Your Muse

Dream Deep · 2006-04-24T23:10:15Z

I know this is going to sound really weird, really new-agey, really strange. But it works. When you can't write, when you're having trouble and your creativity just isn't flowing, sit down and write out a conversation with your muse. Your muse can be a guy or a girl (mine's a guy) and he/she can be however you want him/her. Describe your muse in detail. Describe the place where your muse lives (mine lives in a dusty, fancy house in the middle of a wheat field), and describe it all in very great detail. Tell what the chair looks like. Tell what the desk looks like and what pictures are on the wall and what the view out the window is and how your muse greets you. Is he sort of cool towards you - after all, you haven't come to visit for just about ever? Is he immediately welcoming and friendly? Does this reflect your personality at all? What does he do? What does he say to you? Play music in the background, bring anyone into that house you want, friends and people who've influenced you and they'll help. Here you're god. You may do what you like. And they want you to do well. Tell your muse you're having a problem writing. Describe the problem. Describe what he says. Do your people offer you inspiration or are they just there for comfort? What do they say to you? Write it all down. You will be surprised at what comes up. Write very slowly. Write in the present tense. You will not like this. Your mind will scream at you and chuck nails and thorns at your subconscious. It will do everything in its power to keep you from doing this exercise. I need you to say to it, "Shut up. I'm learning things. You want me to do well, don't you?" You will have to tell yourself this a lot. Eventually you will begin to believe it. Do this exercise without stopping, writing whatever comes to mind. No one's going to judge, no one should even see it. Ask your muse for help. Ask for inspiration. Describe a scene to him you can't get. He'll help. But only if you stick with it. Only if you do it the whole way through. You'll feel it when you reach the point where it all clicks, where this exercise is no longer drudgery, force feeding for your subconscious. It's like flying. It's good from there. You'll feel it. It's the best feeling in the world. But until then you'll suffer huge discomfort. Grit your teeth and bear it. This exercise works. Believe me. _/) Your muse will thank me. He's been bored a long time. :smt117

Ohio Impromptu

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Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:38 am

Ohio Impromptu says... · Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:38 am

My way worked rather well. Instead of writing about meeting your muse, I wrote a letter to him. This might now work for everyone (or anyone for that matter) but just writing out my frustration about lack of inspiration to someone I knew only existed in my head seemed to help. Just tell your muse that you need help, and why, try to justify yourself to them and you'll find some answers by the end of the letter.

...or maybe it only works for me.

Gone, gone from New York City,
where you gonna go with a head that empty?
Gone, gone from New York City,
where you gonna go with a heart that gone?

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Dream Deep

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Mon May 01, 2006 8:07 pm

Dream Deep says... · Mon May 01, 2006 8:07 pm

I tried something like that once, but I wrote to myself rather than my muse, and all I really did was complain. I'd like to try it your way, though. Maybe it'll help. I haven't been to my muse in weeks and he's proabaly all moody agian on me. I'm scared to check. _/)

:wink:

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Cassandra

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Tue May 02, 2006 1:20 am

Cassandra says... · Tue May 02, 2006 1:20 am

I just tried this. Lots of fun. Ended up typing two and half pages. Nice idea. It helped a lot. :thumb: Thank you!

"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring."
-Chuck Palahniuk

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Dream Deep

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Tue May 02, 2006 1:35 pm

Dream Deep says... · Tue May 02, 2006 1:35 pm

My pleasure, Cassandra. I'm really glad it helped! _/)

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Angie

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Wed May 03, 2006 9:27 pm

Angie says... · Wed May 03, 2006 9:27 pm

Oh, let me know if you come across that quote sometime, Dusky. Sounds sig-worthy.

Another activity that might help is writing your muse's life story. For one, you get fiction-writing skill practice, and for another, you get to "know" your muse and it's motivation. Besides, it's a great opporunity to get creative.

I'm covered in pixie dust and flying without a care.
Please don't make me fall; the ground's too hard for me to bear.

We mustn't dwell over past losses; we must cherish present gifts.

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