I think I lost my muse
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an animal sacrifice is the only way to regain a lost muse, according to the ancient greeks who were pretty knowledgeable, after all
work (manuscript) in progress
work (manuscript) in progress
Oh...duh. Always got me some WIP's. Just started another one a lil while ago. Interesting story actually. Some months ago I was surfing Youtube for inspirations, new tech videos, etc. Came across Johnny Cash's song about John Henry, whom I always admired as a man who felt passionately about the plight of us blue-collar workers. My comment got 35+ likes over time. One or two suggested I should write a book about, having mentioned I was an author or something to that effect. I then searched for free pics of him or anything to do with him. I found a pic of the statue near the tunnel he did for the cover. I decided the book would be about the plight of blue collar workers against over-mechanization. I experienced this in my near 31 years as an auto worker. My tentative title is "John Henry And The Blue Collar World". Kinda wild how some said they'd buy it if I wrote it & posted the link in a comment on Cash's song video. You just never know where & when the muses will strike!
john henry is one of my favorite heroes
read the kid's version. really, really, cool !
and yeah. great cause. message needs repeating. good for you.
read the kid's version. really, really, cool !
and yeah. great cause. message needs repeating. good for you.
Hi,
Posting messages here is just like writing a WIP. I want to
write something and I have a question; but, when I write it
it feels stupid.
I'm currently stuck in all my WIPs. I know what is supposed
to happen in them but I just can't seem to be able to get
the words on screen or even get the characters to do their
thing. I just sit and stare. I have the
scene generally visualized in my mind, but I question myself
whether that is the 'right' way of things unfolding. Does it
make sense for that to happen? So I end up having an
internal discussion which further frustrates me. After a
while of this, I give up and do something else.
Now, in my SFF wip, it got 'sideswiped' by the
characters, who are supposed to be together; but, they've
split into two factions with the MC being stuck in the
middle. Now I really don't know how to get this going
again as the current situation is not conducive to the
story... or maybe it is?
I know the solution to this is to 'keep writing' and
leave the changes to the editing part; but having a voice
saying "this is stupid!" to every word I write... it's
really discouraging. I mean I write and write. "It's stupid! It
shouldn't happen like that!" I sigh, and edit what I wrote.
I've let all my WIPs sit there for the past two weeks hoping
maybe that a break from them will jog me back. It hasn't.
Posting messages here is just like writing a WIP. I want to
write something and I have a question; but, when I write it
it feels stupid.
I'm currently stuck in all my WIPs. I know what is supposed
to happen in them but I just can't seem to be able to get
the words on screen or even get the characters to do their
thing. I just sit and stare. I have the
scene generally visualized in my mind, but I question myself
whether that is the 'right' way of things unfolding. Does it
make sense for that to happen? So I end up having an
internal discussion which further frustrates me. After a
while of this, I give up and do something else.
Now, in my SFF wip, it got 'sideswiped' by the
characters, who are supposed to be together; but, they've
split into two factions with the MC being stuck in the
middle. Now I really don't know how to get this going
again as the current situation is not conducive to the
story... or maybe it is?
I know the solution to this is to 'keep writing' and
leave the changes to the editing part; but having a voice
saying "this is stupid!" to every word I write... it's
really discouraging. I mean I write and write. "It's stupid! It
shouldn't happen like that!" I sigh, and edit what I wrote.
I've let all my WIPs sit there for the past two weeks hoping
maybe that a break from them will jog me back. It hasn't.
I found it. It was standing in my driveway this morning, nibbling on willow branches, and the damn thing wouldn't get out of the way when I tried to drive to work.
. . . . . . oh . . . . wait . . . . that was a moose.
My mistake. Never mind.
caw
. . . . . . oh . . . . wait . . . . that was a moose.
My mistake. Never mind.
caw
I don't think you can lose your muse. They do run away. Mine ran away after I beat myself down after some rejections. But they also want to come back, yet I did try to chase it away.
