Starting Your Novel: The Muse

Some writers refer to their inspiration and creativity as a third party, a being separate from themselves. The ancient Greeks called this the muse or the genius, holding to the idea that great works were not the creations of the artists, but rather that the artists were possessed by a spirit of creation. This is a romantic notion, but it is not altogether accurate. Your muse is not a separate entity or voice in the back of your head, rather, it is a creative muscle.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, make the mistake of thinking that your muse is not a part of you or has a mind of its own. It is capricious on occasion and sometimes stubborn, but that is not because it is willful. You simply haven’t trained it. This is the reason why so many writers have odd quirks and rituals for their writing process which seem almost arcane to those who do not write themselves. Find out what motivates your creativity. Do you write better alone? Surrounded by people but with headphones on? With pen and paper or at a computer? At a certain time of day?

Once you've determined the factors that are most conducive to your writing, reward and punish your muse - and by that I mean yourself - accordingly. Take pleasure in each small victory with an appropriately small reward. For example, give yourself an extra treat at dinner or let yourself go see that movie in theaters everyone is buzzing about. Bigger rewards for bigger successes and the same for failure and punishments. Now when I say punishment I do not mean you should hurt yourself. But if you don’t meet your goals, don’t let yourself have dessert or make yourself take an extra lap when you go out to jog. Something that your unconscious will associate with a negative consequence.

Write often and find the patterns that encourage your creativity.