TOO much time on the computer either writing or revising and editing and feel rather listless about it. I have to “make” myself stand up and get away from the writing scene to refresh my mind and I’m going to try some of your tips.
Thank you.
Patti
Hi Patti! I know just what you mean about needing to step away for inspiration and a chance to renew. While I think it’s very important to try and keep yourself planted in front of the story for as long as possible, it can be really challenging when you just don’t feel it. Music really helps me the most. Having in earbuds, sometimes listening to the same song over and over again for a single scene is just what I need to keep a lock on a particular mood or break through a block in order to get that second wind. Some of my favorite scenes have been written after I forced myself to work through a dry spell and wait to get in sync with the story. It’s always a challenge. But seeing progress made, increased word-count, getting to know your character, FINISHING the book makes it totally worth it. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you!
I don’t know that I have any ONE thing that consistently jump starts my muse, but upon reflection I do think the presence of water always makes me feel like writing. Go figure. I’m constantly bombared by new ideas for my wip in the shower, or when swimming in the pool…and those occasional get-aways to the lake always make me feel creative. Maybe it’s time I buy one of those table top water features. It’s no coinsidence that I LOVE waterfalls, and have a body of water in all my stories. Hmmmm, I’m a Pisces too, if you go for that sort of thing.