By Crymsyn Hart
Each writer has a specific voice, minion, muse, guru or something they listen to. Muses are fickle. They can give wonderful inspiration or they can go on strike and refuse to share any of their creative genius. When they go on strike, sometimes it can be considered writer’s block, but for me that isn’t the case. When my muses go on strike, it seems all I want to do is write, but I’m not getting any input from the powers that be who help me form the words. Of course that isn’t a bad thing. I just pull on the storyline I have outlined in my head already. But those wonderful moments of inspiration are the things I long for that hit me at the most inconvenient times. Those insights normally give me some kind of emotional reaction to what I’m writing.
The worst time my muses start talking to me is when I’m in the shower. I mean, seriously, I’m washing my hair and they start blabbering on. Trying to muzzle them until I can get dry and get to a piece of paper or a keyboard is tough enough on a good day, but when you’re dripping wet and your fingers aren’t available, what is a girl to do? That is when I start coaxing my muses with promises of chocolate and cheesecake or a combination of both so they will be placated until I can at least get dressed and no longer have dripping hair.
Whatever the muse, specific voice, guru or minion an author listens to; it is that wondrous thing that makes them have ideas. Some authors I’ve spoken to consider that the ideas they come up with don’t actually come from them. They come through them and the same goes for the specifics of the novel they are writing about. Thinking that your mind is being invaded by an outside third party is kinda scary, but once a person figures they will have a great work from it why not give yourself over it. That is, of course, that the outside third party is not some alien who is trying to do invasion of the body snatchers and you become their puppet.
As long as there are writers, I assume there will be muses. There will be unseen forces that help authors construct their works and help them get through an argument between characters. Hopefully all the yelling won’t make anyone go insane. But then again, I’m already a little crazy. So the more voices in my head, the better.
