Some talk about having a muse to inspire their writing. Sounds great. Kind of wish I had one. I don’t. At least I think I don’t. My inspiration, if you want to call it that, comes in the wee hours, usually only after several sleep-deprived nights of trying to get my overactive mind to shut down for a few hours. Then suddenly I’ll be thinking about writing. I’ll see a scene I’ve been working on in a new light, or have a sudden thought about how I can move the plot better, etc. This time was different. I was aware I should relax, pay attention and let it happen. No getting up and taking notes—that would ruin the spell. No self-admonishment to ignore the thoughts until morning. This wouldn’t wait, and I knew it. It was a visit from what? Something I might call the Snooze Muse? Maybe. Never thought of it that way before.
This middle-of-the-night visitation doesn’t happen often, but it did last weekend. The Snooze Muse brought important messages concerning major thoughts and commitments I have about how I want to write. The Snooze Muse reminded me of what I need to keep in mind as I grind through the editing of my latest Bobby Navarro work in progress, Murder in Key Largo. These messages did not concern plot twists, clever cliffhanger chapter endings or the need to cut out overused words, but rather character development and what I want my stories to be about.
My stories are character driven, so a character must represent something I want to say, not simply provide a source of dialogue or an actor to play out some scene element. When I write, I see and hear my characters, but they sometimes take on a life and purpose of their own. They take over and I just try to get everything written down. That doesn’t always result in the story I want told. Things may go astray, especially when I am grinding away at fixing plot holes, time lines, poor dialogue and critical events. Once in a while I will take a break from a problem I’ve been working on, and find the solution pops up later. This was different. Instead of giving me insight to fix a troublesome scene, the Snooze Muse brought me clarity and purpose concerning some characters I am working with. It gave me a means to examine them in terms of their intended purpose.
It was a neat experience. Worth the lost sleep. If anything, the visit allowed me to sleep better once the messages had been received. What I found interesting, was that this didn’t concern anything I have been consciously struggling with. It was just there, and I realized I should pay attention. Anybody else have experiences like this? I’m not all that familiar with muses, and how they operate. If this was a bit of help from a muse, it was definitely worth the snooze. Not that I’ve ever been reluctant to take a nap. How about you?
Enjoying Rural Florida
Very cute designation for your muse. I like it-keep it!