About a month ago, D.D. Falvo wrote the most charming post on Hugs and Chocolate about her muse, a purple dragon named Zeb. I laughed along with her personification of the moody and sometimes elusive inspiration. I know all writers can relate.
Being that most of my friends are now writers, the muse is a common topic of conversation and I’ve heard it personified in many ways. Writers talk about how their characters speak to them and have a mind of their own. I smile and nod and agree, but I have something to admit…
My muse is not a person. Nor is it an animal. It doesn’t speak to me in words.
In a way, I have felt like an anomaly amongst anomalies. I never understood why I didn’t experience these conversations with my subconscious.
Then I joined Pinterest a few months ago–a sometimes dangerous, sometimes inspiring place for writers. Thankfully, for me it has mostly been inspiring, and as I gathered images that helped me connect to my story, I noticed a pattern.
My muse is a place.
When I close my eyes, it isn’t a man or a woman or a dragon in front of me, it’s an early morning mist on a path in the forest. It’s a Saturday morning with time on my hands and the beating of a heavy rain. It’s twinkling lights on a dark night and a promise of romance in my heart.
My muse is a feeling.
It’s a first kiss or a reunion of lost lovers. A lingering touch of forbidden emotions. A desire for forever when all you have is today.
When I close my eyes and search for the inspiration to write, this is what speaks to me. What speaks to you?
For pictures of my muse, check out my Inspiration board on Pinterest!
I am enchanted by your muse of atmosphere and emotion–and that’s exactly the point. The muse is no more than a means to express the creative passion deep inside and what calls it forth. What delights you, inspires you, and terrifies you are wholly you but different shades, like the faceted diamond that gleams all colors of the rainbow.
Perhaps defining our muses gives us a sense of ownership, a writer’s tool to claim what is so elusive and unpredictable. We know our superconscious can’t be controlled, though the thought “amuses” me. :p
Thanks for the shout out, Jamie. Zeb loves Saturday mornings, rain, and twinkling lights (we won’t discuss his first kiss–that was a disaster.). May your muse ever be present in real life and in fiction, showing you the world through eyes of wonder and unlimited imagination.
xxxd
You never cease to make me smile! And you are so right. I think being able to identify our muse gives us more power to call on it, or him, when needed. 😉
Thank you for the inspiration for this post!
Love your images. Very inspiring.
Thanks!
To be honest, I’ve never felt like I’ve had a muse. I can identify with your places and pictures and feelings. I’ve felt left out and like a non-creative. But what I do have is blinding flashes of knowledge. Bam! It just hits and then I’m like “Where’d that come from?” There’s no one around to take credit. My muse is nameless and faceless, but boy how important it is to me!
I felt the same way until I finally figured this out. But as long as your inspiration is coming to you, no need to question it! Lol!
I’m with Lara, I’ve never felt like I’ve had a muse. I’ve tried. But I’m certainly inspired/motivated/compelled to write by images and words. Just about all my fiction starts as an image that comes to mind, but I don’t talk to anyone/anything to find that image. But I find the idea of a muse interesting and worth talking about. The imagination is such a complicated thing.
I’m finding more and more that my imagination isn’t that great on its own. I’m more logical minded so I need the extra boost of images and music to help me fill in the holes. I envy those who have muses that speak in English! Lol!