When You Misplace Your Muse...

First let me say that I'm happy to post this here! I'd love to have everyone's feedback because this is actually an "article" I recently wrote and am hoping to shop to a magazine. My aim was for it to be geared toward new writers and I wanted it to be informative, up beat, fun and not condescending at all. What I am posting here I've altered a bit to fit this forum. Thanks in advance!

Vicki

When You Misplace Your Muse…
by Vicki L. Lowmiller



At one time or another we have all been affected by Writer’s Block. I actually dislike that phrase. Why, you ask? Because, to me, that phrase can be easily turned into what I call Writer’s Stop, and that is too final and hard to overcome. The phrase makes it easy for every single one of us to give up. I think we have all come too far to let that happen with our writing. Before you scroll down to the other suggestions I have included here, I need you to try 2 things.



First – take the phrase Writer’s Block out of your vocabulary. I know, easier said than done, because we have all been conditioned to think that we have hit a “block” when our thought process gets off track and ideas will not flow, right? Well it’s time to recondition ourselves! From this point on Writer’s Block No Longer Exists!!!



Over the years I have come to think of the time I spend writing as interacting with my “Creative Muse”. You know, that little thing, feeling, entity, being, that lives inside all of us creative types? Yes, that’s it. That’s your Muse. It may seem childish to some, but my Muse actually has its own personality. If I’m having a tough time, then I talk to my Muse, ask it what it would do. Thinking of it this way is one thing that has helped me when my ideas have seemed to dry up for a moment. It’s also been something that has helped me go in a new or simply different direction. As with all writing sometimes it has been a good thing, and sometimes it’s been just so-so. But it has kept me writing! That’s what’s important! So my second thing for you to try is: Give your writing creativity an Identity!



So now you’re asking “But what happens when I misplace my Muse?” I say misplace here because I do not feel we ever really “lose” our Muse. Trust me - it’s always there, though you may have times when it feels as if your Muse has taken a vacation to Bora-Bora and is enjoying the sun, sand and surf without you. It leaves you wondering “How do I get it back?” Don’t waste your energy looking under the couch, in the cushions, the closet, under the sink in the bathroom, the trunk of the car or searching the neighborhood. There are many things you can try. Some may work for you, some may not, but don’t give up. They’re all worth a try to finding which will work best for you to keep your “Creative Muse” on track.



DO NOT STOP WRITING! If you do that you are giving your Muse the chance to run away to that Island without you. Like two lovers – do not let yourself be parted from your Muse. I’m not saying that you can’t take a break from a piece when you need room to breathe or a change of pace. Every one of us needs that once in a while because it doesn’t make for good writing if it feels forced. Make it a point to write something every day even if it’s just a list for the grocery store – just get creative with it! Example: “I need to buy a gallon of ice cold milk, delicate white shelled farm fresh eggs, broccoli that is as green as a meadow in spring, crispy, crunchy cheddar flavored potato chips and delicious brownies filled with chunks upon chunks of rich, dark chocolate for dessert.”



TAKE A LONG WALK OR CHANGE UP YOUR VENUE! My writing partner, Sarah, swears by this and finds it to be one of the best ways for her to get her ideas moving. Put on your walking shoes, grab your iPod and head out the door. It’s a great way to get the blood flowing back to the brain and the ideas flowing once again. If walking is not something you like to do, then make a change in venue. Clean the bathroom. Make a sandwich. Reorganize that closet that you’ve been meaning to for the last few years. Change the place where you write. If the office doesn’t work, prop the laptop on a few pillows and recline in bed. Grab a notebook and pen and hand write some pages out in the sunshine. Sometimes it just takes a small bit of movement to get you going. Once your Muse is feeling refreshed all will be well in your writing world again.



SET A GOAL AND INVEST IN AN EGG TIMER! This can also be paired with “Don’t Stop Writing” as suggestion above. Some professional writers treat their writing like a regular job. They get up early in the morning put in an 8 hour day and then put the pen down. For most of us non-professional writers this is not really an option if we have to hold down a full time job in addition to our writing. We can however, set ourselves a goal to write for a certain amount of time each day. So set the goal and then set the egg timer for the chosen allotment of time. Once the timer goes off, put down the pen. You have just accomplished your goal. If you feel you are on a roll then by all means keep writing! The more you do this the more you will have it in your head “I can do this! I have done this! I have reached my goal!”



READ! Take a break. It’s ok. None of us can write 24/7. So don’t beat yourself up if you need a breather. There are times when you just need to step away from your writing and occupy your mind with some quiet time. Ease your anxieties; stop the incessant humming of too many thoughts going through your head. READ! Give yourself time to enjoy a book that you have wanted to read. Or pick up an old favorite. Was there an author that gave you that spark to want to become a writer yourself? Sometimes going back and exploring the past will light the fire and set you to writing once more.



MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! Is there a certain theme, effect, tone or feeling that you are trying to achieve with your story, characters, or description? Are you having a slight bit of trouble getting where you want to be? Use music to push you along the road to success! Is there a song that puts you in a melancholy mood? Or makes you tap your feet in joy? Music is the most accessible tool you can use to help set the mood for your writing. You can find your Muse in Music!



REVIEW YOUR WORK AND ASK QUESTIONS! When you feel your ideas are winding down, reviewing what you’ve just written is a perfect way to see if there are any questions that need asking. Use your Muse as your first line of contemplation. Is there more needed with my plot development? Are my main characters relatable or do they need more in the way of character development? Do I need another character’s point of view? Am I being descriptive enough? Do I need feedback from my peers in the East End Writers Forum? Once you have your answers



There are many, many more remedies out there to keep your Muse from slipping into a non-writing coma. Try them out. See which one or two work for you. Once you find your Muse keep it occupied, on the move, ask it questions – you may be surprised to find the answers you need.

Very sound advice. I do agree it's very important to avoid the concept of writer's block altogether. At least for me, it just becomes a convenient excuse to slack off and go play a video game or something. Hmmm . . . maybe 3 hours of Diablo II will inspire me, that kind of thing. But like I said that's me. My biggest hurdle is motivation.

I was reading an essay by Rick Bass the other day, and he had a good metaphor going about "getting into the zone." Most of the time, we're floating on the surface of the ocean, or whatever. That's the real world, where we spend most of our time. Our goal, is to somehow manage to sink down to the ocean floor where all the good stuff is. Sometimes it's easy, you sink right down to the bottom, no problem. Other times, the sheer "physicality" of the day makes it next to impossible to even get below the surface. You find yourself buoyed up with water wings and a great big inter-tube around your waist by living your day-to-day life. So basically, whatever you have to do, even if you just sink halfway down, you have to at least try to submerge yourself.

I think you lay out some pretty handy methods for doing so in your piece. Hope you find a decent home for it.

Thank you Dominic!! I appreciate your comments. The metaphor that Rick Bass uses is and awesome way to look at it! It's great to have another way of thinking about pushing yourself to write!

I just realized reading through my post that there is a few sentences missing! lol I'll have to correct that as soon as I get back from my "writer's week" in Atlanta!