Finding the Muse

Author of Song of the White Swan

www.laughingowl.com/Swan/whiteswa.htm

I am a writer. I know the Muse well. When neglected She is like an inconstant lover, disappearing until She is wooed with promises of patience and persistence. Ah, but when given these gifts, She blossoms and shares the fruits of creativity.

The Muse may come and go as She will, touching only those who are ready to give fully to the demands of time, concentration and devotion.

There have been many times when I have stared blankly at the computer screen or piece of paper unable to write. Focusing my desire to write, I have often called upon the Muse for inspiration and been allowed to find that inner space where imagination and creativity dwell.

When I began to write my novel, I was visited by what I know now to be the Muse, one of the many aspects of the Great Goddess.

In quiet hours of the morning She spoke to me and reassured me that through determination I would fulfill my desire to become a published author.

Over the years while I wrote my first novel the Muse guided my hand, comforting me as I labored through the many drafts. She was my constant companion until the work was ready for publication.

Sometimes She would come to me as I slept, awaken me with the urge to write then she would inspire me to create adventures and dialogue for my characters until my fingers would no longer move across the computer keyboard.

Often the Muse would take human form and come to me disguised as a friend, a fellow writer to help me through the empty times when words would not come. As a friend the Muse would inspire me to reconstruct my words into just the right meaning.

Through the words and actions of the characters I eventually created, the Muse encouraged me to write what was in my heart, to tell the story I intended and eventually She led me to complete my novel.

Now, as I begin a new project, I find that I must once again reach out to find the Muse once more. But this time she is not so easy to find.

It is comforting to know that I am but one of many who have sought the Muse to spark my creativity. From Plutarch to Lord Byron, writers and poets have called upon the Muse for inspiration. She has been personified in women like Dante’s Beatrice, Albelard’s Heloise and Gottfried’s Isolde.

I understand now that earning the gift of the Muse comes with a price, but it is reasonable and the benefits are priceless. By sharing what I have learned with other writers, in critique groups and forums, by sharing my words in print and by recognizing the creativity I find in others, I am able to honor Her.

Then She will come when I call upon Her as She came when Dante called: "O Muses, O lofty genius, now assist me."

Aleta Boudreaux

Author of Song of the White Swan

www.laughingowl.com/Swan/whiteswa.htm