The Muse Strikes

"...if novelists wrote only when they were inspired it would take a hundred years to string together a novel. If you're really going to finish one, you're not only going to have to spend quite a lot of time writing and revising when you don't feel like it, you're going to have to spend quite a lot of time writing when you would rather be lighting your toes on fire." ~Nathan Bransford

Oh, Nathan, how I love thee. This is so, so true. I cannot tell you the number of times I have whined to my sister something that sounds like, "All I've done today is edit until my eyes bleed." Yeah, sometimes it's painful.

Other times, my muse strikes, usually with the stapler. I'm left reeling and giddy at all the changes I need to make and can't wait to get to them all. Or a new idea that I simply can't contain and fly through the first pages with ease. But those are the exceptions, not the norm.

No matter how much you love your dear characters, one day you'll find yourself wishing you could kill the whole lot of them off. Don't. Step away from the computer! When I start feeling this way I know I need a break, so I'll work on a different project for a day, week-- however long I need. When I come back my muse is nice and refreshed and ready for another go in the ring. She thrives on new ideas, creating, not necessarily the commas and semicolons.

All of this ties back into yesterday's post. Just write. Even when you don't feel like it, hate your characters, wish you could do anything else....just write. Write through the fear, the sadness, the hopelessness and tomorrow all will look better.

Why do you write?

I write for love. Well, and because I have 846,513,518,478 thoughts running through my head at any given moment and writing helps quiet them. My words have helped me through some very tough times in life, they're a constant comfort and companion. I cherish each of them. That's why I write, to share that love.