Every Writer Needs a Muse

So here I am, 2 weeks into the new year and I am just fleshing out the plot for my new novel.  I should have written at least 30 pages of a first draft by now, but as usual I got distracted and sidetracked by art and poetry. 

 It's time now to focus on writing this novel. While I have only a few sketchy ideas so far I must sit down with my spiral, one-subject, wide ruled notebook and just begin. I've written 3 novels that way so why try to change my process now. I will continue to fill in the plot points as I go but I won't wait till that's done to write a first draft. After all, writers write.

 But all writers need a muse as well. Sometimes more than one. My visual muse looks like this

I created this myself on one of my many excursions back to art and even made a muse for each of the women in my writer's group.



But muses come in all shapes and sizes. Some are ephemeral and only exist in ghost like form as they perch on our shoulders, hopefully whispering helpful affirmations or story suggestions in our ears. Like these, some are concrete and visual. But muses can also take on a more practical side, becoming truly helpful routines, behaviors and tools. Here are some of my favorites.

  1. cleaning up my writing space and hiding art supplies from view--at least to the extent I can since I have so many stored in such a small room
  2. putting away art and poetry books and setting out my novel writing books in plain sight
  3. reading those technique books to keep novel writing in my mind
  4. reading the kinds of novels I write meaning women's fiction, romance, or romantic women's fiction
  5. keeping in touch with my writing group in between meetings
  6. sitting at my desk every morning (before the sun rises) and journaling about my writing goals and keeping my focus on novel writing
All these little helpers gently push me in the direction I need to do. If you're writing a novel you might want to try out a few.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poems for Mother's Day

Image
Every once in a while I go back to my first poetry collection. I re-read the poems and peruse the art work. With a title like, "I am My Mother's Only Poem" I think this is a fitting gift for any mom. Here are some samples of what you can find between the covers. mourning doves perch in pairs never alone ~ your voice in my ear constant and new ******************** autumn ballroom frost painted bare feet sashay and slide expose my soul~ for you to know like your own hand
Read more

A Bit of Writing Prompt Fantasy

Image
I don't typically write fantasy or surrealist fiction but several years ago I took a writing class and one of the daily prompts produced this little story. Not something I would have devised on my own, but apparently it was in my head someplace because it emerged easily onto the page. MAGIC POTION LOTION             Knee high by the Fourth of July. That’s how many strands of red licorice I had collected for my patriotic installation at the campus art gallery. Now I needed materials in blue and white and they had to come by the color naturally, I wasn’t allowed to paint anything and I only had two hours left to finish the piece in time. I ran down the hall of the dorm pounding on doors.             “Wake up! Get to the lounge! I need help!”             “What do you want now?”             It was five o’clock in the morning but my dorm mates were used to my ill-timed bursts of creative energy. They dragged themselves down to the lounge. I looked at the sleepy hung-o
Read more

Mentors and Routines: It takes a tribe

Image
Even as I sit at my desk alone in the dawn I know that no one truly writes a novel by herself. At least not if she wants to hold onto a shred of sanity as she does so. Of course, aside from that paper muse I showed you yesterday, I have a little tribe to gain confidence from. First of all is Tapestries, my local writing group. We are a group of 6 women commited to writing and publishing our novels. Three of us have been meeting monthly for over ten years. Without these women I would have given up long ago. We help each other stay on task, brainstorm plot ideas and provide feedback as we each read portions of our novels. Sometimes mentors come from outside my writing group, like the help I've gotten from Martha Alderson who is better known as the Plot Whisperer. Her books and videos provide wonderful guidance. Though I don't typically write from an outline her books provide a bit of structure to my plot planning and her prompts and direction in terms of rituals and ro
Read more