I have another confession. And I’m fully prepared to get tomatoes thrown at me, or have people arguing from every neck of the woods. Which is fine, I love a good argument. Okay. That’s a lie, I hate confrontation. But back to my subject.
The Muse.
n.
- Greek Mythology Any of the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science.
- muse
- A guiding spirit.
- A source of inspiration.
- muse A poet.
What is a Muse to Shelli? The biggest excuse to procrastinate that I’ve ever heard. That’s right. I’m here to say that I don’t buy it. Not at all, not one bit.
If I did believe in the Muse, I would have fired her ass and sent her packing to the back of the unemployment line. How many times have I sat around thinking, ‘I’m just not inspired.’ or ‘I just don’t know where to take this scene.’ If I relied on a Muse, I’d probably sit around eating doughnuts and playing PacMan while I waited for my Muse to bless me with a vision. I would have, count’m, zero books completed. Cause we’ve all been there, when we’re just stuck.
Forgive me, but I’m just completely skeptical when I hear an author say, “I’m in between books. My Muse is uninspired right now.” Or something along those lines. Because this is usually the same author who might have one or two books written–if any–over a few year period.
My theory is, the book isn’t going to write itself. The ‘Muse’ may or may not decide to give you inspiration. Are you really going to sit around and wait for her lazy ass to bless you with the next Gone With the Wind?
My advice is screw the muse, set a daily word count goal, and write. Because even if it’s crap, it’s something to work with. And a blank page is still a blank page. I think you’d be surprised to find how much creativity and vision for your book is already stuck up your head, just waiting for the chance for you to force it out.
