Kick Your Muse Out
Coweh asks...
Inspiration is overrated, Coweh.
Sure, you can get lucky when a bolt from the blue strikes, but that’s rare. If you’re trying to make a living at a creative endeavor...you could get into real trouble waiting.
Kick your muse out. You can’t afford to depend upon such ethereal, fickle creatures.
Don’t wait for inspiration. Make your own.
I start with an idea, and then spot the obvious clichés, try to make it better, and think about it for days, or months, or in many cases years. I research, analyze, figure out what’s working and make it better, figure out what’s not working and get rid of it. I then set the project aside to let my subconscious process it all.
This is hard work.
Sometimes I feeling like I’m throwing myself into a brick wall over and over, until something gives and I discover how to make an idea compelling and cool. Sometimes an idea never pans out.
Since my process can potentially take so long, I have about half a dozen projects (novels, screenplays, and comics) in various stages of development at any given time.
Others say to share your fledging ideas. 90% of the time, however, even people you love and trust will pick apart a premature idea until there’s nothing left but blood and tears. You must eventually expose your idea to others, but only when it’s strong enough.
People want to believe that inspiration is a magical thing and comes without effort. If that happens—great! Count your blessings.
If you want to make a living at a creative profession, however, get ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
Most people I tell this to don’t like it. Go figure.
My advice: work the idea, think lots, and keep your secrets until you’re ready.
Do you think you could cover what gets you going for inspiration?
Inspiration is overrated, Coweh.
Sure, you can get lucky when a bolt from the blue strikes, but that’s rare. If you’re trying to make a living at a creative endeavor...you could get into real trouble waiting.
Kick your muse out. You can’t afford to depend upon such ethereal, fickle creatures.
Don’t wait for inspiration. Make your own.
I start with an idea, and then spot the obvious clichés, try to make it better, and think about it for days, or months, or in many cases years. I research, analyze, figure out what’s working and make it better, figure out what’s not working and get rid of it. I then set the project aside to let my subconscious process it all.
This is hard work.
Sometimes I feeling like I’m throwing myself into a brick wall over and over, until something gives and I discover how to make an idea compelling and cool. Sometimes an idea never pans out.
Since my process can potentially take so long, I have about half a dozen projects (novels, screenplays, and comics) in various stages of development at any given time.
Others say to share your fledging ideas. 90% of the time, however, even people you love and trust will pick apart a premature idea until there’s nothing left but blood and tears. You must eventually expose your idea to others, but only when it’s strong enough.
People want to believe that inspiration is a magical thing and comes without effort. If that happens—great! Count your blessings.
If you want to make a living at a creative profession, however, get ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
Most people I tell this to don’t like it. Go figure.
My advice: work the idea, think lots, and keep your secrets until you’re ready.
posted by Eric Nylund at 4:51 AM
22 Comments:
I guess I have a few questions about having multiple projects going on at the same time. How do you make sure the quality level is the same for all of them? Do you ever have problems keeping the projects seperate from each other? I ask because I've tried writing two or three stories at the same time and whenever I do that, I always get sidetracked and focus on just one because I'm on a role and let the other languish.
Hey Eric,
Got into your work through the Halo novels and when I found out you were involved with Gears Of War it pretty much cemented it as a must have game!
Looking forward to the secret project mentioned in your July 11th post, Microsoft are on a roll at the moment.
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I sort of commented late on your confessions of a microsoft employee blog as "chris" but I was still wondering about Ghosts of Coral and any other possible future titles in this series.
I've long ago decided to replace inspiration with drive and determination to, well, not suck. That has worked for me far better than looking for a watery tart handing out swords.
I shared a fledgling idea once when I was 17 with my brother. He read my rough draft, said, "Twenty-three year olds don't say cool," and trashed it without really looking at the rest of it. In his mind, this was written by a 17 year old so it must be full of immaturity like the word "cool". I've since learned to be very particular with what I share and with whom I share it. Praise that is unwarranted and criticism that is far from constructive does very little to help the writing process, I’ve found.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, there. The only way I can ever get myself to write is to just sit down and basically force it.
The only thing I use inspiration for is being lazy.
"Hey, have you written any more of that story?"
"No, I'm... Waiting for inspiration."
Inspiration? I thought that was the nagging feeling you get suddenly when there isn't any pencil or computer around.
Actually, inspiration comes to me once a day. The problem is it is, as you probably didn't guess it, in the shower. As another writer once said, "something about the shower makes my mind open to new ideas." I have to agree with that thoroughly, except that he had the comfort of running out of the shower and writing it down. I forget as soon as i lift the writing utensil.
So yeah, i agree. Overrated.
