Creative Writing, the Muses, and Writers Block
Summoning the Muse for Creativity – Divine Secrets for the Novelist
Sep 19, 2009
Where does creativity come from? It is not too far-fetched to suggest that it is allied to the Creative Principle or Creative Force that inspires the universe. Writers must remain open to this source of inspiration.
The ancient Greeks personified and personalised these creative powers as the Muses. Since that time, it has been common for writers to refer to “summoning the Muse” or “Invoking the Muse”. While this may sound a little pretentious today, the fact still remains that overcoming writer’s block is a matter of overcoming the busy-ness of the brain to allow creative energy to flow from its source, the Creative Principle or Muse.
Who Were the Muses?
In ancient Greece, the Muses were goddesses or spirits who inspired the creation of literature and the arts in general. The Greeks saw that the Creative Principle was at work in practitioners of the arts, and chose to make that unknowable abstract force more accessible to the human mind by devising avatars or personifications of that Creative Force. Their close relationship to that Force was clear: they were the daughters of Zeus, the king of all gods. Initially there were three muses; ultimately there were nine Muses.
The Nine Muses and Their Areas of Responsibility
- Calliope, epic poetry
- Clio, history
- Erato, love poetry
- Euterpe, music
- Melpomene, tragedy
- Polyhymnia, sacred poetry
- Terpsichore, dance
- Thalia, comedy
- Urania, astronomy
The Muses and Writers Block
It is quite likely that the ancients Greeks understood the condition commonly referred to as writers block. They certainly had a myth which should resonate with any writer who has suffered the problem. The story of Thamyris serves as a moral tale for writers and a clue to overcoming writers block.
Thamyris, according to legend, was a Thracian singer so proud that he boasted he could out-sing the Muses. He competed against them and lost. To punish him for his impertinence and pride, the Muses blinded him and took away his ability to play the lyre.
Thus, when a writer goes it alone and tries to thrash out the details of a story, or further the plot by mere brainwork, he or she is “blinded by the Muses” and creativity is blocked until the writer gives up the mental struggle, and hands responsibility back to the Muse. Certain creativity techniques can assist in this invoking or summoning of the Muse.
Summoning the Muse for Writers
It should be strongly asserted at this point that this is not an occult practice; there is no real dabbling with spirits. The exercises and rituals described here are simply autosuggestion, patterning and divertive relaxation. This creativity training aims to free the mind from a counter-productive, anxious seeking of solutions, so that creativity has a prepared vessel.
The Summoning Ritual
When the work-in-progress has ground to a halt and frustration has set in, it is time to formally invoke the Muse.
- Find a suitable time and place where you won’t be disturbed
- Make the ritual pertinent by choosing to address the Muse that best suits your current work. (For example, Melpomene if writing a tragic story.)
- Prepare the room as you might to welcome a lover: light candles, dim the lights, play soft music, perfume the air. Prepare a small table with a cloth and offer a tempting sweet – a small piece of cake or some chocolates. Place a comfortable chair at the table
- Most importantly, print out the last two pages of the blocked manuscript and place them neatly in the centre of the table
- Stand in front of the table with your arms raised in supplication. Close the eyes and remain still until you can visualise your Muse standing opposite
- Keeping the eyes closed, invoke your Muse, speaking aloud. Here is a possible script: “My Muse, dear Melpomene, I have tried too hard with this story. I have forgotten that I am only a voice for you. Here is my pitiful attempt. I give it back to you. I vow I will not touch it again until you speak the word. I will wait and do your bidding.”
- Sit in the chair, relax and acknowledge that you have relinquished control of the work. You must honour the agreement and move on to some other task or take a refreshing break from writing altogether
- Now share the chocolate or cake with your Muse. (That’s the best bit)
Daily Invocation of the Muse
Once results have flowed from the summoning ritual (and they will, even if it takes a week or two!), thank your Muse. Form the habit of starting each writing session with an invocation. Play a particular piece of music that somehow you have associated with your Muse. Find something that, for you, represents the presence of the Muse. In statues and paintings, the Muses were always depicted carrying a specific item −their symbol. Melpomene carried a tragic mask from the theatre. Erato carried a lyre and crown of roses. Choose such a symbol and bring it forth from a dark hiding place each writing day and place it on the desk.
Research your chosen Muse and make her welcome always. Over time, the practice of summoning the Muse when writing bogs down will formalise the need to get out of the way and give creativity some space to move. It doesn’t matter whether the writer believes that creativity comes from the Creative Principle of the universe, from God, or simply lies in the subconscious mind. What matters is that the rational mind can be trained to stand aside.
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