The Muse

Part One: The Muse
Note: This is part one of a short series inspired by a long footnote in a previous post.

According to Wikipedia (the source of all great knowledge*), the Muses represent “the goddesses or spirits who inspire the creation of literature and the arts” in Greek mythology, poetry and literature. Indeed, I hear many writers talk about their Muses, usually in the context of how well or poorly they’re cooperating with said writers’ agendas.

Here’s the thing: I don’t buy it.

I’m just not willing to believe that my creative ability lies in the hands of a mysterious creature who: A.) I have no control over and B.) is a fickle wench.**

“Inspiration via third party goddess/spirit” also isn’t a good description for how my process feels. The times when my creative juices are flowing the best are when I’ve done the following:
> Relaxed.
> Provided and recognized creative inputs in my life/environment (music, books, poetry, movies, art, nature, etc.).
> Opened my mind to said creative inputs.
> Worked with a focused, determined effort toward achieving a quality result.
> Listened to what my mind and body were telling me.

See? No goddesses and spirits. All me, all within my control.

What seems most frustrating to me about the idea of the Muse is the thought of relinquishing control of my inspiration to another being. I frequently hear writers gratefully acknowledging their Muses when they have a good plotting idea or a smooth writing day, and cursing them in agonizing frustration when they’re stuck in their process.

This isn’t to say that I don’t ride that same rollercoaster. Ha. Ha ha. I do. But, I do it knowing the highs are a result of my own hard-won and reproduceable efforts, and the lows are a result of my own development opportunities and foolish mistakes—both things I’m confident will shrink with time and practice. The difference with the concept of the Muse is that she’s the one in control—those highs and lows happen to the writer at her mercy.

Obviously I’ve painted a bit of an extreme picture here: Muse as evil overlord. ;) I suspect that isn’t how writers who believe in the Muse feel (not all the time, at least!), but the way I’ve distilled my perception of the Muse here will help highlight the points I’m going to make in part four of the series later this week.

There’s one other possibility, though, and it’s the one I suspect applies most often: writers talk about the Muse but really mean their own creative abilities. Statements like, “The Muse was generous today...” really mean, “My creative juices were flowing and I amazed myself with what I came up with...” while statements like, “My Muse has abandoned me. WHERE ARE YOU, YOU EVIL—“ really mean, “I’m very frustrated with my inability to produce quality work today.”

I understand this sort of thing perfectly, though I don’t do it with regard to the inspiration portion of my creative process. It’s more fun to talk about things that way and it definitely feels better—even if it’s only for a moment—to pretend that I can blame someone else for the challenges I have to overcome (pretend being the operative word here).

One of my favorite things about writing is that there’s no single right way to do it. I’m in no way implying that writers who believe in the Muse are doing it “wrong” or don’t hold themselves accountable. These are just my thoughts on why the idea of the Muse doesn’t work for me and why I think she makes it easier to fall into the accountability trap. But, as I said earlier, more on that later in the week. :)

Up Next: Part Two: Writer’s Block

*Not.
**There were a whole variety of political and religious jokes that came to mind here, but see how I’ve restrained myself?