by Mary Brotherton

Created on: July 29, 2009

When your Muse goes on Vacation

You have a Muse, even if you've never been formally introduced. You may be thinking about the literal definition of the word "Muse," which means to think about or to reflect deeply on a subject, or the Grecian mythological Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and "Na MISS sah nee". Mnemosyne was known as the goddess of Memory.

The Muse I refer to is simply the source of your own individual inspiration. For every writer, this is different.

With or without a proper introduction, you'll know when your Muse is near. No matter how tired you are, no matter what your other obligations, you feel compelled to write, to create. You have words that are struggling to get out, a story to tell. Your Muse nags and nags, sometimes jabbing with a sort of mental cattle prod, to make sure you listen to her. There are times, you may feel like shouting for her to be quiet and leave you alone but if you're as smart as I suspect, you won't do that - you'll listen.

We've all had those uninspired moments, days when everything seemed to go wrong and no words came out right. We've all felt abandoned from time to time and thought that if we did have a Muse, she must be a mute Muse. We wonder what we have done to make her pout with us so.

Muses take vacations, too. They don't always ask permission or even give notice. One day you might be writing your future best-seller, filled with the inspiration of your Muse, when without warning, she's gone or she's lost her voice.

Being a dedicated writer, you go forward every day do what you can to get your writing back on schedule. You think that if your Muse sees how dedicated you are, she'll come back and whisper seductively into your ear, touch your mind with brilliance.

You discover she's nowhere in sight. She doesn't return your calls and you cannot find her in any of your familiar venues. All your hard work leads to dead ends and incomplete stories. Your Muse has taken an extended leave of absence; she's AWOL. Nobody told her to go anywhere. How dare she?

You're a writer. You can slog through this tough time alone, can't you? Who needs a Muse, anyway?

I know I do. Silent or speaking, I need my Muse. Some will attest that a Muse is a figment of the imagination, and I won't argue that point. But I still need that tiny fragment of a figment just to keep myself going most days.

A Muse is very much like a lover, and can become jealous. So, whenever my Muse decides she needs some space, I go out looking

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