Thursday Thesaurus - Inspiration

Inspiration - n

My Handy-Dandy Thesaurus suggests: arousal, awakening, big idea, brainstorm, creativity, enthusiasm, motivation, muse and spark, among others.

I found this very interesting from a writing standpoint, because I always considered my inspiration as something a little more long-lasting.

But consider this: I hear a song and the beat of the music, or one of the lyrics, or the title arouses my imagination. There's a spark of creativity, the awakening of a big idea which motivates me to write. With enthusiasm I brainstorm my idea until it becomes a story.

The only one I left out was "muse".

I know some writers who depend on their muse for every word they write, or I hear phrases like, "My muse took over the story." Then, there are some who wrestle their muse to the ground, stomp on it, and declare they are writing whether their muse is willing or not.

I like the second group. Not that I haven't fallen victim to the first group--after all it's a convenient excuse not to write today. I'm just not feeling it. I can't find my muse.

Well, using my astonishing powers of deduction from the list of words above, you shouldn't be looking for your muse. The creature has already left to become inspiration for another writer. The muse should be fleeting. A brilliant flash which gets you started, but doesn't hang around for the actual work involved in writing your story.

You haven't lost your muse, the inspiration you had when you started your story is still there. It's done it's part. You have to do yours if you want the story written.

Jessie