 Short Stories: July 12, 2023 Issue [#12066] |
This week: Inspire me! PLEASE! Edited by: Lilli  
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"I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to better."
~ Frida Kahlo
"A muse can be a mirror: a reflection of the artist's desires, anxieties, dreams, and needs."
~ Vince Aletti
"Muses work all day long and then at night get together and dance."
~ Edgar Degas
"Cheat your landlord if you can -- and must -- but do not try to shortchange the Muse."
~ William S. Burroughs
"There are, it seems, two muses: The Muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate visions and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who returns again and again to say, 'It is yet more difficult than you thought.' It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey."
~ Wendell Berry |
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Do you feel like you're in a rough patch with your writing? Perhaps your Muse has gone AWOL? How many days, weeks, or even months have passed and left you feeling as though you've made zero progress on your writing?
I've read others share that they are feeling this way; lost and uninspired when it comes to their writing. It gives me comfort to know that I'm not the only one and so, maybe it will give you some, as well. Therefore, I decided look at some ways to get inspired and share them with you.
 Watch T.V.
Ha! Seems counter-productive, right? Well, I thought so too, at first. But last weekend I watched a couple of movies that I've seen countless times before! This time though, I watched them through a different filter. I picked up on foreshadowing that I hadn't realized before, and spotted some holes that I'd always let slide. Watching a show or movie with a critical eye may spark your creativity! Be sure to pay attention to the character development, dialogue, and storytelling techniques.
Read some of your old reviews.
If you've been writing a while, you've likely received plenty of reviews. This would be a great time to go back and reread the detailed reviews from readers who loved one of your pieces. You might be surprised how motivating this can be.
Goal-setting vs Habit Forming
Goals give you inspiration by providing an endpoint, but habits weave inspiration into the core of your being and make it automatic.
Instead of saying, “I want to finish my manuscript,” say “I want to write 30 minutes per day.” The second statement comes without the pressure of expectation. You’re just putting yourself in a position for continual inspiration.
Habits trump goals every time! The most prolific writers aren’t the most goal-oriented. They show up every day and do the work. Sometimes changing our mindset can make a big difference.
Tidy up your workspace.
Create an immaculate writing space. A cluttered environment clutters the mind and invites so many distractions. When you’re in a clean space, you can feel it. That feeling can translate into a calm and focused state of mind while writing.
Just 'Chill out'.
Set aside some time to meditate before you sit down to write. The practice of meditation can help relieve stress and clear your mind of negative thoughts. You will feel refreshed before you pen your first word.
In conclusion...
If you've really got the 'writing itch', believe me - it will never go away. So, you have two choices. Either get inspired and get to writing, or let your anxiety and insecurities grow and fester. I know what it feels like to get stuck in between. And I also know the feeling of exhilaration that accompanies a fresh outpouring of creativity.
Whether we are actively writing or not, time will continue to pass so we need to make good use of that time. You CAN make all of your writing dreams come true.
You got this.
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Comments received from "The Whole Truth" :
tracker  said:
Thank you for the editor's pick. I reviewed "Burger and Fries" to your guidelines. It looks good. The majority of my work is autobiographical. Now I have your breakdown to follow. Thank you for that!
tracker
Annette  said:
I've seen autobiographical short stories in both creative writing classes I took in college. One was a young woman from Russia describing her struggle to leave there and come live here. The other was a man who was trying to figure out what to do with himself after being let go from a thirty year career at a big American industrial company. Both stories were gripping because they involved real people. Interestingly, the Russian woman's story was better written even with the many grammar mistakes she made because she wrote from the heart. The man was trying to control the narrative too much by resorting to cliché phrases that were designed to make him come across as a hero and belittling the reader by explaining how the internet works. 
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