How fickle is your muse?

K. Andrew Smith · Sep 21, 2009

When I completed the first draft of my WIP novel earlier this month, I planned out what I expected the rest of the year to look like, writing wise. I figured I'd use September to catch up in my crit group; in October, I'd write and polish a short story, then November would be consumed by NaNoWriMo, and December I could start editing the novel I finished in August.

Since October is rapidly approaching, today I opened the "idea file" on my PC to look for something I could use for the short story. I planned to take an idea and start it percolating, so it would hopefully be ready.

I found an idea I wanted to go forward with, and started thinking about it. I had the basic idea, but I needed a plot and character. Then I imagined the feel of the opening. Pretty soon I was composing the first couple lines in my head, and then it was all over. When I get to that point, I have to start writing. And I went ahead and finished it today, also.

Muses are funny things.

Wayne K · Sep 22, 2009

They look real sweet though don't they?

ChaosTitan · Sep 22, 2009

Discipline likes to take Muse out to the woodshed and beat her into submission. Makes sure she comes when called and not when she feels like it. *

*apologies for the somewhat brutal metaphor

sommemi · Sep 22, 2009

K. Andrew Smith said:
And I went ahead and finished it today, also.

Muses are funny things.

SERIOUSLY?

Oh man. Can I borrow one of your muses? Mine fell asleep.
:Coffee:

YAwriter72 · Sep 22, 2009

I am on writing hiatus, so I can concentrate on editing a finished but not done WIP. Plus I was stuck on the other two and thought a break would help. Um yeah, I've had not 1 but 2 stalled WIP's come to full blown life complete with fixed plots and awesome characters within the past week. My muse is named IRONY.

Sassee · Sep 22, 2009

Excuse the crudeness -- my muse and I are like f*** buddies. We show up for the job and work together when we don't have conflicting schedules. Other than that, there isn't really a commitment there. Every so often one of us will want to get to work but the other is too preoccupied.

I think I just amused myself with that analogy.

scarletpeaches · Sep 22, 2009

My muse is a temperamental bitch. She whores herself around town but only comes home when I start giving my love to a story...then she decides she wants to stop by and help me.

All this talk of muses is all well and good, but if they exist, you have to either beat them into submission and drag 'em home by the hair, or ignore them completely to make them jealous.

ATP · Sep 22, 2009

Fickle...?

...a little over two years (to date) involved with pragmatic issues: heavy duty information management/information science, then heavy duty IT (software, hardware), with another 6 months at most (hopefully, and hopefully less) of additional IT work, all the while accompanied by significant accounting data input.

Not fickle, no; just gone into hiding under this left brain tsunami. I am worried that it might not be a case of 'hiding', and become one of asphyxiation.

YAwriter72 · Sep 22, 2009

Sassee said:
Excuse the crudeness -- my muse and I are like f*** buddies. We show up for the job and work together when we don't have conflicting schedules. Other than that, there isn't really a commitment there. Every so often one of us will want to get to work but the other is too preoccupied.

I think I just amused myself with that analogy.

Oh man, a muse booty call!!!!!! :roll:

sommemi · Sep 22, 2009

YAwriter72 said:
I am on writing hiatus, so I can concentrate on editing a finished but not done WIP. Plus I was stuck on the other two and thought a break would help. Um yeah, I've had not 1 but 2 stalled WIP's come to full blown life complete with fixed plots and awesome characters within the past week. My muse is named IRONY.

You've worked with Irony too?! Man... she gets AROUND.

YAwriter72 · Sep 22, 2009

sommemi said:
You've worked with Irony too?! Man... she gets AROUND.

Okay, can you please keep her on a leash! I really need to edit and I've been writing today.

PeterL · Sep 22, 2009

ChaosTitan said:
Discipline likes to take Muse out to the woodshed and beat her into submission. Makes sure she comes when called and not when she feels like it. *

*apologies for the somewhat brutal metaphor

Maybe you treat you Muse like that, but I would never treat my Muse, Thalia, like that. Sometimes she plays tricks on me, but for the most part she is cooperative.

DeleyanLee · Sep 22, 2009

How fickle is your muse?

So fickle, that I divorced the worthless SOB shortly after divorcing the other SOB (the one I married) and have been very content without the interference the original muse presented.

Now, I date muses when I'm in the mood for such things, but I'm committed to never having a serious relationship again. Works much better for all concerned.

icerose · Sep 22, 2009

ChaosTitan said:
Discipline likes to take Muse out to the woodshed and beat her into submission. Makes sure she comes when called and not when she feels like it.

Especially when you have a deadline breathing down your neck, there's not time to court your muse, she's gotta be ready to rank and file to get the job done.

Libbie · Sep 22, 2009

I've beaten my muse into submission. She comes when I call her, at 6:00 p.m. every night for our little 2,000-words-or-more commitment.

Most of the time, that is.

scarletpeaches · Sep 22, 2009

My muse is a nagging whore and she lives in Japan.

Kurtz · Sep 22, 2009

"My muse is a fickle bitch with a very short attention span" -Sander Cohen

MGraybosch · Sep 22, 2009

She's been really fickle ever since I quit my day job in disgust after my boss tried to bully me into telling her what she wanted to hear instead of the truth. Maybe it's because I'm worrying too much about finding a new day job, but I haven't been able to do much lately.

The next time my muse shows up, I'm going to tie her up and spank her for being such a bad muse.

jodiodi · Sep 22, 2009

My muse has moved out of the country beyond extradition laws. She drops an e-mail now and then, but refuses to return home. She's laying on a cushioned couch under a huge oak tree facing an azure sea, sipping pina colodas while handsome men fan her and massage her feet with coconut oil.

Bitch.

Nivarion · Sep 22, 2009

Wow, How many of us have names female muse?

Mine is named Mouva, and is actually quite reasonable. She normally likes to work with me, but will not do it if I've been neglecting things. Chores, the books, work, brothers, self and her. Picky bitch.

However, when she comes out with the Ideas is pretty fickle. Normally when I'm asleep poorly and not likely to remember it, or don't have any thing to write it down on and am too busy to write it down. And she doesn't like to repeat too much.

Aw, now she's mad at me.

blacbird · Sep 23, 2009

fic-kle. adj. Dead. Deceased. No longer viable. Lacking vitality.

muse. n. Large ungulate of the deer family, species Alces alces. Alternate spelling: moose.

-- Blacbird's Unabridged Dictionary, 2009 ed.

caw

bettielee · Sep 23, 2009

I think mine's a bit of a slut, really. Which is ironic, considering.

thethinker42 · Sep 23, 2009

Mine's a nagging witch who lives in Scotland. She never lets me rest. Fortunately, she's also a synopsis ninja, which played a substantial role in selling both of my books...books based on ideas she put into my brain in the first place

As far as being fickle, I don't know, she's pretty consistent. Mostly a lot of "SEND MOAR NAO" interspersed with the occasional "ooh, you should write about THIS..."

Needless to say, I do all I can to keep her around. Supplying her with copious amounts of pictures of hot celebrity men seems to do the trick.

How fickle is your muse?

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