There is one four letter word that all writers use, all the time, regardless of who they are and what they write.
And it’s not the one you’re thinking of.
The Oxford Dictionary defines 'Muse' as :
A. Any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.
B. A person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.
Writers everywhere are likely to define it as "She who is never to be found when you go looking for Her, but who shows up when you least expect it."
Say what you want, all of us writers know how important She is. Nothing happens unless She shows up. And when She does, the sun begins to shine and the birds begin to sing, the words leap on to the page and magic happens. Unicorns and rainbows as far as the eye can see.
Like most of my brethren, I’ve spent countless hours twiddling my fingers and juggling my pens, waiting for inspiration to strike so I can convert the scary blank page into something less terrifying by putting words down. This is the base station, the one I start from every time I begin to write.
In fact, it’s happening right now. This torturous waiting. Tom Petty, God rest his soul, was spot on when he wrote, 'The Waiting is the Hardest Part'.
If I’m lucky, it will be a short wait. I will need to sit in silence, empty my mind of distractions, and open myself up for Her. It’s a matter of quieting all other sounds so you can hear Her speaking to you. And once She begins to talk, I’m off.
If I’m not lucky, the short wait can become an interminable frustration, stretching days and weeks. I will sit there, in silence, and will hear only silence in return. This is the dreaded ‘Writer’s Block’ and it has dealt the death blow to many a creative endeavour.
Esteemed authors are known to say, “If you show up, the Muse will show up too." I must respectfully disagree. This does not happen to me. There are times I show up day after day, and… nothing. When that happens, I know I need to actively prod Her into attendance.
Another thing writers will say is, “Just start writing. Write anything, whatever comes to mind, don’t overthink it. Soon you’ll find the words making sense in a way you never expected, there will be a spark, a kernel of an idea you can use to expand and make something bigger and better.”
Again, I would disagree, as this doesn't seem to work for me. I find this sort of aimless writing doesn't lead me anywhere and ends up making me even more frustrated.
Which is not to say that it’s a rubbish idea. If there is one thing that is certain about this whole affair of writing, it is the truth of multiple truths. There is no one size fits all, no single panacea. Part of the journey is figuring out what works for you, and, of equal importance, what doesn’t. Some swear by the habit of writing in a specific writing space, others by the transformative powers of music. Most genuflect at the altar of endless cups of coffee.
My antidote to this poison of writer’s block, I have discovered, lies not in writing. I have found the cure, so to speak, as I suspect many others have, in reading.
When I’m stuck and waiting for an irresponsive Muse to show up, I find something to read. It can be fiction, non-fiction, anything that involves words on a page. I find poetry gives me the most bang for the buck - a condensation of words, infused with such richness in form and sound and language and concept. There is great scope for my mind to wander into bottomless chasms of intrigue, introspection and yes, finally, inspiration.
Written words, coming to the rescue, enabling new words to be written.
There is such a beautiful symmetry in this.
No wonder She can’t help but show up.