When the Muse Has Left the Building...
Nancy Smay
There is a debate that goes on among some writers. Should the act of creating stories be looked at as an art form? Or is it a business? Can it be both?
I’ll admit that when I began, I wholeheartedly believed it was an art. It was some kind of magic, and in order to channel that magic, very specific things needed to be aligned. I was inspired by stories I’d read of Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, and Woolf, as well as other famous writers before and after them--and so many were known for being superstitious and persnickety, and for going through long dark periods where their muse simply did not visit.
If I couldn’t write, I decided, it was because my artistic soul just hadn’t been properly warmed up. I needed wine, or maybe to take a few weeks off. I needed to be gentle with my spirit and not expect too much. Maybe I needed to be wearing my lucky sweatshirt or have my wooden wombat set up just so.
It Was Not About the Wombat
And then a day came when I realized that for writers who looked at words and stories as their products, and at producing those products as their jobs--there was no such thing as “the muse.” If I wanted to make money writing--and I did (and I do!), then I needed to follow the advice imparted by so many professional novelists: put your butt in the chair and write.
And I guess that’s the suggestion that I’ll make -- perhaps more kindly -- to you. Books don’t get written until enough words get piled up in some kind of logical order to tell a story. That’s all there is to it. And words don’t just throw themselves into your manuscript. You have to put them there. And guess what? That’s hard work.
So I think that might be the big lie we tell ourselves when we’re chasing the muse. We tell ourselves that writing should be fun, that it should bring us joy, that we should love it all the time. And so if we don’t feel that joy, if it doesn’t seem fun? We decide not to do it. We say we’re not inspired.
What Do You Do?
I suggest you go ahead and write anyway.
I write as Delancey Stewart, which most of Evident Ink’s clients know (and if not, they do now.) And in every single one of the twenty-five or so books I’ve written, there has come a point where it is not fun to sit down and pound through the story. For me, there are usually two points where the “not fun” happens and I have to force myself to go write (and since I write at 5:30 a.m., that’s a feat because it means leaving my comfy bed.) The first not fun part is always somewhere around 20k words. That’s the beginning of the dreaded “middle.” All the fun of throwing my characters together and building some of the world and conflict has been laid in, and after that, it’s time to really build the story.
I don’t know why, but that part sucks for me.
And then there’s another not fun part around one third of the way from the end. I never know I’m one third of the way from the end, but whenever I look back, I figure out that was where things slowed down again.
And during both these not fun times, words come more slowly. I sometimes sit and stare blankly into space, trying to force my mind to move forward, to get through the hard parts. Because I have figured out that if I let myself delay, if I go do other things, if I’m “gentle with myself” and I decide to wait for my muse? It doesn’t help. It just keeps me stuck in the not fun part that much longer.
I sit and I pound through it, imagining that I’ll end up deleting every single word I’m writing because certainly they’re all going to be awful. But I push until my characters take me to something a little more fun to write, until I get back to the place where I am eager to get up and write the next part. Because that always comes back too. And generally speaking, the part that I expected I’d delete ends up being just fine.
Muse on a Cruise?
So where is my muse during these times? He could be here, he could be on a cruise, it really wouldn’t matter to me. My determination and fortitude do not come from any kind of external floating nymph with a harp or a grape-eating toga-wearing demi-god named Chaz who chooses to grace me with inspiration from time to time. No, those things come from only one place: me.
There will be times in every writer’s life when they cannot write. Often it’s because we’re human and we are faced with external situations that require time and focus, and most professional writers can deal with a bit of ebb and flow in their word counts. And when those situations arise, those writers look at their schedules and figure out when they’ll be able to write again. Because if writing is your job, you go and you do it. I cannot imagine another career where it would be acceptable to show up for work and inform one’s boss that, “Sorry, today I don’t really feel like working. I’m going to be gentle with myself and just eat this tub of ice cream instead.” I mean, you can try it. Let me know how it works out!
Of course, in other jobs, we do get sick days, holidays, family leave, etc. And in the interest of having some balance, it’s critical to schedule time off into your writing schedule. While I may not be a big believer in a “muse,” I do believe in the concept of filling your creative well. For me, this requires occasional Netflix binges, visits to the gym, and walks outside where I just look at the mountains and the sky and don’t try to think about anything in particular. I give myself license to zone out while I shower and dry my hair, and I listen to audiobooks when I drive. I sing along to the Indigo Girls while I cook dinner. Those are all silly things that are definitely not writing, but that are necessary to my process.
Maybe these well-filling activities are my version of a muse.
So when the words aren’t coming and you’re about to stand up from your desk, or put down your dictation device, ask yourself one question. Am I really blocked, or do I just not want to write right now because it feels like work? If it’s work, then decide what it will take for you to be able to sit back down and get it done. Give yourself a walk or a talk, or a bath if you need to. Take control of your “muse” and you’ll find your productivity will likely soar.
And if you need a shoulder to cry on, someone to brainstorm with, or some words of encouragement, that's exactly why we offer coaching sessions! Just grab a one-time chat, or get a champion to cheer you on as you go through those tougher parts of your work in progress!