Muse time: shut out the noise and let your subconscious get into “the zone.”
Ruth and Anne Want to Wish You All a Very Happy Holiday Season!
One of the most common themes we hear from new writers is fears that they’re not “real writers,” especially when friends and family ask when their “scribbling” is going to lead to a lucrative career.
You especially run into this stuff when you meet up with relatives and old friends at holiday time.
“How can it take 3 years to write a novel? My mom can type 60 words a minute,” says your old high school friend. And of course your aunt wants to know: “When are you going to publish that thing? I’ve heard of this Author Solutions company that will publish a book for only $5000….” And your spouse’s uncle blurts out, just the way he did last year, “How long before you start making money with that stuff, pal?”
But hey, does anybody ask this kind of stuff from a person who’s perfecting a golf swing? Or practicing a musical instrument?
Writing is not always about making money. And you don’t have to be validated by money to call yourself a writer.
Some people in your life will even claim you’re not even writing anything. Hey, your high school buddy saw you with your laptop at Starbucks and you were “just staring into space,” he tells everybody.
Grrrr. Non-writers have no clue that you’re doing some of your most intense writing work when you’re not typing or holding a pen. That’s when you’re most likely to be communing with your muse. And without the muse, you don’t have anything to write down.
You need to give yourself that “staring into space” muse time, even if nobody in your life has a clue what that’s about.
Making “Muse Time”
What matters is the act of creating art out of words. If you write, you’re a writer. Nobody needs to validate that but your muse.
And if you’re lucky enough to get into the “zone” where the muse is with you, the words flow and the story seems to tell itself, you know you’re a writer. The publication, the readership, the book sales—those are all peripheral to that act of creating art.
And the greatest gift anybody can give a writer is what we’re calling “muse time.” That time doesn’t have to be spent in your writer cave. It can be spent anywhere, as Ruth says below. Muse time is when our brains are busy creating–when we cut out the noise of everyday life, even for a few moments.
Some of our best ideas come to us in those small moments when we’re waiting at the bus stop, or flipping through a magazine in the dentist’s office.
So muse time can be anywhere, any time.
Here are excerpts from two of our posts this year that encourage you to allow to embrace your identity as a writer and get cozy with your muse. So take some time off from all the hustle and bustle, relax, and let the ideas flow.
Give yourself the gift of muse time this holiday season!
Signs Your Muse is With You
by Ruth Harris
“What The Subconscious is to every other man, in its creative aspect becomes, for writers, The Muse.” ~ Ray Bradbury
The story you can’t get out of your mind.
It’s the one that wakes you up at night and intrudes when you really should be paying attention at that meeting or getting that boring report finished.
The chapter you’re bogged down on and hate writing.
Pay attention. Is your subconscious sending up a warning and telling you you’re on the wrong track? Do you need to go back and figure out where you’ve strayed?
The character who says or does something so amazing, awful or awesome that s/he surprises you.
Even though you created him or her, you’re appalled, impressed and/or intimidated.
The dazzling plot twist you never saw coming.
Even though you yourself planted the trail of clues that made it inevitable (and obvious) but only in retrospect. Where did that come from? How or when did you do it? You were the pilot but your muse was the engine.
The “perfect” word pops into your mind from “out of nowhere.”
Or the phrase you didn’t plan gets you past the cliché and you realize that you are beginning to develop a style of your own.
The minor character waiting at the bus stop.
The guy with the green umbrella you stuck in without thinking, but who turns out to be exactly the culprit/lover/villain/hero/heroine you need 150 pages later.
When you throw away the outline.
Because what your characters say or do when you actually start to write about them are a thousand times better and more interesting than you ever imagined.
The dazzling idea that flashes through your mind so fast it almost disappears the moment it becomes conscious.
That’s a whisper. Better write it down! You might think you’ll remember, but you probably won’t.
Like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, you mark a trail through the forest.
