My Muse is MIA

My muse has suddenly decided to disappear from my life. The evil creature has packed his bags and done the disappearing act now when I am writing book one of my Middle Grade Paranormal Fantasy Trilogy: Zespirit Chronicles.

              

At the best of times, my muse is pretty troublesome, many times he throws tantrums and sulks, but this has been such a letdown. Honestly, it’s at this time I needed him the most. I thought that while writing the first draft of book one, I would also make rough outlines of books two and three. But, the muse is at its uncooperative best.

He showed up at regular intervals for the first half of April. I wrote back stories for all the characters, made detailed character sketches and was generally happy with what I had accomplished. I was sure I would complete the first draft on schedule. Things were going pretty well.

But by the third week of April, my muse disappeared.  In the last two weeks of April, I wrote just a few scenes. It’s got me worried, as I had set a tentative deadline for the completion of the first draft of the first book for April end.

Though I wrote many features for the newspapers, and jotted down notes for more features, I have not worked on my manuscript much. I am even seriously considering shelving the trilogy for the moment and working on something else.

Nowadays, every time I switch on my laptop, the blank sheet frustrates me. I even switched to writing long hand, but it’s like my brain is in a shutdown mode. And as the days are passing, my worries are getting the better of me. I have decided I need to do something about this scenario soon. There are so many other things on my mind clashing with each other that it is driving me crazy.

I know that I should be patient and keep writing but somehow worries are getting the better of me.

How do you all tackle an errant muse? Do you all work on something else, or keep writing in the hope that the muse revisits? What would you all advice me? Shall I wait for the muse to come back? Shall I continue writing even though I know that I will delete all the scenes I write in this phase? How do you all tackle writing slumps?

P.S. The features I am writing for the newspapers are making my readers super happy. Their fan mail lightens up my bad mood and it’s the only bright spot in my life at the moment.

              

An Advertisement to Sell a Muse

This post idea has been nicked from my writer friend and blog buddy Ellie Garrat. I had really enjoyed Ellie’s post last week  and had decided then and there that I would borrow her idea, or better still get inspired by it.

Our muses can indeed be troublesome. They are also people we desperately need in our lives. Our muse has the ability to irritate us and can be a sadist at times,  he/she loves to  put  us through all kinds of torture. When it comes to inspiration and great ideas we writer are willing to undergo every kind of  suffering for it.

 I would never ever sell my muse; even if my life depended on it. Okay, he does trouble me and we have a rocky relationship, but what the hell, I chose to be in this writer-muse relationship. I am fiercely possessive of my muse. He can be a darling at times. Gentle like a lamb. Generous to a fault.

But, if ever I was forced to sell  my muse for some  strange, unexplainable reason, then ….here is what my advertisement would read:

                                                                                                            

 “ Muse for sale. Is immensely talented; has the potential of  genius; but, has never developed that skill as yet. Needs to be handled with care, as  he is prone to mood swings. Has thrown few tantrums. Though he believes in loyalty, he has a roving eye, and  sometimes does the disappearing act. Can be extremely generous and  lovey-dovey. Believes in lot of P.D.A’s.  Is a master of disguises. Is extremely goodlooking, computer trained, can work magic on  computer and with pen and paper. Most of his ideas are awesome and he has earned the respect of his peers.”

 Price  on request. 

Now, tell me, if you were selling your muse, what would your ad be? How would you describe your muse? I am waiting to read every one’s ad. I am sure the answers will be fun.

P.S : This is just a fun piece and I hope I am not offending anyone. We all deserve a break from all the serious topics we have been tackling. I have the highest regard for every muse; mine and other writers. If I have hurt the sentiment of any muse, I sincerely apologize, as muses are a writer’s oxygen. God forbid, if a muse and a writer were to part ways.

Where does Inspiration Strike You?

As writers we are all victims of the  elusive muse  who showers his/her blessings via inspiration, which like lightning can strike us any time, any place and anywhere. Sometimes, even twice in the same place.

My muse tends to be very generous when ever it suits him (yes, my muse is a male). Don’t ask me how I have come to that conclusion. I just know it. Call it a Woman’s Instinct. Just like my mom knows when I am dodging the truth.

Honestly, there have been times when I am  at a party enjoying a marathon chat session with my favourite cousins and my muse is whispering important plot points in my ears. At that time I am not sure whether I am supposed to drop my tandoori kebab and jot down the points. Then, I realize  that  I was foolish enough to bring a tiny clutch purse which  had  turned up its nose at my scribbling pad and pen.

Once, I even made  notes on paper napkins, the pen was borrowed from a gentleman having a drink at the next table.

There have been times when I have quickly wiped my hands on a paper napkin and typed those important plot points as a message and saved it on my cell phone. Inspiration has its amazing way of  striking me when I least expect it. Another favourite place for inspiration is when I  am catching a movie with friends in a multiplex. You can always find me with my eyes glued to the large screen and my fingers typing a furious tattoo on my cell.

 Nowadays, inspiration arrives at my doorstep when I am reading blog posts. I am not going to name the bloggers, because, I fear that they may demand a percentage of my royalty for inspiring me.

