There it is, glaring at you: the blank page symbolising the beginning and end of a project. It tends to cause the near overwhelming urge to crawl back to bed. How does one possibly fight this chillingly blank stare? Unleash your secret weapon. It's time to set your Muse against the fear of the Blank Page.
Who or what is a Muse? Most simply, it is someone else to blame. And sometimes that is enough.
If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you'll recognise Muses from the nine Muses of the ancient Greek world. Though often portrayed as scantily clad women, their primary purpose was not to inspire through the arousal of sexual desire. Rather, they were the embodiment and sponsors of all arts. The Muses would bless you the necessary skills and inspiration; then, and only then would you be able to produce truly great art.
In various forms throughout history, the Muse has been used as an entity that bestows inspiration and passion upon an individual (rather than arousing it within them). This is a very important distinction of roles. It was your responsibility to be open and willing to work when the inspiration was given, but it was her/his/its responsibility to give you that inspiration. If you sit down and work, and yet nothing good comes out, well that's not your fault. Your Muse is simply throwing a sick day. You are, of course, responsible for doing everything you can to win the fair Muse over, but you can't expect any more from yourself than this.
One of the reasons we now have the image of the tortured artist is because we have forced them to internalise this creative element. It is now the writer's fault if they cannot produce inspired work on demand. And this is incredibly stressful, enough to make anyone curl up and whimper. It instils and magnifies the fear of failure that can cripple a writer, and is the cause of a lot of the writer's block in the world. As William Stafford said, "there is no such thing as writer's block for writers whose standards are low enough."
As such, one of the most effective mental exercises for the developing writer is to find and identify your Muse. It is something external to you that has the ability to grant you inspiration when it wants, and only requires that you sit down and faithfully work, and maybe write it a sonnet or two in thanks. Then, unseen by you, it will infuse its magic into your work, and together you will create something great. And if the work you produce is not great? Well, you can blame your muse for not turning up on that day.
Take a moment now to discover your Muse. My personal faith works well for me, and you need to find that which works best for you. Give it personality, and characteristics with which you can interact. Sit and make a deal with it: your part is to turn up and start writing on demand (and to woo it on occassion); their part is to bless the process and take responsibility for the outcome.
In general, I have found cats make good Muses. There is something in the way they carry themselves that suggests they have the ability to grant inspiration (it certainly explains why they love sitting on keyboards so much, and perhaps why there are so many photos of them online). They also have egos big enough to take your successes or failures in their stride.
Perhaps your Muse is the spirit of your favourite writer, or Botticelli's Venus, the spirit of new-born art. Whoever (or whatever) it is, their role is to be an external being, there to assure you of some higher meaning to your work, and to remind you to relax and let the words flow.
As unusual as it sounds, I urge you to undertake this activity right now. Search for an answer that will work for you and has a strong personal meaning. Either real or imaginary, designate someone else to take the pressure and stress of the creative process, so you can just enjoy having fun.
Who or what is a Muse? Most simply, it is someone else to blame. And sometimes that is enough.
If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you'll recognise Muses from the nine Muses of the ancient Greek world. Though often portrayed as scantily clad women, their primary purpose was not to inspire through the arousal of sexual desire. Rather, they were the embodiment and sponsors of all arts. The Muses would bless you the necessary skills and inspiration; then, and only then would you be able to produce truly great art.
In various forms throughout history, the Muse has been used as an entity that bestows inspiration and passion upon an individual (rather than arousing it within them). This is a very important distinction of roles. It was your responsibility to be open and willing to work when the inspiration was given, but it was her/his/its responsibility to give you that inspiration. If you sit down and work, and yet nothing good comes out, well that's not your fault. Your Muse is simply throwing a sick day. You are, of course, responsible for doing everything you can to win the fair Muse over, but you can't expect any more from yourself than this.
One of the reasons we now have the image of the tortured artist is because we have forced them to internalise this creative element. It is now the writer's fault if they cannot produce inspired work on demand. And this is incredibly stressful, enough to make anyone curl up and whimper. It instils and magnifies the fear of failure that can cripple a writer, and is the cause of a lot of the writer's block in the world. As William Stafford said, "there is no such thing as writer's block for writers whose standards are low enough."
As such, one of the most effective mental exercises for the developing writer is to find and identify your Muse. It is something external to you that has the ability to grant you inspiration when it wants, and only requires that you sit down and faithfully work, and maybe write it a sonnet or two in thanks. Then, unseen by you, it will infuse its magic into your work, and together you will create something great. And if the work you produce is not great? Well, you can blame your muse for not turning up on that day.
Take a moment now to discover your Muse. My personal faith works well for me, and you need to find that which works best for you. Give it personality, and characteristics with which you can interact. Sit and make a deal with it: your part is to turn up and start writing on demand (and to woo it on occassion); their part is to bless the process and take responsibility for the outcome.
In general, I have found cats make good Muses. There is something in the way they carry themselves that suggests they have the ability to grant inspiration (it certainly explains why they love sitting on keyboards so much, and perhaps why there are so many photos of them online). They also have egos big enough to take your successes or failures in their stride.
Perhaps your Muse is the spirit of your favourite writer, or Botticelli's Venus, the spirit of new-born art. Whoever (or whatever) it is, their role is to be an external being, there to assure you of some higher meaning to your work, and to remind you to relax and let the words flow.
As unusual as it sounds, I urge you to undertake this activity right now. Search for an answer that will work for you and has a strong personal meaning. Either real or imaginary, designate someone else to take the pressure and stress of the creative process, so you can just enjoy having fun.
About the Author:
This is an excerpt from Buffy Greentree's book 'The Five Day Writer's Retreat', available now on Amazon Five_day_Writer_Retreat
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