Have you ever had a Muse?

Question

So just a few moments ago, someone reviewed a piece of writing I'd just finished on a website.
What she said about this short story in a message got my mind racing with profound ideas again, and I feel like writing something spectacular to please her, to show my appreciation and to demonstrate my skill.

Has someone ever has this effect on your work before?

I will NOT be inspired by the effing Microsoft paperclip. :P

Answer 1

I let my friends read my stuff, for a couple of reasons. One is that they pester me to keep going because they want to know what's happened. So I can't give up. Another reason is because their excitement over it gets me psyched when I've lost my steam. So yes, I do in that way.

I also like to have a little figurine to look at while I write. Yes, odd I know, but it helps. I don't know why. Right now it's a little pewter dragon that sits next to my computer.

And (But wait, there's more!) I like to put F1 (the microsoft word helper robot dude) on my screen, because when I am the most discouraged, he turns around, "reads" what I have written, and nods his head excitedly at me to continue. It may sound stupid, but I do use him as my muse sometimes.

Hopefully you can find a muse that is not a living being, because then you won't ever feel let down by them.

Answer 2

I find muses everywhere. Crossing the street on the way to the office, i'll see a drug addict in between the alleyway, inspiring me to add a bit more description to a character. I'll see two lovers somewhere that will give me better insight on those intimate moments of hand-holding and gazing. I'll read something in the news that will give me the rage I need to add fire to an intense scene with violence.

Yea, I have muses all over the place.

Answer 3

Many. It depends on what I am writing about. But while it is great that you want to write sometihng to please her, that is not really what a Muse should do. A Muse should inspire you to create something, but writing to please someone - anyone in particular - is kind of setting yourself up for a letdown. What if they don't like it?

And then again, what if your Muse is 6 months old and really can't say one way or the other if you please them? I wrote a book for my son for his first Christmas. Things or situations can be Muses, too. You may feel very strongly about a certain topic in the news and compelled to write about it. That, too, can be a Muse. I have lots of those kinds of Muses.

Let people inspire you, but don't write to please anyone but yourself. Think of it kind of like "If you build it, they will come". Write and be true to yourself and let the rest of the world either come to you or not depending on their tastes. You will never be able to write something that is universally pleasing. People will either love your work or hate it. There really is no in between with art. People form strong opinions about what they like and don't like.

Hope that helps. Pax - C

Answer 4

Yes, my editor. She will read a piece, give honest and constructive criticism, then read the rewrite and rave over it, causing me, like you, to want to write more that pleases her!

Just as you wrote in YA, I want to "show my appreciation and to demonstrate my skill," only I think often of my Muse as an unseen presence in front of me or behind me as I work, and she either frowns a bit or mostly smiles benevolently. She's a nice Muse, and wonderful to make happy, because she gets truly happy!

Answer 5

Yes, I do feel I have a Muse that visits me from time to time, inspiring my work.
Here's one poem She had a hand in: http://bluemanticore.deviantart.com/art/There-Was-a-Curvy-Woman-42282348