Many senior writers suggest keeping a pen and paper not just handy, but in many places in the house. That way it’s easy to make notes and capture the secrets spilling out of our muse’s mouth before he/she decides to disappear.

Where does Inspiration strike you? Which is its favourite haunt? How do you cope with its demands? Any funny incidents that come to mind? We would love to be inspired by the stories of your inspiration.

              

My Muse has a Roving Eye, and NaNoWriMo

I was very keen on doing NaNoWriMo this year, it would have been my first. My initial excitement  at the beginning of October slowly turned into apprehension when my thoughts focused on my muse. I am currently  working on an MG fiction and a collection of linked stories which I hope to convert into a book.

For a change my usually recalcitrant muse is being generous with both his time and energy.  I have been the  focus of his  undivided attention for days. I am tickled pink. There is no way I want to antagonize him now by  leaving him alone even for a brief moment and NaNoWriMo would require a separation of sorts: meaning I would require his services, but  for another WIP. The moody guy he is, I dare not risk it.

My muse and I have a strange relationship.  He has a roving eye. Several times I have seen him checking out other writers, eyeing them with greed and lust, paying more attention to them than me. At those times I cling to him; so that  I am the sole focus of his wandering eyes. I have even thought of tying him up  and confining  him to a chair.

My muse and I (I am sure it’s a he in  my case) are a strange pair. When I badly need him, he is never around. And sometimes when I am extremely busy with other things he keeps intruding and demanding attention. If I am a bit tardy in giving in to those demands, he sulks and pouts for days. Several times he has packed his bags and left for an undisclosed destination for long stretches of time. My frantic calls and messages are completely ignored. Troubling and torturing me has become his second nature.

I often catch him spying on me, intruding on my  time with family and friends. He knows he can get away with murder as I am defenceless and helpless where he is concerned. At the altar of our rocky relationship, I sacrificed my NaNoWriMo dreams. I am sure if I turn my back, he will do the disappearing act once again and there will be no knowing where he has gone where those two WIP’s  are concerned. I can’t risk that, not while I am working on two books simultaneously.

What about you all? Is your muse a he or  a she,  kind or cruel, generous or greedy? What is your relationship with him or her? How do you handle him or her?

P.S. I  would like to wish all my blogging buddies who are participating in NaNoWriMo, best of luck. I will be rooting  for you all from the sidelines. Here is hoping that all of you reach that magic figure of 50,000 words in 30 days.

Muse: The Shameless Interloper

Is there no limit to the boundaries a muse will cross in a writer’s life, no restriction on the indecencies it will inflict, especially on female writers. Doesn’t the muse have an inherent sense of decency? Why does it have to be the shameless interloper; peeping, eavesdropping and stalking at the most inopportune times?

The most revered creature loves to play hide and seek. Now you see me, now you don’t. It hides when a writer is staring in frustration at blank sheets, and chases when one is busy elsewhere. One can even compare the ever evading muse to a mistress; demanding, moody, sometimes prone to sulks, and at other times generous to a fault.

My muse is pretty troublesome, it has this amazing ability to pop up at the most unexpected times and places. It shows tantalizing glimpses of its presence in the shower, when my slippery hands are unable to hold onto it, it beckons when I am in the middle of an interesting conversation, drops in uninvited when I am at a party, or, out with friends.

How does one then tackle, or, get the better of the muse?

Many veteran writers advice keeping a notepad and a pen on the bedside, purse, and within easy reach, to trap the thoughts that are constantly invading a writer’s mind space. Every idea should be jotted down for future use. Even random words and phrases. There is no knowing when these tiny seeds will germinate into lush trees, and  stray words into character names and random phrases into chapter titles.

One extremely old writer has the best words of wisdom. After waking up in the morning, spend few minutes lying in bed recollecting the dream/s. Sometimes these dreams are subconscious muses that connect the previously unconnected dots and provide vital clues that can untangle the tricky knots that crop up during drafts.

For many writers their muse has dropped in for prolonged visits during their sleep. Lucky people! Jorge Amado, the famous South American writer regarded himself as a ‘professional dreamer.’ He had often said that the greater part of his work was conceived in dreams and he wrote down the images and visions he remembered on waking up. These images were incorporated in his books. “All I am,” said Amado “ is a hard working recorder of dreams. If I didn’t have dreams, I wouldn’t know what to write about.”

One of the most famous writers to draw inspiration from his dreams was Gustave Flaubert. He normally slept five hours a night, but he said, “ the sixth hour of my sleep is given over to dreaming.” He would reach for his notebook on waking up and record his dreams, referring to his notes when he wrote his novels and stories.

In his ‘Temptation of Saint Anthony,’ Flaubert recounted some of the events that had happened in his dreams. Odilon Redon, the famous painter and engraver who illustrated the book with a series of beautiful lithographs had written: “if you had not known that Flaubert conceived this book in his dream, you would have feared his wild imagination.”

Dream Diaries are extremely useful. Unfortunately for me my muse drops by for a visit only during my waking hours. No snooze time visits for me.

When does the muse visit you? Has the subconscious muse dropped by for a tete-a-tete with you? I would love to know.