My muse and I are one. Words flow so fast I can hardly keep up. I start with nothing, white space, a letter, a word, a sentence, a paragraph, a page, page, page, chapter after chapter filled with new scenes emerge. My characters talk non-stop, waking me from my slumber. They constantly bug me, fighting for my attention. My dreams are filled with new ideas. I ignore the laundry, the dishes, my friends and family. I spend days living on toast, M&M’s, and cups of tea. I ride the big wave, the Kahuna of creativity. Manic, I’ve reached that Zen state of mind, my muse and I are on a writing high. The planets are aligned and together, we’re unstoppable. No fear, nothing but the words, and the words are good. A chapter, chapter, page, a page…a paragraph… a sentence… a word… a letter…a letter…
a letter…
white space…
nothing….
nothing…
I look over in the corner. My muse, Elarin, has slumped to the floor, listless, lifeless.
Flatlined.
I want to cry. I need Elarin to help me finish the rest of these re-writes. Here are a few things I do to help revive her.
1) Take a walk: My muse, Elarin, loves the outdoors. Fresh air and a little exercise can get the endorphins up and the creative juices flowing again. I like to take a pen and notebook with me in case inspiration strikes. I write short scene about someone or something I’ve seen on my adventure and she starts to perk up a bit.
2) Paint a picture: Elarin loves when I paint. I’m not great at it, but that’s not the point. It’s not for anyone else, it’s for me. I love putting colour to canvass. I don’t think while I paint. I let the colour flow and in not thinking, the sparks of creativity will reignite my muse. It doesn’t have to be painting. You could try a new recipe, photograph something interesting, make a collage, scrapbook, sing, knit, dance, make some jewellery, or go to an acting class. Being creative in something else helps my muse recover quicker, maybe it would help yours too.
3) Get inspired by other creative people: Elarin likes to hang out with other muses. Sometimes I take her to the art museum. We write stories about a scene or a mood from an inspiring work. I also make it a point to talk to other writers, musicians, artists about what inspires them. Muses can gain energy from one another.
4) Mood music: Right now, I know Elarin is a sucker for Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Elbow, Coldplay, Plumb, The Lord of the Rings and the Twilight soundtrack. This changes depending on what we’re working on. She also perks up when I listen to music that my characters would like when I sit down to write. It puts me in the zone and helps me get reconnected to their voice. I also choose music that fits the mood of the scene I’m working on.
5) Unplug: All muses can get tired of the pressure. Sometimes I have to step away from writing for a few days and let her relax.
6) Don’t beat myself up: I didn’t kill her. It happens to everyone. Just breathe.
7) Write even if she doesn’t want to: Don’t give up: Don’t stop, even if it’s hard, even if she’s taking longer than usual to revive or she’s being lazy. Even if I feel the words seem crap and I can’t do it without her. Don’t give up! She hates a quitter.
8) Elarin must have chocolate to survive. Wave a peice under her nose and she starts to regain some colour. I must keep a stash with me at all times. 🙂
How do you revive your muse?
Those are great ideas.
I think I step back and think about what I want the goal to be. My MC might have other ides though, and then things seem to flow again. I guess that is pretty boring.
Great post.
Ladonna, there is no right or wrong, or boring. It’s all about what works for you! I love that you think about what you want the goal to be. My muse is too flighty, she goes to sleep when I start talking about outlines and plot details. *snooze* I wish I could be more organised when I write, but I’m too much of a panster. *sigh* Chocolate anyone?
I’m with you on all your points (although I don’t really paint, but I do woodworking to the same effect). I especially like walking and music as muse enticements. I have several writing playlists, including one called Inspiration Quest (and it has the new Elbow album on it :)).
If I could suggest an addition, it would be laying down and closing your eyes. My wife calls it napping. I happen to call it ‘Visualizing.’ You have to let your mind stretch and flow. I put on appropriate music, lay down, hat brim over eyes, and let my mind go to the world of my characters. Really works!
Good post, Heather! Have a great weekend.
Vaughn, I love the idea of “Visualizing’! I’m totally stealing that idea. Elarin will just love it! 🙂 How do you keep yourself from falling asleep? Do you just let yourself float and follow any path your mind wants? Have a great weekend!
Very creative writing at the beginning. Your muse was definitly with you on this one.
Thanks for the great ideas. My muse tends to nap for days on end…
This is an awesome post 🙂 Great ideas for rousing the muse. My muse really likes to stare into space…we call this plotting, lol. I also LOVE to talk about writing. When I meet up with one of my betas, we help each other plot and overcome obstacles and things just start to click!
I also stick to a strict schedule. I write two hours a night after work on the weeknights, go to my writing workshop on Thursdays and then I take Fridays off to unwind. I spend Saturday and Sunday writing about six or seven hours each day.
There are some days that this schedule is interrupted by life, but for the most part I stick with it 🙂
Music is awesome! If my muse isn’t cooperating I play music that inspires me.
Thanks for sharing! Fabulous post!!
Hi Heather, I followed you over here from Ladies who Crit.
I love your blog! and uh, your muse has a name? Elarin? that’s so awesome!!!! Can’t wait to look around 🙂
You have so much imagery in this post Heather. I have never heard of someone ‘naming’ their muse before, if said muse wasn’t a real person.
It’s very unique and kind of inspiring, to be honest. 8)
I follow some very similar techniques you mentioned though. Doodling with a pencil, even though I can’t hardly draw a stick figure, is often a lot of fun for me. Music is key for me. I have slews of play lists set up to evoke different moods.
I’ve tried Vaughn’s tip before, but tend to doze off if I lay down. Music with a long walk does wonders for me though, when it comes to visualization practices.