Posted in Writing

12 Tips to Help You Wrangle Your Muse

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes
Image by Sabine Sauermaul from Pixabay
We writers often stress when we can’t write.  Our Muse will occasionally go AWOL.  These lapses in creativity can last anywhere from a day or two, to months or even years.  What to do?!  How can we wrangle that Muse?  How can we coax her back in to working?  There are no hard and fast “rules”, but there are many ideas that may help.  After extensive research, I’ve compiled a list of handy ideas that may help you with this situation.  
1.Getting physical is Never allowed.
2.Bribery is often helpful and encouraged.
3.Many Muses appreciate music. Play their favorite genre.
4.Focus is needed.  Too many distractions will scare them away.
5.”You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar”.  Be kind, always.
6.Your Muse may need snacks in order to work.  Have their favorites on hand.  (see #2, bribery)
7.Does your Muse take care of herself? Be sure your Muse gets enough exercise, sleep and good food.
8.Like us, Muses are not perfect.  Let them fail.  If they give you something that you feel is a dud, don’t despair.  Next time may be better.
9.Your Muse needs practice.  Like any muscle, it must be used and exercised.
10.Shake things up!  Most Muses enjoy the new and exciting!  Rearrange your office or buy a new desk lamp or paint the room.  A different view may help!
11.Maybe your Muse is in a rut!  Let her try something new, something outside her comfort zone!  (see #9, practice)
12.Let her express herself.  Maybe she needs to write about her troubles.  She has needs too!  Let it happen!
*This is, of course, is all meant in fun.  Generally, our Muses are within us.  With that in mind, maybe something here will spark you, and your Muse! 🙂
Copyright (C) 2022 Penny Wilson All Rights Reserved
*The original idea for “wrangling your muse” was prompted by my Dear Friend Chuck over at The Reluctant Poet.  Thank you Chuck, for your inspiration.

Author:

Penny Wilson is an international writer who writes in several genres. She has written articles for WOW Women on Writing. Her poetry has been published in online journals, such as Ariel Chart, Spill Words Press and the Poppy Road Review. Penny is a member of the Austin Poetry Society. Her poetry has been featured in the publication America's Emerging Poets 2018 & 2019 by Z Publishing and Poets Quarterly and Dual Coast Magazine published by Prolific Press. Most recently, you can find her poetry in an anthology by WordCrafter Press called Poetry Treasures. Penny is an advocate for Mental Health Awareness and has the page "Mental Health Help" on her blog. She writes about the struggles of mental illnesses and Depression. She is passionate about spreading awareness for Suicide Prevention and Domestic Abuse. She expresses her passion through her writings of poetry and life experiences. You can find more of her writings on her blog at https://pennywilsonwrites.com/

12 thoughts on “12 Tips to Help You Wrangle Your Muse”

  2. Well adding this list to my writing tools…sometimes the muse goes rogue, turns shy, or simply gets a wild hair and is off on her own adventure. Nice to know some tried and true tricks for coaxing her back again! 💞

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