Not really thinking, you leave them as you write—the red-haired tap dancer who lives upstairs, the elegant, panelled room in an ordinary suburban tract house, the half-heard whisper at intermission in the theater. They’re the unexpected inspirations that can come back later and help create a great story.
The days you are “in the zone.”
When writing feels effortless and the words pour out as fast as you can get them down, you have lowered the gates and allowed your muse to range free.
You can read the entire post Writing and the Subconscious: Summoning the Muse.
Signs You’re a Real Writer
By Anne R. Allen
I think pretty much every writer gets the “OMG I’m-not-a-real-writer, why-am-I-kidding-myself?” blues.
You know how it is. Rejections are pouring in. Your WIP has been stalled for weeks. And your BFF has refused to listen to one more word about the unfairness of the publishing industry.
So, after a sleepless, agonizing night, you decide it’s all been an illusion. You’re not a real writer.
Wrong.
If you write—and you’re not a wooden puppet carved by an old Italian guy named Gepetto—you’re a real writer. Most writers don’t make a living at it. Not creative writers, anyway. Most famous literary writers teach. Only a handful of superstars can quit their day jobs.
Of course every one of us hopes to be a superstar someday, and nobody should give up the dream, but there’s no point in going all either/or.
Think of it like this:
- How many people like to swim?
- How many of them are Michael Phelps?
- Should everybody else give up swimming?
Nobody starts at the top. Every star was a clueless beginner once. Learning takes time. We have to spend years—maybe decades—taking classes, studying how-to books and blogs, joining critique groups, and learning the ins and outs of the publishing business. It’s a process. Usually really long process.
So before you give in to the I’m-not-a-real writer-blues, remember,
You’re a Real Writer If…
- Your WIP is refusing to come to a satisfactory end and you kind of hate your protagonist right now.
- You wake up in the middle of the night with the most brilliant idea for a book EVER, write it down, and in the morning it says “purple elf shoes.”
- The neglected Significant Other suggests you take up something less embarrassing, like making a full sized Elvis statue out of dryer lint.
- Bookbub has rejected your book for the fourth time—for a freebie ad, for Pete’s sake!
- You get a Google Alert that one more pirate torrent site is offering your book free to morons who are likely to find they’ve downloaded malware.
- You’d rather stay home and write than go to one more holiday party, so you fake “a cold coming on.”
Welcome to the club!
For more on I’m-not-a-real-writer-syndrome, check out Anne’s post When Can You Start Calling Yourself a Real Writer?
Don’t give up because you don’t have an agent yet, or you’re an indie whose sales are barely enough to pay your Internet provider bill, or your mother-in-law calls you a slacker who “sits around on your butt all day.”
It just means you’re a writer. Go write. Give yourself some muse time.
by Anne (@annerallen) and Ruth (@RuthHarrisBooks), December 23, 2018
How about you, Scriveners? Do you make “muse time” for yourself during the holidays? When did you start calling yourself a writer?
BOOKS OF THE WEEK
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In this stand-alone 7th episode, Camilla befriends socialite Mickie McCormack—a sexy, mysterious older woman who’s going through a painful divorce. Mickie has been Googling her old boyfriends to reconnect and “remember who she used to be.” Unfortunately every one of those boyfriends soon ends up dead.
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS
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Don’t let those published short stories stop working! Here are 25 Literary Magazines that will take reprints.
7 PUBLISHERS FOR MEMOIRS! And no, you don’t need an agent. From the good folks at Authors Publish
Anne and I wish all our wonderful followers Merry Christmas and a Happy, Fulfilling 2019! As do our naughty but inspiring muses who, right now, are blissed out on peppermint candy canes and brandied egg nog! 🙂
Ruth–Have the muses got into the eggnog again? I hate it when that happens. 🙂
All hail the not-actually-writing-writing-time! I like to call it life. I have certainly become more overtly interested in how to describe things since starting to chronicle. What’s the exact best phrase for that humorous thing that just happened? What’s the two-word description of this person’s philosophy? I’ve become hooked on that, whether I later write it down or not.
