Hey. Notice anything? A lack of a statement at the very top that says “Posted via Mobile?”

That’s right, I’m home at last.

Now, despite today’s post, this doesn’t mean that I’m back in the saddle again. Firstly, I’m not at 100%, and I can tell. My mind just still isn’t fully there, but emmeshed in everything from the last few months. The best way I can describe is like layers of mortar and mud have been caked around my brain, and I’m working to chip and crack that mess off bit by bit.

In other words, as badly as I want to work on Axtara and get things rolling toward the next book—or in other words be back to my normal—I know my brain isn’t there yet. It’s grief, plain and simple, mixed with overexertion of mental and emotional “muscles.”

Worse, I was burning the candle pretty hot before this all happened working on editing Axtara, anticipating that I’d recuperate when my Christmas Vacation hit. Which it never did, because … Yeah, again. If you’re not up to date on what happened or what’s been going on, here’s a summary link.

In simplest terms, I’m burned out pretty hard right now. Except it’s worse than burnout because there’s a whole mess of other pieces tied up in it. Worse, it isn’t over. There’s another funeral in March I’ll have to travel for, and I know the moment I show my face in my hometown I’ll be absolutely flooded with requests and responsibilities. Sands, even as I was leaving, as I explained to someone that I was going home because I was running up against timetables I needed to prepare for, I was hit with a blunt ‘Well, you’re coming right back, at least.’ When I said that no, I wasn’t, it followed with a “Why?”

I’m not sure if they bought my explanation of “Because I don’t live or work here.”

Ugh, just thinking about it is giving me a headache.

Okay, I’ve written too much on this already. Point being, Being a Better Writer is back, and that’s my first step towards getting back toward normal. Aside from that? I need recovery.

Life, The Universe, and Everything, which is the annual Writing Convention, is coming up in less than two weeks as well. So I need to prep for that too. But outside of that?

I’m resting. I need some health and time. Thank you, everyone, for your patience as I recover and during my absence.

That said, as noted above, one of my chosen first steps back is BaBW. So without further ado, while this post may be a bit shorter than normal, it’s still here. So let’s dive in. Hit that jump, and let’s talk about summoning the muse.

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All right, you got me. I picked this topic from the list because it definitely felt topical to my current circumstances. In fact, what I’m doing right now? That’s “summoning the muse.”

Okay, let’s have a little context. What is “summoning the muse?”

Well, it’s pretty straightforward. A “muse” is named for Greek mythology, where the “muses” were beings that inspired artists. That name has transferred forward to the now, where an artists “muse” is basically being seen as whatever inspires them or puts them in a creative zone.

Got it? Good. The challenge then, is identifying what to a person counts as a “muse” and from there, once that’s figured out, taking steps to ensure that when a creator wants to create, the “muse” is present.

So let’s talk about that step first. Let’s talk about identification of our muses. I start here because I want to make something very clear: Relaxation and fun are not automatically museworthy. I see this mistake quite often with would-be creatives, writers among them. Rather than seriously identify what helps them use their creative muscle, they default to “stuff I enjoy and have fun doing.” For example, they think “I enjoy music” and so they sit down and start jamming to music when they should be writing, choosing music that doesn’t aid their process but instead distracts from it.

There’s a lot of variations of this act, but I’m going to make something clear, something that’s been said by many a creator: The act of creating only comes with the tools in hand, not something else. Far too often, this idea that relaxation and fun will summon the muse results in young would-be writers doing things that are ultimately pulling away from the muse rather than contributing to it. As an example, I’ve spoken with young writers struggling to write who have described their process to me as “I sit down at my desk and then I watch YouTube/play video games/watch anime until the creativity comes. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. I can’t control it.“

But they’re wrong. They can control it, they’re just going about looking for their muse the wrong way. They’re confusing the process of exposure and mental activity with work. If your first thought to “summon the muse” is “have fun until you feel like working,” you’re probably going about things incorrectly.

