Where, oh where, did my muse go?
Written by Michele T on October 13, 2007 – 4:52 pm -By
Photo Credit: dinosrock123
Julia, this post is dedicated to you!
You may have noticed in my recent comments, Julia said this:
“- my Muse was sighted impersonating Elvis at the Holiday Inn! There’s hope!”
To which I replied, “You should be a comedian! ha!”
Upon further thought, I meandered along the cyber highway once again stopping at the free dictionary to get a feel for the word “muse”.
As a verb, muse means:
To be absorbed in one’s thoughts; engage in meditation.
To consider or say thoughtfully: mused that it might take longer to drive than walk.
As a noun:
A state of meditation.
According to the Thesaurus, as a noun:
muse is the source of an artist’s inspiration; “Euterpe was his muse.”
And, when used as a verb:
muse reflects deeply on a subject; “I mulled over the events of the afternoon”; “philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years”; “The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate.”
Julia, you really got me to thinking. What exactly is my muse? Hmm…. Let’s see…. Well…. Um…. I think I might have many muses. Why not? Can’t we have many muses? Shouldn’t we have many muses?
As a verb, I guess I could say my muse overwhelms me in the still of the night, when silence reigns and inspiration leads to many manuscripts.
As a noun, I’d say my many muses are my parents, my grandparents (although deceased, my memories with them bring endless inspiration), friends, the sun, the sky, my thinking tree, Spring, Fall, (my two favorite seasons), extended family, perhaps even a stranger who says or does something to spark my thoughts, my second grade teacher for telling me: “Michele, when you grow up, you’re going to be a writer!”, my friend, Renie Burghardt, other freelance writers who have “made it”, Maya Angelou, Becca, Rebecca, Amy, a “non blogger friend, Michelle,” and yes, even you, Julia–you inspired this very post! I could go on, as I find inspiration for stories by just living and breathing and paying attention to what/who is around me.
There are days I wonder if my muse is on vacation, though. Sometimes, even as my favorite time for writing (late at night) envelops me with its peace, I stare at a blank computer screen simply too tired and uninspired to type even one solitary sentence. Not necessarily because I’m clueless about what to write because the possibilities are endless. Sometimes the mind just needs a good rest. After all, it works awfully hard for us!
But, there is always hope. With each new day (or night), there is a new opportunity for us to steal away and create with our words and do something no one else can–leave a piece of our heart with our readers.
So, be encouraged, Julia. If you have to, kidnap your muse away from the Holiday Inn!
What do you think, folks? Do you only have one muse? Or do you totally feel uninspired? Think about it, perhaps even leave a comment, and may you find your muse as you write the cyber highway!
Reference:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/muse
Tags: Inspiration, Writing Thoughts
Posted in Creativity and Fun, Inspiration | 10 Comments »
October 14th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Aww, I’m a muse? *blushes* I’m glad I can offer inspiration.
I actually wrote about The Muses on The Writer’s Round-About in June http://laffarsmith.blogspot.com/2007/06/while-working-on-tools-of-poetry.html
It was interesting to learn more about the concept of a muse and the relation it really had to something that is entirely internal and based on past experience. Our inspiration, comes from our memories, rather than something random drawn to us. So, if you’re ever lacking inspiration, delve into your own mind and your own past or get out and about creating new memories.
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Hi Michele…
My Muse was last seen in drag applying for the Witness Protection Program in Boise, Idaho. (He better not go to Vegas without me!)
I’m glad I could bring a bit of humor and inspiration to the Cyberhighway.
blessings,
julia
julia ward – a BLINDING heart – a writer’s blog
http://www.ablindingheart.com
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
“I find inspiration for stories by just living and breathing and paying attention to what/who is around me.”
These words ring particularly true, Michele, and I think life in general is the best muse of all.
But I also know exactly what you mean when you write “the possibilities are endless, (and)sometimes the mind just needs a good rest.” I think that plays into those “dry” spells more often than we realize. When that happens to me, I just spend more time reading and/or walking, feeding my muse in a different way.
Great post
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll have to check out your link!
Yes, I do find that a LOT of the inspiration behind my stories comes from something that happened in my past. However, I have found several things in the present that inspire me to no end!
*Hurrying to follow link*
Smiles,
Michele
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Hello Becca,
I’m happy to see you dropped by to visit.
This is true, there is something in life, lots of things if we pay attention that will inspire us!
Yes, Becca, there are so many things to write about and I continuously have so many ideas for new articles/stories that I simply cannot write them all down, which tends to be a bit frustrating at times and I think what leads to me staring at a blank page–my brain is overloaded and can’t slow down and choose one thing to write about. That’s when I need a good rest. Usually, much like you, I “feed my muse in a different way.”
I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
Smiles,
Michele
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Hi Julia,
Yes, I thought I’d have fun with this one. You do bring humor and inspiration to the cyber highway!
Smiles,
Michele
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Most of my inspiration comes from experience – things that have happened to me are often the subject of my writing years later. As we walk life’s path we experience many things – both good and bad, which make for great writing in the future when we can look at things differently.
Have a blessed Sunday.
Mary
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Experience is a good one, Mary. Often times, we find things that have happened to us, or things we have done, or people from our past, become our greatest inspiration for our stories.
Thank you for stopping, and for leaving a thoughtful comment (as always).
You have a blessed Sunday as well!
Smiles,
Michele
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
My muse is mad at me! It’s not that she isn’t around, it’s that I’m not around to listen to her. But she tries. Gives me little nudges, and I even make little notes of the things she whispers, and one of these days, soon, I will use those notes. The muse is always around. We just don’t always pay attention to her.
Love this post. Very creative. Inspired by the “muse,” I’m sure.
Renie, the sometimes muse snubber. Haha.
[Reply]
October 14th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Very well-written, Renie, I love your comment! And… you’ve described yourself to a “T!” he he!
Oh, you’ll get around to entertaining your muse, Renie, you’re just so busy enjoying all the fabulous life each new day has to offer ;0)
I doubt she’s mad at you, she must be very patient, though!
This is right, our muse is always there, we are just sometimes so busy and preoccupied with phones ringing, visitors knocking at the front door, and all the chaos life brings, that we can’t tap into “her.”
Thanks for your awesome comment, Renie, and for your kind compliments.
*Snickering at the phrase–muse snubber*
Michele
[Reply]