After a period of cooling off, my muse came back and I received it with open arms.
Where to start? Look for writing prompts or think about mundane stuff in extraordinary settings. Think of something that excites you and write something about it. Just get your butt on the desk and your hands on the keyboard. Perhaps you like to write in longhand--then pick that pen and scribble away.
Write.
After a period of cooling off, my muse came back and I received it with open arms.
Where to start? Look for writing prompts or think about mundane stuff in extraordinary settings. Think of something that excites you and write something about it. Just get your butt on the desk and your hands on the keyboard. Perhaps you like to write in longhand--then pick that pen and scribble away.
Write.
Ditto nastyjman! My muse is a bit like a puppy you are trying to get a pair of socks back from. Chase him (mine is a he) and he will run from you. Sit down and wait and he comes back wondering if you want to play with him. The socks (draft) may need a lot of cleaning, but you do have them back and after cleaning/editing, they will be clean and fresh.
When I have hit a writers block or something I sit down, open a fresh word document, and type the following question. "Why do I think I currently have writers block?" Then I start answering it...maybe something like... "Well I think I do because this morning I had toast instead of eggs for breakfast. Maybe eggs are good for my brain. Kinda makes me wonder if zombies would ever eat eggs over brains because they are brain food..." etc. etc. and so on.
Soon, that big ole stinky muse shows up and says "Hey, howareya? When you are done with that crap, I have something that is freaking brilliant for you to write."
Don't be too hard on yourself!
If I had a dollar for everytime I thought that to myself, I would be retired and living on my boat in the Chesapeake bay right now. Self deprecation is pretty much the norm in writing I have found.
Although I am just starting to seriously write fiction, I have done tons of non-fiction writing and the thing that always shocks me is how something I did not think was that great was actually very well recieved by my intended audeince. It may sound cliche, but your own head is a terrible judge of your own talent so do not trust it.
Don't write with the door open, close it and rememebr that your first draft is actually for you. Don't worry about what the other people think. Make the story so you like it. If it makes sense to you and you enjoy it, then keep it. If your space aliens like to sip diet coke while waging their battle agains the humans, then that is what you put down on the paper. You may edit it out later.
Also, it sounds like you have a bunch of fits and starts out there. I will echo the words of others and encourage you to take one out and keep working on it until you complete the story. Plow through that first draft until you hit that end point. Let the stroy flow out of your fingers.
Set a daily goal and stick to it. Mine is to write for an hour or two. I find myslef actually rolling in around an hour and a half every night when I get home. I have told my kids that when my door is closed I am working and they are not to bother me unless someone is dying or there is a fire.
Don't be too hard on yourself, remember a first draft is a first draft. It does not have to be perfect, but it does have to exist first. In the spirit of this being a 'muse thread', in order to let your muse do its job you have to write.
If I had a dollar for everytime I thought that to myself, I would be retired and living on my boat in the Chesapeake bay right now. Self deprecation is pretty much the norm in writing I have found.
Although I am just starting to seriously write fiction, I have done tons of non-fiction writing and the thing that always shocks me is how something I did not think was that great was actually very well recieved by my intended audeince. It may sound cliche, but your own head is a terrible judge of your own talent so do not trust it.
Don't write with the door open, close it and rememebr that your first draft is actually for you. Don't worry about what the other people think. Make the story so you like it. If it makes sense to you and you enjoy it, then keep it. If your space aliens like to sip diet coke while waging their battle agains the humans, then that is what you put down on the paper. You may edit it out later.
Also, it sounds like you have a bunch of fits and starts out there. I will echo the words of others and encourage you to take one out and keep working on it until you complete the story. Plow through that first draft until you hit that end point. Let the stroy flow out of your fingers.
Set a daily goal and stick to it. Mine is to write for an hour or two. I find myslef actually rolling in around an hour and a half every night when I get home. I have told my kids that when my door is closed I am working and they are not to bother me unless someone is dying or there is a fire.
