Siren vs. Muse

(Muse speaks in a blue font. Siren in red. And Jenn? In boring ol' black. Don't know what we're talking about? Check out this post: Does Your Creativity Have a Name?)

How was your Labor Day? Mine was interesting to say the least. Siren and Muse totally battled it out today.

I figured I had an extra day with my hubby home to take care of our little one so I could write and write and write. But instead, Writer's Block took hold. What do you have to write about? This story is going in totally the wrong direction. No one's gonna want to read this. Stop it Siren! I will finish this story!

Hours pass. For some reason the lack of productivity totally drags down my spirits. I want to nap. And cry. That's right, you're a failure. You're wasting your time.

So I do what I like to do when I'm experiencing Writer's Block or feel my spirits sinking. I go for a walk. Commune with nature. Pray. I must have walked for an hour. It was a gorgeous day. I watched the sun set, a beautiful display of pinks and oranges, fading into darkness.

And then I stepped in! Thanks for letting me come out and play! And so when you got home you wrote and you wrote and you wrote (as I knew you could!) and you finished your story! We must have worked for 3 hours!

That's right, folks! I finished it! Woohoo! I just need to go back and revise the last few pages. Then give the entire thing another once over. Maybe let some trusted friends read it and offer their feedback. But I'm done! Thanks Muse! Take that Siren!

What do you do when you have Writer's Block or are feeling low? What helps raise your spirits and help your creativity flourish?

Muse and Siren's Favorite Words A-Z:

(Muse speaks in a blue font. Siren in red. And Jenn? In boring ol' black. Don't know what we're talking about? Check out this post: Does Your Creativity Have a Name?)

A ha!, art, amaze Awkward

Brainstorm, brilliant Bash

Create, craft, carpe diem, compose Critique

Dream, discover, dazzle, design Do over

Explore, epiphany, experiment Edit

Flow, fun Failure

Genius Ghastly

Hodgepodge Hate

Imagination, illuminate, inspire, innovate I can't

Journey Just stop

Kaleidoscope Kooky

Learn, love Later

Muse!, mosaic Must not

Nurture Not good enough

Originality, orchestrate Organize

Ponder, perspective, paint, passion Procrastinate

Question Quit

Reinvent, rendezvous, right brain Revise

Spontaneous, serendipity, scribble Scratch that

Think outside the box, tinker Terrible

Uninhibited, unique Unbelievable

Visualize, vivid, voila! Void

Wonder, whimsy Watch TV instead

Xanadu X out everything

Yin yang You can't

Zeal Zounds!

Rockin'

(Muse speaks in a blue font. Siren in red. And Jenn? In boring ol' black. Don't know what we're talking about? Check out this post: Does Your Creativity Have a Name?)

My little monkey sleeps in his swing today. He rocks back and forth, off in his baby dreamworld, trying to block out the sound of his mother tapping away on the keyboard and then deleting everything. This is my opportunity to write. But nothing productive comes.

Back and forth. As the swing rocks forward, I think I know what I want to write about. The swing goes backward and I've lost all sense of direction. Ethan is staying in generally the same place. So am I. Not accomplishing anything.

I feel as if I'm in a small boat. One that's being tossed about by the waves. Just rocking back and forth, not making progress. Muse and Siren battling it out. Muse rocks me forward. Siren rocks me back.

What is it that's holding me back? I think about it as I watch my son. I listen to his gentle snoring.

It's not writer's block. I have ideas. Maybe too many of them. Maybe that's what's paralyzing me right now.

I know what it is. It's a four letter word. Fear. But fear of what?

It's not the fear of failure. I'm used to that, I've lost count of the number of rejections I've received on my first Young Adult work.

And then a cold, drenching wave crashes over me. It's fear of success. The thought startles me, as I'm chilled to the bones. Why in the world would I be afraid of success? Maybe I'm afraid of actually writing something people will enjoy. Maybe I'm afraid my writing will reveal too much of the hidden things in my heart. Maybe I'm afraid success will change everything.

One thing I do know. Perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).

I must be bold enough to step out of the boat. It feels safe, but it will lead me nowhere. I mus

t take a step of faith. Walk towards Jesus on the water. Yeah, I might get wet. Soaked even. Waves might crash over my head. But I think I'd rather take that chance than just rock back and forth for the rest of my life.

So I'll go read my Bible now, as I read about God's perfect love. And I'll smile as I listen to my son's snores that are crescendoing right now while the waves are slowing.

Live Life Already!

(Muse speaks in a blue font. Siren in red. And Jenn? In boring ol' black. Don't know what we're talking about? Check out this post: Does Your Creativity Have a Name?)


Dear Jenn,

It's ok to not watch so much TV or stalk what people are doing on Facebook so often. In fact, use that time to do something more worthwhile. Like write. Or do something kind for someone. Read the Word. Volunteer. Go for a walk. Blog. Get in touch with someone you haven't talked to in a while. The list is endless.

And stop listening to Siren. Siren seriously doesn't know anything. She makes you think that your story is stupid (it's not), that you shouldn't waste your time writing

(you're not), that watching TV is more worthwhile and relaxing than writing (definitely not). And she makes you think that it's not worthwhile to do something kind for someone else. Are you kidding?!? That's like, the most worthwhile thing there is.

Ok, so now is the time to start living for worthwhile things. If

you knew you had 3 months to live, you wouldn't spend them in front of the TV and Facebook, right? Nope, you'd be chasing after your dreams, and meeting with people you care about, and trying to leave a positive mark on the world by doing nice things for people.

So, now, what are you waiting for? I give you permission to live life to the fullest. Don't let Siren choke that out of you!

Your Friend,
Musie

Does Your Creativity Have a Name?

Admit it, we all hear voices in our heads. One is encouraging, inspiring ideas. That voice is also called Creativity. The other voice offers criticism and negativity. That voice is the Inner Critic.

Call me crazy, but I decided to give names to my creative voice and to the annoying, sometimes detrimental, yet sometimes helpful inner critic.

It didn't take me long to think of a name for Creativity. Inspired by Greek mythology I decided to call her Muse. (Super creative name, huh?) She calls herself Musie. The nine Muses were responsible for inspiring artists. Pretty darn cool if you think about it.

Once I had a name for Creativity, I struggled more with its

antagonist. I thought of demons, or simply calling her Critic. But then I went back to Greek mythology and thought about what would be Muse' antipode. And eventually I thought of it....

The Siren! Sirens would lead sailor's astray to their eventual death if they gave in to their voices. How appropriate for what the Inner Critic can do to our Creativity?!

So there you have it--I need to listen to my Muse and drown out my Siren before she drowns me.

I think I might work this concept into the story I'm writing...

What do you think of the names? And what do you call your own Creativity and Inner Critic?