A muse can be fun. I like listening to music, for example. But I also know from experience that some music I listen to can be extremely distracting when trying to write. Is music a muse for me? Some of it. And that’s what I choose to listen to when I work. It sets the mood, but also signals to my brain that “Hey, you’re writing now.”

But a muse isn’t always “fun.” A muse is just what aids you in creating. I wouldn’t call my chair “fun,” though it is nice. But my desk, where I work? My brain knows “Hey, it’s creative time” and that place helps me write.

Which isn’t that uncommon. Sands, one writer for The Simpsons famously had a booth a restaurant as one of his muses. It was a place where his brain realized “let’s go to work” and started utilizing those creative muscles. As a result, when the restaurant shut down or remodeled, they gifted that writer the booth so that they could use it at home.

These common muses—music and location—are utilized by many people. You yourself may be realizing as you read this that one or both of them serve as muses in your own life. Or already did, and were nodding along. It’s why so many creative people have “creative spaces,” such as art rooms, offices, corners of a living space, etc, that are dedicated to signaling to their mind “Hey, let’s get cranking out cool stuff!”

From what we’ve said here, I hope that it’s become a little clearer what your muses may be. Really in this context a muse is something that aids you in executing your creativity. Music, location, food, doing certain activities beforehand to clear your mind … Anything. Everyone has different muses.

But how do you identify them if you don’t know them? Well, by experimenting! Pay attention to what you did on the days when your creative spark was at its most active, and when you got the most work done. What actions did you engage in that may have contributed to that? Identify things, and once you have, experiment a little and see if your results are repeatable. If you always writer better after going to the gym, for instance, and using that time at the treadmill or weights to clear your head, then you may have found a muse for you: physical exertion combined with prep. Maybe your muse is a short walk, or maybe it’s doing something while you create, like having complete silence or a pleasant breeze.

Experiment. Track yourself and your progress. See what you create.

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Okay, but once you’ve identified some of your muses, how do you summon them? Well, it’s usually pretty straightforward: You just do. You listen to music, sit in the booth, etc.

But there’s one that a lot of people, especially those that are new, miss. And that’s consistency. Some creatives work on certain days. Others during certain hours. They shut off everything that could distract them, pick up their pencil or their brush, and spend that time as scheduled.

Humans are creatures of rhythm. We fall into patterns and habits naturally, and our muses are no exception. After all, ultimately our muses are really just our mind latching onto something and using it to pull or push itself. And like anything else, this means we can “train” our muses with consistent behavior.

Even if it’s irregular in time, we can set our mind to see our “muse” as a time to switch to creative mode. To see the pattern in using a place, tool, or whatever else to create.

That summons a muse more than anything. Regularity. Habit. That and persistence.

A common problem among those who have issues summoning the muse is not putting in the time. They sit down with the other tools, stare at their work for a few seconds … and then go do something else or bring in a distraction because the muse didn’t answer the door when they drove past the house and shouted.

Summoning the muse can take effort. Time. Sometimes even with everything in place, it can take a few minutes, or even a quarter of an hour, for our brains to get “into gear” and start functioning in a conducive manner. And if you’ve never “summoned the muse” before at all save by accident? Well, it’s like building a friendship with someone you’ve just met. It takes time. Effort. You can’t just show up at their house and expect to crash on their couch.

But that is how a lot of would-be creatives approach their muses. They set out a few things that have helped them in the past and then expect to go all-in right from the start. Zero to breaking the sound barrier.

But it doesn’t work like that. If you want to summon your muses, identify them sure. But then? Sit down, and go to it. Make it a habit. Work with your muse, and push forward even when it doesn’t show up for an hour. Reset and push on again.

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Ultimately, that’s the most core ideal I’d have you walk away with today. You can have a dozen muses, but if you don’t have the persistence to get to understand any of them, they won’t show up when you need it. We need to identify our muses, yes. But as with forging any new habit, we need to make a constant, earnest effort to bring it about. An effort to be there so that the muse can arrive.

So put in the time. Find your muses, and then make them habits.

Good luck. Now get writing!

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