Comments on: The Muse Whisperer http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/ About the craft and business of genre fiction Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:11:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-756 Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:40:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-756 Eric, thanks for clarifying! I went back to the site I thought you were talking about, and I see on closer inspection that they're targeting groups of workers not writers. Oops! Tess, I like your idea: don't invite the temptations into your workspace in the first place. (Kind of like not buying the ice cream at the grocery store when you want to fit into that bathing suit this summer, huh? ;) ) Elena, I agree with your comment about allowing the muse to make mistakes - very important. My muse gets very stubborn about things sometimes: if it's not pretty enough, she digs in her heels. The alphasmart is great for this syndrome, too, since you can't see more than 4 lines of your text at a time. Eric, thanks for clarifying! I went back to the site I thought you were talking about, and I see on closer inspection that they’re targeting groups of workers not writers. Oops!

Tess, I like your idea: don’t invite the temptations into your workspace in the first place. (Kind of like not buying the ice cream at the grocery store when you want to fit into that bathing suit this summer, huh? ;) )

Elena, I agree with your comment about allowing the muse to make mistakes - very important. My muse gets very stubborn about things sometimes: if it’s not pretty enough, she digs in her heels. The alphasmart is great for this syndrome, too, since you can’t see more than 4 lines of your text at a time.

]]> by: Elena Greene http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-755 Fri, 16 Jun 2006 03:45:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-755 Great post, Therese! Lately I've been working on another aspect of "mothering the muse": reminding her, as I would my kids when they're trying to learn something new, that it's OK to make mistakes. Sounds simplistic but as adults we don't always give ourselves that slack. Great post, Therese!

Lately I’ve been working on another aspect of “mothering the muse”: reminding her, as I would my kids when they’re trying to learn something new, that it’s OK to make mistakes.

Sounds simplistic but as adults we don’t always give ourselves that slack.

]]> by: redchurch http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-754 Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:56:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-754 Therese, I think you have the wrong Unstuck. Sorry, I should have been more clear. :) I'm talking about the <a HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0312339801&tag=redchurch-20&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="nofollow">book by Jane Anne Staw</A>. Therese, I think you have the wrong Unstuck. Sorry, I should have been more clear. :)

I’m talking about the book by Jane Anne Staw.

]]> by: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-753 Wed, 14 Jun 2006 21:39:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-753 Hey, Eric, I don't in any way mean writers should take a whip to creativity, because that's a sure way for passion-driven writing to turn into stressful work. I do believe, however, that when the writer within WANTS to move forward but the daily motivation just doesn't materialize, it's time to unteach the stone muse's laggard ways. To my mind, this is different from having a mental block or hitting trouble with a particular scene and not being able to write for a few days (though even then you might see and cure the problem if you write through it). I had never heard of Unstuck before, so I looked it up. (Folks can check out the site at http://www.unstuck.com/) It's said to be "an interactive web site built for the official launch of UNSTUCK, a new book by Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro. The web site is filled with information to help you move forward when everything seems to be headed in reverse. We invite you to explore the site and gather tools, techniques, and inspiration to help you as a leader." Maybe this is something we should add to Box Cutters? Hey, Eric, I don’t in any way mean writers should take a whip to creativity, because that’s a sure way for passion-driven writing to turn into stressful work. I do believe, however, that when the writer within WANTS to move forward but the daily motivation just doesn’t materialize, it’s time to unteach the stone muse’s laggard ways. To my mind, this is different from having a mental block or hitting trouble with a particular scene and not being able to write for a few days (though even then you might see and cure the problem if you write through it).

I had never heard of Unstuck before, so I looked it up. (Folks can check out the site at http://www.unstuck.com/) It’s said to be “an interactive web site built for the official launch of UNSTUCK, a new book by Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro. The web site is filled with information to help you move forward when everything seems to be headed in reverse. We invite you to explore the site and gather tools, techniques, and inspiration to help you as a leader.”

Maybe this is something we should add to Box Cutters?

]]> by: Tess http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-752 Wed, 14 Jun 2006 18:06:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-752 I give myself time to write and when I find it hard to keep from distractions, I force myself to use the AlphaSmart AWAY from my computer. That way I've no way to check email etc *g*. I give myself time to write and when I find it hard to keep from distractions, I force myself to use the AlphaSmart AWAY from my computer. That way I’ve no way to check email etc *g*.

]]> by: redchurch http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-751 Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:57:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/06/14/the-muse-whisperer/#comment-751 Unstuck deals with a lot of these sames issues. Brings up the role model thing too. Most of us have the voices of disappointment in our heads, whether they be teachers, parents, aunts, uncles, friends. And the desire to do other things instead of writing, as a form of putting off writing is a sign that we fear something about the process or aren't as happy to engage in it as we thought. It's best to break down these mental barriers, and form positive associations with the process of writing, rather than it be a rote obligation, or some process we dread. Unstuck is great for providing insight into all of that. Helped me a lot. Unstuck deals with a lot of these sames issues. Brings up the role model thing too. Most of us have the voices of disappointment in our heads, whether they be teachers, parents, aunts, uncles, friends.

And the desire to do other things instead of writing, as a form of putting off writing is a sign that we fear something about the process or aren’t as happy to engage in it as we thought.

It’s best to break down these mental barriers, and form positive associations with the process of writing, rather than it be a rote obligation, or some process we dread.

Unstuck is great for providing insight into all of that. Helped me a lot.

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