Finding my muse
Allison Winn Scotch on Jan 15 2009 | Filed under: Inspirations, REAL WORLD, Uncategorized
So today, I accomplished…exactly nothing. I told myself that it was because I was only wearing one contact lens – my left eye was killing me and I haven’t gotten new glasses since 1995 – and typing on the computer was too jarring. Yesterday, I accomplished…exactly nothing as well. I told myself it’s because I had an impossibly busy day, packed to the gills with errands and what not.
The truth? After a few days of telling myself all of these terribly untrue things, the truth is that I’ve lost a bit of my gusto for my manuscript. Not the enjoyment I get from it when I actually sit down and write it, but just my mojo in general. I come up with 1000000 distractions that tear me away from the ms, and so, today, even with my literal cloudy vision, I’ve decided I better take action before this two (okay, five) day streak turns into something more serious.
What I’ve opted to do is rethink my strategy when it comes to reading. Let me explain: normally, when I’m working on my first draft, I refuse to read other books. My brain is easily permeable, and I find that I quickly start thinking (and perhaps writing) in the voice of the author I’m reading, rather than the voice that should be inside my head. (When I was a teen, I voraciously read Stephen King, which meant that I swear, half the time I walked around thinking in the voice of a serial killer.) So, because I know how malleable my tone can be, I swear off other works until I’m done with my own, thus lessening the risk of page 50-56 sounding like Meg Wolitzer while pages 97-100 echo Tom Perrotta.
But last night, I remembered something. I remember picking up one of my favorite books, Good Grief by Lolly Winston, and tearing through it. And I remembered how it inspired me to sit down and write what eventually became my debut novel. I remembered marveling at how much I fell in love with her characters and her prose and the way she sucked me in and didn’t spit me out until page 300. And how I then rushed to my computer to write 300 pages of my own.
So I’m breaking my vow: I’ve decided to reread Good Grief and see if it lights another spark. At the very least, I know I’ll be entertained, and at the very best, I might get writing again. I’m curious, though, to hear from you guys: do you find that, while writing, it is difficult to read other authors? Or do they actually help inspire you? If so, what books have served as your muses? Maybe they’ll be next on my list….
Kathleen Bolton
Therese Walsh
Ann Aguirre
Porter Anderson
Brunonia Barry
Carleen Brice
Keith Cronin
Anna Elliott
Jane Friedman
Donald Maass
Juliet Marillier
Sophie Masson
Jael McHenry
Jan O'Hara
Debbie Ohi
Barbara O'Neal
Crystal Patriarche
Ray Rhamey
M.J. Rose
Chuck Sambuchino
John Vorhaus
Yuvi Zalkow
Sharon Bially
Anne Greenwood Brown
Tracy Hahn-Burkett
Suzannah Windsor Freeman
Kristan Hoffman
Jeanne Kisacky
Erika Robuck
Lydia Sharp
Catherine McKenzie on 
I do exactly what you do — avoid reading when I’m writing. But when I’m not writing, I tear through 4 or 5 books a week, almost like I’m hoarding the reading time because famine is ahead! I’d love to hear how your experiment turns out. I hope it jump-starts your writing, and if it does, I may borrow your trick. Another tip I’ve heard is to go to a movie to become unblocked. I adore Lolly Winston, too, by the way.
Good luck!
Sarah Pekkanen
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Jayne Ann Krentz is a dialogue-driven writer – I especially love to re-read her Amanda Quick medievals. I also like Susan Elizabeth Phillips – she laces her emotional stories with a pile on of humor. Her books are very re-readable, esp. ‘Nobody’s Baby But Mine.’ Istill love it. I’m also partial to Sophie Kinsella. Finally, I got lost in Gone With The Wind, probably the first ‘big’ book I ever read. Having read it, I went to see GWTW at a movie revival and I sat in that back row, sniffling away, whispering, “no, Scarlett, don’t say it,” knowing I couldn’t stop her from ruining her relationship with Rhett. It’s a great, big, world building story. I like that – creating a whole world revolving around my characters.
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Such a great idea. I also find that if I go on a reading binge–reading a bunch of authors over the course of a few days–it helps keep me from thinking in any one author’s voice when I go back to my own writing (and BTW, I’m glad to hear you’re no longer walking around thinking like a Stephen King character :) )
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Yes, I do this too. The authors I pick up include Dennis Lehane’s MYSTIC RIVER, for his writing, and ability to create gorgeous and evocative description and to just build a mood and suspenseful story. Sarah Dunn’s BIG LOVE, for her wit and great dialogue, and Emily Giffin’s SOMETHING BLUE, for her ability to make spoiled brat characters likeable and to pull me into her story world.
