Ever wish you could wake up every morning and scribble out 250 words of something awesome before breakfast?
Maybe that seems like the impossible dream. It’s especially hard if you’ve been told you have to wait for the Muse to show up and cover you with inspirational pixie dust.
It’s a tempting devil to think that creativity is out there somewhere just waiting to be harnessed and milked for golden words.
It’s not.
There’s always something to write about.
When I was a teenager, life was tough.
I never really felt like I fit in. I didn’t think like everyone else. I didn’t see the world like my classmates. That led me to think something might be wrong with me. So I took that feeling of uncertainty and filled page after page of empty paper with words of sadness, fear, loathing, apathy, and whatever was on my heart.
It was liberating.
In my writing space, I felt normal. Maybe everyone else was weird. I yearned for the days when high school would be over and I could live a normal life.
Writing was a refuge for me. A place to vent, cry (or wonder what it was like to), and explore my feelings and observations about the world.
What I didn’t realize at the time was I was developing a writing habit that would stick with me the rest of my life.
Did I publish any of it?
Not much at first. However, whenever I wrote anything that others would see, all that practice made me an expert communicator. I didn’t talk much, but I was thinking non-stop. And with no one to judge me at the writing table, I was free to share my best thoughts without fear.
Quit waiting for the muse.
Ever see the first/fourth movie in the Star Wars series? You know, the one that became a New Hope two decades after it was originally released?
If you haven’t, let me set this up.
They didn’t have instant messaging and smartphones on Tatooine. So, droids were the mobile devices of that universe. When a message came, it would be in a hologram complete with sound, and with no need to project it onto a dark wall.
Imagine an old wizard comes to you with a message. An Obi-Wan, if you will. Here’s what he would tell you as you sit there with your arms propped on your desk, holding up your chin as it supports your sullen expression.
“Hello, great writer. There’s no need to wait for the Muse to come. It’s already here. The Muse is in you, Luke. The muse is in you.”
Did that get your attention?
Good.
Now go look in the mirror at the Muse. Tell it that this is a great morning to write. Then sit down in your writing sanctuary and start pouring out some awesome stuff.
What the Muse Really Does
Now you didn’t think I’d tell you to sit down and not tell you how to use the Muse that’s alive and well inside you, did you?
I’m not that cruel.
There’s nothing mystical about this. All you have to do to wake up the Muse is give it something to do.
There are three things. If you follow this process day in and day out, you’ll never be at a loss for something to say.
Let’s jump in now, shall we?
First, observe.
You’re blessed with five senses.
There a few things we all have around us that make good material to write about.
People. Unless you’re a monk, you’ve got people around you. Friends. Coworkers. Family. Neighbors. Strangers.
They all have their own unique characteristics, a palette of traits that makes them unique.
Events. You can make anything into an event. A day at work. A trip to the grocery store. A chance encounter at the water cooler. A surprise note from an old friend.
An event doesn’t have to be mind-blowing to qualify. It just has to happen.
Surroundings. Right now the seasons are changing. My yard is full of dead leaves. Traffic passes by my front yard all day and most of the night.
There’s a story in every leaf and every car, if you look for it.
Second, record your thoughts.
What does what you see mean to you?
How does it make you feel?
There are a host of emotions to consider. Here are a few common ones:
- Happiness
- Enthusiasm
- Frustration
- Anger
- Apathy
- Nausea
If you feel nothing, you might be dead.
All feelings matter. Write down your impressions. Don’t worry about right or wrong, good or bad. Just put it where you can see it, and head to the next step.
Third, shape your impressions.
What does what you see and how you feel about it lead you to believe?
That’s the stuff of opinion, theory, and interesting writing.
What you’re doing is connecting the dots.
The leaves on the ground remind me that cooler weather is coming. At first, it will be a relief because it feels like it’s been summer forever. But a couple months in, I know I’ll yearn for the days when I could go outside in shorts and a tee shirt.
See what I just did there?
I took what I saw, what I felt about it, and combined it to draw a conclusion.
We do that all the time, don’t we?
As I write this, the news has interrupted my classical music reverie. I couldn’t help but notice that the way the news is delivered isn’t truly objective.
Why?
Because there are people reporting the news.
We’d be bored if they just reported what they saw, and didn’t spin it to invoke our emotions.
Anything broadcast on a media platform must make a connection with people or it’s doomed to be ignored, cancelled, and forgotten.
When you write, you’re a human connecting with another human, even if it’s just you.
Remember that and you can take the bonus step.
Fourth, share your well-formed impressions with the world.
Going through the three steps every day will bring the Muse (you) out of hiding and break the bonds of writer’s block forever.
It’s your responsibility to give the gift of your writing to others.
You never know who might be blessed by your midweek epiphany.
Someone might need that word of encouragement that warmed your own heart this morning.
Another person might see the same thing going on your industry and partner with you to make changes for the better.
The possibilities are endless.
Don’t hold back. Be generous. Use your talent to make life better for someone, lift them to a higher plane, and get them thinking in a new way about what matters to them.
We need you to be the Muse.
Answer the call today. Tell us an enchanting story. Teach us a valuable lesson. Take a risk with your art.
Then share a link right here so we can all share in your joy!
