Show Up For Your Part

[amberdreams]

What a great speaker and I love the whole sentiment of her talk! I think a lot of writers do this anyhow, talking about their Muse as if this was a capricous external creature, and when you think of the way often stories and characters go in directions you never planned, it does make a lot of sense. Plus taking some of the pressure off is a great idea.

Originally posted by blythechild at Show Up For Your Part
Author Elizabeth Gilbert discusses the psychological damage of the modern "genius" and perhaps a healthier way to negotiate our creative tendancies. With a really amusing Tom Waits story in the mix.

Comments

[fairyniamh]

Nine times out of ten, I have no idea where I am going in my writing. My muse will slip in and take over, thus usually surprising me by the end product.

True story, last year I went over to my google docs (which I share with my sister and sometimes beta.) I saw a story I hadn't seen before, so I assumed she had written a story and was waiting for me to beta. Which thrilled me as she had not been writing for a long time. So I beta'd, told her that I loved it, that the story was ready to be posted, that people will want more. She had no idea what I was talking about. She went to check... and then informed me that what I had beta'd and enjoyed... was my story and I should post it. *face palm*

So when I say I am searching for my muse, for me, my muse has a literal form in my mind. They choose what to write, even when I want to write something else.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Ha ha oh that sounds quite familiar - I've read some of my own fics and not remembered a single thing about writing them to the extent of reading and thinking, blimey, this was a good idea and I've no clue how it will turn out in the end.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed this talk, but I'm not sure...it made me feel any better about where "inspiration" or "genius" comes from? Though I tend to look at it as, well, sometimes all the planets are in alignment (not often, heh) but when I'm stumbling, it's because I can't get my thoughts to focus and/or my brain is trying to process stuff but it can't process and create at the same time, so I have to accept that the stuff I'm painting/writing RIGHT THEN will be wonky but at least it'll be something I can adjust later, when I've done my processing.

Either way, it's all headgames, yeah? :)

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

My Muse is a complete and utter character/personality of it's own (no I'm not hearing voices, lol!) hence me always capitalising her when I'm complaining about her ;) I have a tendency to know where I *want* to go, she shoves me off a different cliff, every single time!!

This was really interesting so thank you for posting!