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Okay, so I’m old. I find when I’m stuck in the blitz of nonwriting I pick up a Mary Stewart, any Mary Stewart. She is the only author I know, from the past or present, where you can literally ‘walk’ in her books. She seems to set a pace for me, relaxing me into a comfortable place where I can again see my own characters and move the plot along. Does my writing mimic hers? It wouldn’t be a bad thing. Still, I think I have my own voice and just turn to her for solace.
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I have a difficult time reading while writing, too, and for the same reasons you listed. Put me in Florida for a month and I swear I’d pick up a Southern accent.
No particular book is my “muse,” but reading sometimes helps when I’m blocked by triggering inspirations for my own story. Not because something I read directly inspired the solution — I almost never see a connection between the solution and the book I’d been reading — but I think a part of my mind is busy working on problems while I’m reading and something just clicks.
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Yep. David (& Leigh) Eddings is my old standby (THE BELGARIAD series, specifically). I can only dream of possessing wit and pacing abilities like that.
I read another novel last year that lit a fire under me. Gillian Flynn’s debut SHARP OBJECTS…a pretty dark thriller, but her writing really helped me understand the concept of “thinking in scenes.”
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Whoof, I’ve been a slug too. Must be the winter blahs. For the reasons you cite, I don’t like to read while I’m writing either, but (like you again–great minds :-) ) I find that an old favorite can get the juices flowing. And I’m talking really old, like Beverly Cleary, or Tolkien.
Nora, I adore Mary Stewart too. She’s got a rare voice and can make a mundane discription gorgeous.
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I find that reading inspires me, although I try to do it after I’ve hammered out a few lines of my own.
I find it inspiring rather than threatening to read other people’s voices. For reasons that can be found in the second half of this short “op-ed” in Glimmer Train:
http://www.glimmertrain.com/b24mcallister.html
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Great book to serve as a muse!
I like to read when I’m drafting, mainly to remind myself how high the bar is. But reading also puts me in the mood for something. I was having trouble with a fantasy novella, because I was reading hard edged essays by Joan Didion, so I picked up the Years Best Fantasy Fiction at the grocery store and it helped get my head to the right place.
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I ‘have’ to have a book in the ‘throne’ room. Usually it’s a book on craft, as I can read it in short segments.
The other ladies that commented, gave some great examples of books that I might enjoy. I adore, “No Body’s Baby But Mine”…a great read.
I don’t find that I’m picking up someone else’s voice. This is an interesting dialogue. It’s amazing that everyone has different takes on one subject.
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I’m happy to have discovered your blog via, Barbara Samuel’s. I must be one of the only writers on the planet, who’s a slow reader, so what I do is listen to books on tape while I’m driving around, and while I’m in a trance, I honestly believe my writing improves.
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It’s hard to read while I am in heavy writing mode simply because of the time restraints, but I can’t go without reading at all, so I read newspapers and magazines – columnist mostly because that’s my non-fic writing mode anyway,
I used to have old standbys but anymore I try to read new stuff and break out of my box. I discovered Helen Humphries this way and I adore her.
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I always WANT to read other books while writing, but I have the same problem as you. Juliet Marillier is my favorite author and as I read her books I am inspired to write. Then about 8 chapters in I get bored of my writing and put it in an old dusty folder somewhere.
It also doesn’t help that I love to read Fantasy/Historical Fiction; but I’m better at writing thrillers and murder novels.
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I have the same fear while I’m writing so I choose my books carefully. I try not to read anything too similar to what I’m writing so I’ll be more aware if the author’s tone is sneaking into my work. I’ve also found that reading writing books tends to inspire me, especially ones that lists the bad things writers do. It makes me want to prove the author wrong!
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I hope that Good Grief resparks your fire – mid-winter is a tough time and I do wonder whether there is an ancient tendency towards hibernation that we are fighting against there? Anyway – here in NZ it is mid-summer and I’m at my most productive so I’ve not been reading much – when I’m not writing I’m out in the garden or in the kitchen cooking up and bottling the fruits of the garden. But I’m writing creative non-fiction so if I have the time to sink into a novel I don’t find it affects my writing quite so much. Thanks for sharing and may the sparks fly!
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