Marvelous, Christmas-spirit advice ladies- goodwill toward all gentlebeings everywhere.
Will–Sometimes stress will turn off that “writerly” function that goes on when you detach and start searching for the right word. It can be hard to turn it back on. I love the idea of a two-word description of somebody’s philosophy. Now you’ve got me started…Maybe Camilla’s is “Manners Matter.”
Hey Anne,
I really chortled at Purple Elf Shoes. I have made notes like that myself. LOL.
Have a great holiday.
Annie
Annie–That really happened. I still have no idea what was in my head at the time. I keep trying to find a way to put purple elf shoes into a WIP, but so far, I haven’t come up with a good story for them.
LOL – well maybe Camilla can be down on her luck and have to work as a copywriter for a dept store over the holidays – and they theme is purple elf shoes? haha.
Brava to them muse! And to the artists everywhere who invite her in.
csperryess—as you know, the muses have gotten into the eggnog. Again. Still, Anne and I will relay the message. Until then, our best to you for very happy holidays!
Well said Anne and Ruth, if we don’t take time to think, what will we have to write about? And indeed writing isn’t only about sitting at desk or screen. Recently I took a very long bus trip with stretches of scenic nothing and found myself scribbling so madly, I didn’t notice when spoken to, much to the amusement of friends around me. Thanks for a year of great blogs and many happies for the holiday season to you and readers from hot, sunny Australia.
Valerieparv—“doing nothing” can be richly rewarding! Gives our muses time to stretch and relax and they just love that! The payback can be enormous. 🙂
Anne and I wish you all the best for 2019!
What is this “thinking” that people keep talking about?
My muse is on an extended vaca right now, doing things that I sorely wish I was doing. She does show up from time to time, usually when I’m sucking up space in front of my computer trying to figure where to go to after arriving at point Z in my current story.
However, I do spend quite a bit of time mentally nursing my current WiP towards a tentative conclusion. I say “tentative” because I while know what the basic ending will be {death}, properly executing about four plot lines in order to get there is slowly becoming my quagmire.
Sigh.
Give me the old days of: Girls meets Boy; Girl kisses Boy; Boy becomes submissive to Girl. 😀
GB–When the muses get into the quagmire, that’s even worse than when they get into the eggnog. LOL! Quagmires sometimes need an outside rescuer. A beta reader maybe? My editor has helped me out of a few sticky plot situations.
May your muse become unstuck in the new year. Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays!
Hello ladies! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Celebrations of every kind and fashion to us all!!
Thank you for another wonderful year of guidance and being able to shout “dam straight woman!” or wiping oatmeal/jello/soup/coffee/pop/younameit off my screen. :O)
Yes, mystery ‘colds’ that arrive as the hour draws near to go ‘mingle’ with the family, 95% who are now from so many blended family I realize ‘my’ family is down to me and 2 brothers.
My muse has been very active lately — dropped 3 titles on me last night. Semi-clueless about the stories, but each has convoluted paths I may never again grasp. Notes are useless…open mouth, words don’t come (used to be able to record this stuff)…grab for phone, pen/paper — nope — would have to wake enough to get to laptop and blazing screen would blast those tendrils of story back into the bubbling pot of my head…
So, will 2019 be the year we all embrace our muses? After having my therapist (yes, the insanity must be curbed) run a test, she declared I was an INFP Rational — apparently this means that I’m in a small group that people often look askance at — is this great or what??? Now I know that when my relatives stare at me, open their mouths to compare my writing (and editing) to, well, you know, working as an accountant, I can laugh, hold up my hand and say: “Yup, crazy, huh?” :O))
Have glorious Holiday everyone! Thanks again, Anne and Ruth, you’re just wunnerful!
Maria D’Marco
Maria–I knew we were kindred spirits! I test as ENFP or INFP depending on my tolerance level for people in any given day. But I think I’m becoming more introverted as I age. We’re fiercely independent and would rather create than toe anybody’s line. And yeah, a little nuts. 🙂
Have a very happy holiday season and a fantastic 2019, when all those brilliant ideas gel into something fabulous!
