— Zora Neale Hurston
“ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you .”
— Zora Neale Hurston
Through trial and error , writers find routines that work for them . They adopt habits and adapt practices that yield favorable results , including reading good literature that inspires and teaches them . On occasion , they attend writing workshops to share works in progress and to participate in the critiquing process . They establish regular writing regimens and hopefully , collect a set of trusty tools to help hone their craft . ( Elements of Style by Strunk and White and Stephen King ’ s On Writing are standard references in most writers ’ libraries ). But after all these boxes are checked , and the elements are tried and tested many times over , writers can still come up short . Despite following all the steps to ensure success , they get stuck . Sometimes a gentle nudge is needed from a writer ’ s muse .
In Greek mythology , the Muses are goddesses ; each ascribed an inspirational role in the arts and sciences . They are credited with inspiring epic poems , songs , and history recounted as stories . In society , it doesn ’ t have to be an ethereal sista who serves as a writer ’ s inspiration , even though that ’ s pretty cool . A muse doesn ’ t have to be a person at all but rather a source . When writers ’ creative energies become stagnant , they can turn to other outlets to rekindle the spark of imagination they seek by clearing away obstacles handed to them by life . They need to plug into a source . They need to find a muse .
Writers are known to have more than one gift , and these gifts play a valuable role in freeing the inspiration needed to jumpstart their writing practices . Spiritual enlightenment through praying , meditation , yoga , even running has been known to clear the mind , creating a lucid environment for problem-solving , uninhibited thoughts , and ideas for stories . There are writers who also knit or crochet . Some writers are musicians and turn to music to feed their muses . Some are visual artists and utilize painting or drawing to unleash creativity . Guess what the root word is in music and museum ? muse
Now , back to the writers ’ toolkit :
1 . Read to get your creative juices flowing . 2 . Attend workshops to facilitate the camaraderie of other writers . ( a place where you all “ muse ” upon ideas together . Catch that )? 3 . Gather your tools : reference books , writing software , etc . 4 . Write regularly ( even if it ’ s one sentence a day ) because a writing practice is everything . 5 . Tap into your muse . Without inspiration , none of the above matters .
Writing is one of the most effective ways of expression and communication . Freeing up sources of inspiration must be one of the most important ways to accomplish this . Meditating on good story ideas , running them by a select group of peers , honing them , perfecting them , all have roles in the process and the never-ending search for , and connection with , your muse .
Victoria Kennedy writes fiction . She contributed to The Dating Game anthology and wrote a short story collection titled , Where Love Goes . She is also the founder of Zora ’ s Den , an online writers ’ group . Her latest book is a novel , Sometimes Love , published by Brown Girls Books . www . victoriaadamskennedy . com
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