Don't be too hard on yourself, remember a first draft is a first draft. It does not have to be perfect, but it does have to exist first. In the spirit of this being a 'muse thread', in order to let your muse do its job you have to write.
I don't know whether this applies to you, as I'm sure it violates a lot of "writing" rules. I do not force myself to write, at all. Simple as that. Tried that - failed miserably - gave up. Whenever I make myself sit down and put down something, inevitably the wordings feel forced and contrived, and I hate them all. So I write only when there is something stirring in my chest, and I have to get it out. Once I get it out, that is when I find my most joyful moment, where I can go back and look at the pieces I wrote, and be pleased.
Unlike most writers, writing in itself is not something I love. On the contrary, it is painful for me, as it happens when I physically feel pain if I ignore whatever is stirring in my head. At those times, it becomes something I MUST do, instead of something I enjoy; so dry spells are my peaceful time. And during that time, I will pick up a book, some my old favorites, some I never heard of; or I will go out to ride. Riding is truly my passion and life, something therapeutic. I have a stressful job, a job I enjoy but demanding nonetheless. There is something magical where you have a silent conversation with your horses. For some reason some ideas always inevitably pop up during that time, and then I have to go in and write it down. So yeah, there are days when I write nothing, and there is time when I write nonstop for eight or more hours, only to sleep for only a couple of hours before continuing.
Unlike most writers, writing in itself is not something I love. On the contrary, it is painful for me, as it happens when I physically feel pain if I ignore whatever is stirring in my head. At those times, it becomes something I MUST do, instead of something I enjoy; so dry spells are my peaceful time. And during that time, I will pick up a book, some my old favorites, some I never heard of; or I will go out to ride. Riding is truly my passion and life, something therapeutic. I have a stressful job, a job I enjoy but demanding nonetheless. There is something magical where you have a silent conversation with your horses. For some reason some ideas always inevitably pop up during that time, and then I have to go in and write it down. So yeah, there are days when I write nothing, and there is time when I write nonstop for eight or more hours, only to sleep for only a couple of hours before continuing.
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As far as life itself goes, don't be too quick to dismiss it. Life can give you wonderful material for a scene or an entire novel. PAY THE BILLS. Stephen King wrote his work while cleaning tables and teaching. I'm pretty sure he would say that your life necessities and your family come first. Just because Ray Bradbury wrote "every day" doesn't mean you have to, or if you do, it doesn't have to be thousands of words.
As to the muse, sometimes I think it's more of a writer's "spider sense." We train ourselves to recognize good bits of raw material and recognize when things aren't going well in a draft.
BUT, a first draft is something no one should see. It's a dress rehearsal. I'm 115 manuscript pages into my current WIP. I've quit naming chapters after my characters because my sense of pacing isn't good enough yet (compared to George Martin who can write twenty pages on one character). I deliberately underwrote many parts after realizing that I couldn't fill them with details at the moment. There are plenty of typos, X'd out words. I quit trying to guess the word count.
And that's ok! The first draft is a guide to help you make the story better, but first, you have to get the general story on paper. You discover things in the process that you didn't anticipate, good or bad. As Sean Connery said in Finding Forrester: "No thinking, that comes later. You write the first draft with your heart. You write the second and third drafts with your head."
Great thing about a manual typewriter. I have to make myself go through to the end or pitch the manuscript. After 100 pages, I just can't do that.
As to the muse, sometimes I think it's more of a writer's "spider sense." We train ourselves to recognize good bits of raw material and recognize when things aren't going well in a draft.
BUT, a first draft is something no one should see. It's a dress rehearsal. I'm 115 manuscript pages into my current WIP. I've quit naming chapters after my characters because my sense of pacing isn't good enough yet (compared to George Martin who can write twenty pages on one character). I deliberately underwrote many parts after realizing that I couldn't fill them with details at the moment. There are plenty of typos, X'd out words. I quit trying to guess the word count.