Surprisingly enough, that's the type of answer I like to hear. It means that I can take control and not lie around waiting for what I assume other authors/screenwriter's get. It's good to hear that.
On another note, I'm pleasantly surprise you quoted me :)
Oh, and I should've guess that Sir_Brilliant would be here, the legend fanfiction author...
legend? hmm...
anyways, it's only overrated because people think of it too highly. I get inspiration all the time while i'm sitting and writing diligently (whatever that means), and sometimes i don't. Other times, i'll be editing stuff and think "hey, it would be so awesome if..." and do that. In a sense, that is also inspiration.
But when people hear the word 'inspiration', they think of that thing that blesses you with billions of new brain cells, all of which have idea's that you never had before. That's not what it is at all. Inspiration comes in the little things. I might get inspiration to use one word over another, or to make the period a question mark (well, not that little).
Bearing that in mind, i believe that inspiration is anything that comes to you that you didn't originally have planned. In this case, it is not overrated at all. In fact, without it i'd probably be...well, a blooming idiot, to borrow the british use of the term.
You could look at it too that you're inspired to succeed which creates drive to buckle down and attach arse to chair. The inspiration maybe didn't come from one particular thing (songs, other writings, what have you) but it's always there in that driven form.
I'm glad you wrote this post. What inspired you to do it? ;) I love music, and have always wanted to write songs. The music part comes fairly easy but I've always had trouble writing solid lyrics. Your idea about kicking your muse out really struck a chord in my brain. Thanks alot, and Keep 'em Comming.
Thanks for the comments and questions everyone
Max—While I have several projects in development simultaneously, like you, I can never actually write on more than one at a time. And if I have a project I’m writing--that gets priority over anything else I’m planning.
Fred 104/chris – Sorry I can’t discuss any details about the upcoming HALO novel—title, single or series, color of the cover, nothing. Bunige would get “irritated” at me. I hope you understand.
sir_brilliant—ditto, I get some of my best ideas in the shower, too. But I AM thinking about them; it’s not mystical. Actually the shower phenomenon is very well known to me – before I get in, I actually think “now what problem do I need to fix in my writing?”
--Eric
your lucky. I don't usually have any thoughts when i get into the shower, and don't generally remember getting into it. But after the ol' brain cooks a bit, then idea's float around and mesh into, well...inspiration.
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To me, inspiration has been the experiencing of some awe-some idea that shows up in my mind, whose arrival I react to with the immediate desire to somehow capture or communicate it in some way, through careful articulation.
I am diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, so inspiring thoughts are the only way that I can write. Luckily, I've been blessed with the ability to be inspired by a great many things. :)
Oh, I also would like to express my agreement with the "don't show an early project to anyone" statement. Couldn't be more true. When I was fairly young, I had written a generic fantasy novella. I showed it to my friends, and they liked it. Then, I made the mistake of showing it to other people. Within days, I got a 2 page long, scathing review from my friend's sister, who was incredibly cynical and mean about it.
I stopped showing my unedited works to people.
Really? Most of the stuff I write I don't edit until after I show people. Of course, I don't edit until much later, and if someone says it sucks, I have an excellent excuse.
And on the subject of inspiration, I thought back to when I originally thought of my...shall we say, work in process. I was sitting in my chair and just thought, "how do i want this to go?" Then on a single page, i wrote down the main points of the story, and from that wrote 30-something chapters.
And I am very proud to say that I kept not only that page, but all of my notes. Unfortunately, I didn't date a single thing, which when someone asked me about it I made a slight indentation on the closest wall, but that's something that any writer should always remember. KEEP YOUR NOTES!
I hear that. I pretty much figured as much. But I still wonder, does your non-disclosure agreement have a terminating date? Basically, will you ever reserve the rights to discuss your books, say, after Halo 3 debuts?
Say, I'm curious... While you're obviously not allowed to talk about the book you're currently writing, are you allowed to talk about your previous books?
Good comments and thoughts everyone.
Fred, David--My NDA restricts me from revealing anything secret. So, yes, I can discuss the novels that are out there...as much as my schedule permits (I get about three requests a week to do someone’s book report!).
I do not represent Bungie, so anything that speculates on unrevealed backstory or could expose large areas of unexplored content I would not feel comfortable commenting on i.e providing a list of all UNSC colony worlds.
And now I must thank you for this bit of advice profusely. Upon thinking about it, I decided to stop stalling, sit myself down, and begin a book. In all likelihood, it will go unfinished or turn into a novella or short story, but at least I'm writing again. And "Graphophobia" was certainly accurate - before long, I was in that zen-like sate... And I'd written just about 1000 words! Thanks again!
1,000 words! Nice.
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