“O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.”

~William Shakespeare

Today, we’re going to do something a little different. Most Tuesdays I post a picture that acts as a muse to inspire us to write. Today, I want to know what your muses are. What normally inspires you?

Is it song?

A certain picture?

Another writer?

All these things have inspired me. I am privileged in always finding something to write about, even if it’s not always what I want to work on. But my main muse would have to be my husband. I feel the way he’s given me confidence has helped me more than anything else.

Next comes, music. I’ve always loved dance. To feel the music beat through your body. Feel the emotions it stirs, until your body must move to meet the beat, the harmony, the lyrics. Writing is a dance of my soul. As I sit at my computer, the lyrics are not always noticed, but the beat and melodies pump through my body and soul, telling me what to write. I do not write as well without music playing in the background. Sometimes softly, sometimes in a demand to be heard.

“Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.”

~Saint Bartholomew

Before we start writing, to we take time to listen? Are we calm? I cannot write well if I do not allow myself to feel the emotions of my character. The music I listen to often reflects how they feel.

“Health is the first muse, and sleep is the condition to produce it”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I freely admit, sleep is my downfall when I write. As in, I don’t get enough. I stay up too late, because the kids are in bed, and I can write uninterrupted. My health is pretty good most days, but I do know if I don’t exercise and sleep well, I’m not at my best. (We’re going to share a guest blogger’s post on this next week.)

“Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling with the mistaken belief that you cannot bear the pain. But you have already borne the pain. What you have not done is feel all you are beyond the pain.”

~Saint Bartholomew

We’ve all borne great pains in our lives. Why not turn them into a muse and build from them. The best told tales come from those where heartache had been involved.

Everything can be turned into good if you simply write it.

So now you know how I write. Let me hear from you. Where do your MUSES lay?

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