Thursday, June 28, 2007

# WRITING

What Is A Muse? by Karen Magill

I have been asked in interviews about my muse or muses. And I never know how to answer that question. It always confuses me so I usually just say whatever pops into my head and sounds good. Because truth be told I don’t know about my muse. Or I didn’t until recently.

If I had to put a name to my muse it would have to be: Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Poison, Bryan Adams, and so on. In other words music. Nothing frees my mind and releases the creativity like the sweet sounds of music. Once I allow the sounds to flow through me and set my feet tapping, once I start singing along, and focusing on the words I get into the mind set needed to write. Not that I start then but the ideas are coming. Sometimes I will jot down ideas but most times I just let them ferment in my mind. I gaze around me; gathering inspiration from my surroundings or else I just enjoy the beauty. And beauty is everywhere is you just look.

Sometimes when I get home, I boot up my computer and start to write. Many times the ideas begin to flow. If the walk went particularly well I could miss meals, appointments, favorite shows and life will march on by as I sit mesmerized by this little screen. The magic of the tunes have done their job and set my fingers flying. There are times I put on my portable music player and type to the music to keep the rhythm going and the muse active. The muse is happy, cooperative at least some of the time.

Or else the time isn’t right and I do other things, letting the ideas simmer a bit longer. I may answer emails or do chores around the house. But the music has planted the seeds that are going to grow and need to be nurtured.

To every artistic person, the muse is something or someone different. I’m not a musician – I can’t play an instrument, I’m not a singer. But to me music is sustenance. I need it to survive and to feed my creative juices. To me, that’s a muse.

Karen Magill
Author of Let Us Play - A Rock 'N Roll Love Story
http://www.karenmagill.com/


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