For this week, my thoughts have been on the way I approach creativity as a writer. The way I “roll” as a writer. What I mean by that is I’ve been examining my thoughts on what kind of writer I am.
When I began my writing career, and I had the dream of being an author fresh on my eyelids, I was what you would call a one-Muse woman. I was one of those individuals who would write on one book at a time. Write on one story, and in that way woo one Muse, and be wooed in return by that one Muse.
I think this is in part because of my loyalty. The loyalty I have as part of my personality, and the level of commitment that I like to feel that I have toward a work that is speaking to me. I suppose I didn’t like the idea of “swapping” on my Muses – creating one out for the other. I suppose in the past I felt that this might weaken my “resolve” to finish the work. I felt that it would cause my “eyes to wander” so to speak, and in that lose my potency.
That I would somehow become distracted, and that distraction would be horrible for my creative process, and completely ruined my ability to finish the work once I started.
And I thought that way for a long time. It wasn’t until recently (and I mean recently by earlier this year) that I decided – realized the magic of Two.
That’s right, after almost 15 years of being a one-Muse writer, I have turned into a multi-Muse writer. And I suppose this too, also mirrors the widening and defining that my heart and my concept of love has gone through as well. But that is a topic for another blog post.
So what is the magic? The magic is that everything I thought as a “negative” to having more than one thing I was writing – more than one Muse I was courting – turned out to be wrong. Very wrong. Instead of a second Muse taking away from the first Muse, and making me lose my commitment, a surprising thing happens. My commitment to each Muse actually grow stronger because of the presence of the other.
Having a second Muse allows me to shift my focus ever so slightly. It allows me to leave the “bedroom” the creative space of one Muse and gone to the other. This is important because this shift – this change of scenery – allows me to see each piece with new eyes. To interact with each of my beautiful Muses with refreshed vigor. With refreshed commitment and vision, because I have been able to feast my eyes and heart on something else.
But one of the greatest gifts that I have found by working with two Muses instead of one is the fact that it keeps my creative muscle sharp. It keeps the edge of my pen sharp so to speak, because I’m not getting tired – I’m not getting lazy by writing in one voice on one topic for too long.
Most importantly however, is the fact that by having two Muses I actually protect myself against falling into a creative dead zone, more popularly known as “writer’s block.” I don’t believe that this exists in the way that most people do, but I have found that by having more than one spirit to commune with, I am less likely to fall into a place of discontent, disillusionment or confusion. Into a place where I can get my bearings or the will to write.
So if I ever have a moment where creative energy stops flowing from one Muse, all I have to do is calmly go and visit the other. And so from this year, and my writing process, this is helped me get more consistent writing for myself, as well as a decrease in my fear and discomfort of a potential slow spot in my work.
This is completely different than the way I used to feel when I was writing with only one Muse. I used to dread the moment where the work would become slow, or I would have to work a little harder to get the words on paper. And that’s because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I didn’t have any other inspiration to turn to, and so this added a level of desperation to my work. A level of feeling like “Well, this can’t be happening right now. I can’t be losing my creative energy (my sexual desire) for the work, it’s characters and its meaning. If I do, everything stops.”
I don’t have this now, as not all of my eggs are in one basket. So I don’t have the same need for the one Muse to be consistent or to be invulnerable. I can allow that Muse to be however she is, knowing that the fire will come back. And it does come back. For each Muse. And they are kind of like polyamorous partners in that way.
In that when you leave one, you have not forsaken that one. You are just enjoying a different experience for a while. But that when you come back you’ll have all the energy and the desire you need to continue. Muses work the same way, and this year has been proof of that.
It helps too, that my beautiful Muses are completely different yet complementary goddesses. One is more masculine and the other is more feminine, and it is so so beautiful to get to see and enjoy the spectrum of this female presence.
So if you feel like your writing life is becoming stale, you may want to consider adding more Muses to your home. More stories to your queue. Not only will this stretch you creatively, but it will give you a chance to explore some new and different lands, while you are still staking a claim on your first expedition.
Until next time!
The Write Alignment: Your Daily Creative Attunment 