Do you have a moody muse?

For the last two months, I have been so nuts with work. Due to the work, long hours, and difficult project manager, I have been SO frustrated.

During that time, getting my muse to talk to me at all was almost impossible.

But in the past week, as the project comes to a close and as I stop caring what the project manager thinks or does, writing is starting to get easier again.

Writing is never truly easy or me. I always have to work at it. But it just seems like it's more simple when I'm in a better mood.

I know other people who are more prolific when they're down.

What about you? Do you have a moody muse?

[rich2003dm]

I can usually write regardless of mood.

However, I do get periods where I can't put two words together. I'm going through one now. There's no explanation for them.

I have a commitment for a write-off (E-prime), and I just can't think of anything to write about. I've been wracking my brain for a week now, and can't come up with a decent (and fun) topic.

I'm probably going to have to bow out if I can't come up with something by the weekend.

Wish me luck.

Rich

[hadassahchana[$]]

Good luck!

says Cindy for entirely selfish reasons!

[Grouch]

My muse takes cigarette breaks just when I'm about to sit down and eat. Then, when I'm too busy to do anything but snack, she wants to cook up a feast. I keep threatening to hire another muse, but then she turns all lovey-dovey and starts cooing in my ear. Right now, she and I are on pretty good speaking terms. But I don't know about tomorrow...

J.B. Priestly said it best:
Perhaps it would be better not to be a writer, but if you must, then write. If all feels hopeless, if that famous 'inspiration' will not come, write. If you are a genius, you'll make your own rules, but if not - and the odds are against it - go to your desk no matter what your mood, face the icy challenge of the paper - write.

[Workingmomof2]

My muse is more than moody - it's outright unpredictable. The way I have worked around this is when I have ten minutes or so free, I will go through products I want to review - someday - and click on the write a review button. I put in a few thoughts - unorganized, just like jotting notes - and if there aren't 100, I just copy them so that it meets the minimum requirement. Then I click on preview and it saves it as a draft.

At any given time I have 2-10 "drafts" waiting to be reviewed. Then when my "muse" is in a positive mood, it's easier to cajole it into pulling something together as I already have a head start. It seems like I am more interested in writing, too, when I look at the list and think "Oh I need to add in the fact that...XXX" and I'll click edit.... and away I go

[sibhreach]

I've been in such a writing slump right now, all I seem to be able to do are reviews - little to no humour, straight forward and I can churn out a review in a few days.

As for my fiction????

I think my muse has decided to leave on account of creative differences.



Cairlí
Has Been Sitting on a Sci-fi collection Forever

edited because it seems I can no longer spell

[soxfan[$]]

My muse's extremely lazy, which leads to her being extremely picky. If things aren't just right, she refuses to budge. And the thing that usually gets her moving -- a deadline -- is also the thing she hates most.

Ailsa
wondering if there are any muse management classes out there

[sibhreach]

Ailsa
wondering if there are any muse management classes out there

Hey - if you find any, would you let me, know?

Cairlí
Realises She needs to Have a Muse, First

[soxfan[$]]

Sure.

Ailsa

[purplewiz]

Some days the muse is generous, the words flow like a water weenie over your hands, and the first draft needs just a sprinkle of salt to be ready to go.

Sometimes the muse is in the Bahamas, sitting on the beach with a Mai Tai, and refusing my calls. I write anyway, even if I know it's crap. I've found that crap, once properly rotted (and edited), can end up being useful (or at least postable (if not compostable)).

It's more fun when inspiration strikes, but I figure the true test is what I do when it doesn't.

My issue is less a peripatetic muse than sheer lack of time. Life has calmed down a little here, so I've been writing like a madwoman (well, for me, anyway).

[dancingpotato]

My muse is an idiot. She can get me to write a huge review and then decide it's not good enough. Editing ensues, the review is deemed passable by my muse and -kablamo- another review posted. It can go through long dry spells or can tally up to three reviews in a day. Sometimes it has an idea but can't express it properly, and other times it has no idea what it's talking about.

[murasaki]

I have, of late, had an absentee muse.

It's funny though; I feel that most of my epinions in the last six months have been utter dreck, yet the worst ones (in my opinion) get the kindest compliments. Go figure.

I just write anyway. I'm not a funny writer so that helps; I can just state the facts and move on.

--naomi