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 for another. Trust me, if she senses that I am on the prowl for another Muse, she changes her plans and books the fastest flight back to my side!
What exactly are you supposed to do when your Muse takes a vacation? Well, you book a vacation too. I'm not suggesting you should literally take time away from your obligations to become a jet setter, but there are ways to take mini-vacations and revive your creativity. Better yet, make your mind a sort of Muse Resort so that she never wants to leave.
What inspires you today could bore you tomorrow, so you have to be flexible and open-minded. Find new things that can help you jumpstart your imagination, boost your creativity and bring your Muse back into your world.
The secret to finding your Muse or keeping her happy is hidden inside a four-letter word. PLAY. When you take time to be silly, to laugh, to play, your Muse can't help but join in. Creativity comes in flashes of brilliance that you can't see when you are searching for it. Originality and inspiration are playmates. Your Muse gives you insights in ways most people won't understand.
Do you remember the adage that tells you to "sleep on it," if you are having a problem that you simply can't solve? Have you ever awakened in the morning with a very simple explanation or solution to your perplexing problem?
How many times have you been trying - and trying really hard - to remember someone's name, a date or maybe what you were eating for a specific reason? The answer eludes you until you decide to move on to another topic of discussion, or another activity. Then seemingly, from nowhere, the answer pops into your head as if by magic.
That's your Muse. She's come to you in your sleep or when your mind was otherwise occupied, and provided you with the answers you needed.
Our Muses don't appreciate minds cluttered with busy-ness. They aren't happy when you are worried or anxious over something as simple as the name of your third grade teacher or that kid you had a crush on when you were in middle school. A Muse won't automatically supply you with the name of that fabulous flourless chocolate cake you ate on your first cruise when you demand it because you think it would be great for your novel.
It's not that your Muse doesn't know, because she knows much more than you think she does. She just can't be bullied by the boring stuff. She won't perform under stress. That's when your Muse goes on vacation.
You start to feel as if things can't gel for you. You are uninspired. You feel overwhelmed, too filled up, and empty at the same time, and you think you have been abandoned.
Who can you talk to? Most people won't understand. Another writer might, but you'd feel silly going to your writer friends to complain about losing your Muse. Besides they're too busy writing to take time to listen to your problems, right? You wonder if anyone actually knows what a Muse is of if they even exist?
You bet they do! But Muses, like most of the characters in our stories, are elusive and they require special care. They require a less stressed companion. They require play. Go play and you will discover your Muse has never really left you. She's been there all along, but you've been too preoccupied not being playful that you have not made her feel welcome.
Fly a kite, bake some cookies and give them away. Blow bubbles, go window-shopping; buy something frivolous. Allow yourself at least one hour a week to play. Go outside and gaze at the clouds. See the shapes in them and name them. Design a greeting card and mail it to a friend from your past. Get goofy post cards and send them to everyone you know. Walk barefoot on the beach; walk barefoot in the grass; visit a park, a museum or even a toy store. Read to a child, or better, a classroom filled with little Muses. Leave your comfort zone: create a new you. Become one of your characters for a day. Make something out of clay, weave a basket, make a wreath, listen to a different kind of music; learn a few words of a new language. Take a class or teach a class.
Whatever you do, don't worry about doing it perfectly the first time. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Write whatever comes to mind and even if it's not pertinent to your current project, you'll find it fits perfectly somewhere, because your Muse has returned from her holiday.