Sister!!!! lololololol
Spot on!
Happy Holidays!
Darlene—Thanks! And best of the holidays and new year to you!
Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy, Happy New Year to you two great ladies. I truly look forward to Sunday mornings and opening your weekly post. Even my muse takes a break at your blog time. Unfortunately, sometimes Mack The Muse has a hard time getting back to work and needs a long walk before he can show them pearly whites 🙂
Garry—Merry, merry and happy,happy to you *and* to Mack The Muse from both of us!
Oh this is so funny! Only two years??? It took me five years to publish my first novel. Why? Because the title was “Sometimes Marriage is a Real Crime” and I was afraid if anything happened to my handsome hubby, I’d be in trouble!!! Still married and still best friends . . . (he has a great sense of humor too.) Have a wonderful Holiday Season and thank you for all the great tips you’ve presented to us this past year. Appreciate you!
Ellie—He sounds great and so do you! I’ve long considered writing a marriage manual called HOW TO STAY MARRIED (WITHOUT ACTUALLY KILLING EACH OTHER). So, yeah, marriage is not for sissies. 😉
Anne and I send you and your handsome hubby all our best wishes for the holidays—and for 2019!
Thank you, Ruth and Anne, for another great post to lift up my chin and carry on! I can certainly join the crowd you’re describing. I’ve been looking for an agent for years but, then again, I didn’t start this writing thing until 2009, so it hasn’t been as long as many other writers. And I just now think I’ve got down my “style”. It takes a lot of time and effort and inner strength to climb this “writing” mountain. Thank you for helping me not “give up”. And Merry Holidays to both of you.
Patricia—Anne and I appreciate your kind words. We’ve both been-there-done-that and do our best to keep it real for others. As we like to say, we made all the mistakes so you don’t have to. Still, none of this—from writing the first page to climbing all the mountains that lay beyond—is easy. Congratulations on finding your own style! It’s crucial and no one can ever take it away no matter what other ups and downs you will encounter along the way.
We both wish you the best of holidays!
Ah, yes, my muse at work at work. For a stretch my regular job required far less than one hundred percent of my attention. Eyes and hands sort of took care of it, yet alerted me if more attention was required. Over a period of less than a week while at work I “wrote” my entire fist published novel…a little less than 60,000 words.
Nowadays when I’m stuck on a sentence or a scene or a character’s attitude, I look at the television which is usually on…sports or a movie I’ve seen many times. Somehow during that viewing time my muse comes up with the solution. (No television when I’m editing.)
May you both have an outstanding Christmas and Groovy New Year (remember that word?), and thank you for this blog.
Fred–I had a job like that. I wrote several plays in my head as I fed court documents into the Xerox machine. I always looked forward to my “copy room afternoon” vacations for my brain. Lots of inspiration comes from the day job.
Let’s hear if for grooviness! We all need to get our groove back in 2019!
Fabulous and informative. Happy holidays to you ladies. 😉
Unsurprisingly, I love this post! And yes, I do wake up at night because I suddenly MUST WRITE – let me check last night’s… – ah. “CHUGGING!!!!” With four exclamation marks no less, because it’s THAT important.
When I was still in high school, we’d have to write essays. We’d be given two hours. I would invariably spend the first hour chewing on my pen and staring into space. Then I’d write the whole thing down. My teacher once got suspicious, because “I kept watching you and you weren’t writing anything at all, where did those four pages come from then?” 😀
Lastly, thank you so much for this blog. I look forward to every post. Here’s to amazing 2019 for both of you…hell, all three of us!
Bjørn Larssen—Congratulations! You learned early in life that “not writing” is an essential part of “writing.” The time we take to process our thoughts/dreams/ideas is crucial prep work. 🙂
Anne and I both wish you a great 2019—with plenty of the kind of “not writing” time that will help make you an even better writer.