Eight Prompts to Become Your Own Creative Muse
Break writer’s block and keep the creativity flowing
Ushering in your creative muse
As writers, we all know that feeling when the energy and ideas flow naturally, one after the next.
We also know times of (metaphorically) tapping our pencil against the paper, begging our muse to show up—a phenomenon commonly known as writer’s block.
The advice for writer’s block tends to sound like this:
‘Schedule a time each day to write.’
‘Spend at least (x) amount of time writing every day.’
‘Write every day.’
‘Lure your muse with music or scents.’
It is true that our lives are busy, and without consciously carving out some time for our creative pursuits, we may never attend to them. But if we push too hard to schedule or discipline our creativity, we might unintentionally scare off, rather than conjure up, the magic.
Scheduling is an activity that comes from our left brain — the logical, analytical, organized side. Creativity springs from our right brain — our imaginative, intuitive, artistic side. It makes sense that we should not use our left brain to dictate to or discipline our right.
Creativity, by its nature, cannot be scheduled. It does not respond to pleas or begging. It cannot be summoned. Creativity is spontaneous, even impulsive. To be a creative person means that we have to accept its spontaneous nature.
If we want to truly usher in creativity, then we must acknowledge that we human beings are in service to it, not the other way around.
Imagine the absurdity of Vincent Van Gough saying to himself: ‘Tomorrow, I’m going to paint The Starry Night, and on Wednesday afternoon, from 3:00–5:00 p.m., I’m going to finish Irises.’ He simply showed up at his canvas, opened himself up to the world of ideas, and then turned his brush and hands over to the magical, mysterious forces of creativity.
I’ve been a writer for a long time now, and while sometimes I have difficulty knowing where to start, I rarely have writer’s block. I don’t have any secrets about when or how much to write each day. But I can point out a few ways I’m inspired to write.
Eight prompts to keep the creativity flowing
- From triggers I read a lot, as all writers should. And I don’t (of course) agree with everything I read. But there’s a difference between an article that you read and simply say, “eh,” and one that gets you fired up and angry. One that you send to trusted friends and say, ‘Read this, is this ridiculous or what?’ This second kind of reaction is a trigger. A trigger is a pointer to a wound that has yet to be healed, and, also, a place to start writing from. Rather than trying to push the emotions back down, write about what you feel. If we’re not writing at least to some degree to initiate our own healing, what are we doing it for?
- From inspiration from other writers It is not true that we always have to come up with a fresh idea each time we come to the page. Look at what inspires you. See how someone else approached a topic. And then, write the topic from your perspective, in your words. Whether we know it or not, we are always borrowing ideas from one another. Consciously doing so doesn’t make us non-creatives; it means we’re wise to the nature of synchronicities, timing, and meant-to-bes.
- From a title Someone once told me that they’d received advice that we should never write from a title. This is BS. Creativity has no rules. If in your mind’s eye, you can picture an article title—then sit down to write it. For one recent article, I could see the title a week before I knew how I would go about writing it. Keep in mind, though, that creativity gets the last word, so if the title needs to change once the piece is finished, then let it change.
- From a quote Find a quote that you love, stick it at the top of the page, and start writing about what it means to you.
- From imitation It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but it is also a good writing exercise. Take a writer that you like, and then write a piece in their style. Don’t worry; this is not plagiarism. This is simply learning to exercise a new muscle. If you tend to write from a very ethereal place, try imitating a grounded and practical writer. If you tend to write stories, try writing a how-to. It’s all about growth, experimentation, and a willingness to try.
- From all our voices Consider writing from all the various voices as they connect to the elements that live within us: Earth: grounded, practical Water: emotional, vulnerable Fire: passionate, activist Air: thoughtful, philosophical Ether: imaginative, spiritual Note for yourself in which element your writing tends to come from, and then try to start including the others. For example, if you tend to write grounded, practical articles, can you find a way to bring in some imaginative aspect? If you write fiery posts, can you give them room to breathe by adding in an airy, philosophical touch? We humans are multi-faceted beings, and our best writing will reflect that truth. For more on writing from all our voices, click here.
- Co-write with another author I have recently begun co-writing with another author. I cannot express what a unique yet fruitful challenge this has been. I don’t know that this could work with any two random writers, but what could we lose by trying? For more on co-writing, click here.
- From a picture
This is not one I’ve tried yet, but I plan to. Generally, we write an article first, and then we hunt down an image to go with it.
I am giving myself the challenge of turning this process upside down: First find the image, and then write an article that fits it.
I have no idea how this will go, but I am certain I will learn something through experimentation.
Conclusion
There are infinite ways to approach our blank page, and not any of them are better or worse. How can there be rules about creativity? How can there be only some paths that are valid or available for us?
Writing at the same time every day is great, until that’s the only time the stove can get fixed. Writing for a certain number of hours a day sounds like wise advice, until we have children to care for, dinner to make, and emergencies to tend to.
Don’t let yourself buy into the idea that without a steady routine, or without following rules, our muse will not know when or where to show up. By tapping into our creative, right brains, we won’t have to lure our muse with scents and music or anything else.
Instead, we become the muse.
Related reads:
Keri Mangis
Award-Winning Author & Wholeness Advocate
Founder: KeriMangis.com Interview on Illumination Self-Introduction Video-Introduction
Author: Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness — A Memoir of New Beginnings, winner of the 2020 IPA for Body, Mind and Spirit
Elephant Journal Writings, Newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
