Myth of the Writing Muse

I usually snicker when I hear a writer say she’s waiting for her muse before starting/finishing/publishing her book—or whatever stage at which the work in progress is languishing.

A lot of people want to write a book, or want to finish the one they’re writing. So they tell me and others who will listen. But, they’re waiting for inspiration to strike. Waiting for the Muse.

The Fantasy of the Muse

I hate to break it to you, but there is no Muse. Nope, that pretty picture on the left is not the Muse. It’s just a fantasy illustration.

Writers who wait for inspiration, for the Muse to move them, have an idealistic view of writing. In the trench writers know you write even when you’re not inspired.

Why? Because those “real” writers have probably signed a contract that requires them to finish and turn in a manuscript by a certain date. Wow. I bet you’re thinking, “That sounds like work.”

Yep. It is. It’s hard mental, emotional, and physical work to pull words out of thin air day in and day out, but we’ve learned there is no magical Muse who shows up at 7:00 in the morning and dictates the story to us.

If you’re under contract, you don’t wait for the Muse to pay you a visit. You write whether you’re inspired or not. Whether you’re depressed or happy, healthy or ill. Got a deadline and got the flu? You write. You don’t know what this scene or even this chapter is about? You still write.

Buck Stops With You

Do you get the idea? Writers who expect to make a living writing and publishing and selling books, write.

Writing demands the same kind of dedication as careers in teaching or accounting or any other job. If you’re a teacher and you’re tired and sleepy, you don’t sleep in. You go to school and teach.

If you’re an accountant and you’re tired of the same old grind, day in and day out, you don’t skip work and go to the ball game or a spa. You go to the office at your appointed time.

So, if you aspire to being a successful author, adopt the work ethic of your peers out in the job force. You may be one of those who punches in and out at the same time every day. Put your butt in the computer chair when you get home, at the designated time you set, and crank out the words.

Takeaway Truth

You have to be disciplined, and you must learn to create on a consistent schedule.That’s the first step on the road to writing success.