My Muse Went on Vacation
So I’m busy working on the perfect plot with star worthy characters and a stunning setting. It’s all there. Laid out with precise outlining. So why can’t I write!!!!?????!!!!
Please tell me you’re nodding your head saying, “Yes, this happens to me, too.” I sure hope so because it just happened to me. I’ll tell you why. It’s because my muse went off on vacation right when I’m smack in the middle of my first draft of my novel. (I know, the nerve).
In fact, my muse was gone so long that it took my over a month to write 5,000 words. Not those flying-fingers-across-the-keyboard words. These were the painfully-slow-I’m-never-going-to-finish-this-sentence words.
But I’m here to tell you I’ve survived! (Imagine a room full of cheers and clapping) My muse is back and my story is rocking once again. (more clapping) So how did I manage while she was gone?
Here are some helpful tips:
1. Daydream
2. Go for a long run (or walk if you don’t like to run)
3. Read
4. Chat with a friend to brainstorm ideas
5. Eat lots of chocolate.
6. Be silly
Silly? Yep. I went to some plot generators and found some crazy story ideas. Then I let my imagination go WILD. It’s actually kind of fun and a seemingly waste of time. But what do you know? My muse hurried on back, tan and smiling.
Check out these sites to get your muse running on back to that perfect story of yours:
1. Plot Scenario Generator
I got things like this: “The story starts when your protagonist hides in a closet. Another character is a foreign diplomat who is the most attractive person your protagonist has ever met.” Wow. Now that sounds like fun!
2. Random Plot Generator
3. Seventh Sanctum
Oh and according to my four-year old, my muse went to Bora Bora. In case you were wondering.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad your muse came back from Bora Bora. Great helpful tips too. Thanks!
Debbie- That cartoon is just HALARIOUS!
I love that cartoon too! And I’d love to know where Bora Bora comes from. My kids use Abu Dabi as their stand-in exotic locale. It’s where Garfield is always trying to mail Nermal.