And that's ok! The first draft is a guide to help you make the story better, but first, you have to get the general story on paper. You discover things in the process that you didn't anticipate, good or bad. As Sean Connery said in Finding Forrester: "No thinking, that comes later. You write the first draft with your heart. You write the second and third drafts with your head."
Great thing about a manual typewriter. I have to make myself go through to the end or pitch the manuscript. After 100 pages, I just can't do that.
I've had friends get accepted into writers' retreats for their WIPs- they go into the middle of the desert with other writers, playwrights, artists, etc, and they just work on their art for a month or so.
But that's a rather extreme situation and not practical for everyone, so I recommend derping around on the Office Party threads. You're giving your mind a break from worrying about writing while interacting with other writers doing the same thing. And sometimes the threads are so clever that you can't help but be inspired and go back to writing yourself
But that's a rather extreme situation and not practical for everyone, so I recommend derping around on the Office Party threads. You're giving your mind a break from worrying about writing while interacting with other writers doing the same thing. And sometimes the threads are so clever that you can't help but be inspired and go back to writing yourself
You might want to try and find another place to "park" yourself when you want to spend some time writing. Personally I know that when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is write. So I found a Meetup writing group that meets once a week at a local coffee shop and I try and write there. Usually I end up with only half a page of writing and spend a good amount of time either talking or surfing the internet. But at least I have a consistent day and time where I know I will focus on writing or at least the attempt to write.
If it wasn't for life we'd all be happily doing what we really want to do. With so many wanting to be writers in this age of the computer and the internet, I think there are just not enough muses to go around. Many of us just have to make do without a muse. I wrote a short story on a writer trying to get a muse. Just a little humor, but I can't post it here yet. It is going up at critique circle. Watch Albert Brooks movie The Muse. It is pretty funny and your laughter may attract a muse looking for work! Good luck.
You might just want to put time in your schedule for just writing. That way there is no excuses and no distractions. It is time for writing and writing only.
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One thing I am playing with is the pomodoro technique. Get an ordinary kitchen timer and set it for 25 minutes. Work solidly for those 25 minutes with no distractions allowed. Then allow yourself five minutes of break. Repeat.
Every four cycles allow yourself a longer break of 30 minutes.
There's also some faffing with forms and lists, but frankly you don't need that. 25 minutes on, 5 minutes break, repeat. Weirdly, it seems to work well for writing. And for some reason, when you do this your muse wanders back. Don't ask me how or why. It's magic.
Every four cycles allow yourself a longer break of 30 minutes.
There's also some faffing with forms and lists, but frankly you don't need that. 25 minutes on, 5 minutes break, repeat. Weirdly, it seems to work well for writing. And for some reason, when you do this your muse wanders back. Don't ask me how or why. It's magic.
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I agree with StoryofWoe. When I'm stuck in that particular situation where I have a couple days off and I want to get some writing done the hardest thing is starting. Schedules work really, really well for me when I'm super busy. The down-times they don't work at all and I get the best results by trying to free myself of any thought that this time might end. Sometimes we need a little distraction to begin with to "warm up". Read a bit on AW, escalate to jotting some stuff, and try to get really into a scene. There's no rule that if you're not feeling it you can't switch.
As for Muses? I don't really believe in them. I do believe in loving what I do. At some level, I have to be irrationally adoring of what I write so I can maintain energy and belief in my own ability. I also have to maintain a rational awareness that it can always be improved. These things aren't mutually exclusive--they just take practice letting yourself exist in a comfortable state of contradiction. Find somewhere comfortable.
As for Muses? I don't really believe in them. I do believe in loving what I do. At some level, I have to be irrationally adoring of what I write so I can maintain energy and belief in my own ability. I also have to maintain a rational awareness that it can always be improved. These things aren't mutually exclusive--they just take practice letting yourself exist in a comfortable state of contradiction. Find somewhere comfortable.
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