Hello Bookworms! (Should I change this to Bookdragons? I saw something on Pinterest.)
I TOLD myself at the beginning of the year, 1 POST PER MONTH!!! And here I am, at the end of October, and I don't have a post for this month yet. Yikes! Alright, so this post should be short, but hopefully I will get back to blogging more frequently soon.
So! I am working on another book, (I know, again?) and I'm hoping to publish this one in the next few years. So. The title is: Snow White and the Mirror's Curse. Because we don't have enough of the Snow White stories circulating :). My idea is: there are plenty of Snow White stories around, but who ever told the mirror's story? So, I'm experimenting with this book, trying to figure out all the story arcs, but I definitely have a plan. This is part of a series that I started several years ago and dropped, called A Villain's Guide to Fairy Tales and it's basically my take on what fairy tales tell us, what they don't tell us, and questions I've always had. Like: are there more magic mirrors out there? Does it only tell the truth? How does magic work in that world? How do all these stories interact?
Anyway, please let me know if you want to see any scenes from that story, and what you would like me to write about next! (see, I told you this post would be short. No, I haven't forgotten what short means!) Happy NaNoWriMo everyone! Scribe ergo quae vidiste vivere!
Monday, October 31, 2016
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Top 10: Songs that inspire my writing
Hello Bookworms!
I started writing this post...what, a month ago? Two? Yikes! This got out of hand. Oh well, let's jump into the topic! I'm talking about 10 of my favorite songs to listen to while writing. That's it. Nothing else. Enjoy!
#10: Footloose
There's something about this song that is just: fun. The tune is exciting, the words are slightly rebellious, and the general atmosphere of the song is that of an adventure I'd love to go on. I've never seen the movie it's from, but I don't think it's necessary to enjoy the song. This is usually what I listen to when I'm writing something fun, and not terribly depressing or tragic.
#9: Hold My Heart
This is a song by ZZ Ward and Lindsey Stirling on Lindsey's new album: Brave Enough. There were several songs on that album that I wanted to write about, but this one stood out to me. It has simple and easy to understand words, and is saying something great for writing strong female characters: just because they don't need the man to save them, doesn't mean they don't need the man. There's a fine line in writing between needy women and overly independent women. If you want to write one, fine, go ahead. Just know when that's what you're writing. (I think I got of track though. :) ) The music is very reminiscent of a 20s murder mystery, and has an air of class and mystery that I find excellent for writing complex dialogue. (All dialogue is complex, but sometimes there's a verbal sparing match happening between two characters, and you suddenly realize: wait, did he just say that?!)
#8: Pioneer
This song by The Band Perry inspires hope, adventure, and a sense of purpose. The first time I listened to it I was lost in the words and the music, but since then it has become a symbol of my wandering mind. This is the song for your dreamer character. This is a song that tells of determination and peaceful, blind hope. It's pretty calm, but near the end the music becomes very...emotion-awakening, and it still gives me goosebumps.
#7: Your Side of Town
By Maddie and Tae, this country song is full of threats of revenge, cheeky sass, and a fun sense of being fed up with people who betray us. I use this song as inspiration for one of my characters in TreasureHood, especially with the division between the pirates and the other people. (Yes, I'm working on a better name for them!)
#6: Lone Ranger
I recently watched the 2013 Lone Ranger movie, and found that the movie was excellent! (I'll be working on a post for that soon) This song I felt should have been in the movie, had it been written yet. Lone Ranger by Rachel Platten is an AMAZING song. It has a wandering sense, and feels like the Old West, but not in an overbearing manner. The song's an upbeat minor song, (which is actually not very common outside of soundtracks) and I enjoy writing anything general. For example: if you have to write an essay. I know that's a terrible example, but seriously. This is the kind of song you listen to when writing a first draft, and just trying to get the words out there on the page. This could be for light dialogue, it could also be for scenery or history, or even a cute bunny trail like the ones I tend to write on here. Basically, this is what you listen to when you're writing what you already know, but just need to get out there actually onto paper.
#5: El Dorado
Named after the City of Gold from Aztec mythology, this song by Two Steps from Hell, (a trailer music group) lives up to its expectations. I've heard many people have different ideas from listening to this song, but I always imagine it starting out as a thief running through the streets of that ancient city, then slowly his life gets more and more complicated and entwined in the government of the city. Different people hear different things, but this song almost always wakes up a muse of mine. It's EPIC, and while all the songs by the group could be called epic, this song's quick and light pace, (At least to start with) has made itself stand out in my mind.
#4: World on Fire
Speaking of epic, this song is mostly used in fan videos on youtube, but it registers a level of despair, and forging ahead through that despair that gets to me. Most of my muses have responded to this song, but generally it's either an opening first act song, or a third act song. (Or, it's usually the 'moment where it becomes real' for the main character, or the moment of apparent defeat.) I like it, and it's very dark, and in minor.
#3: One Day More
No, I don't have to explain this one. Les Mis. Simple. If you don't know it, well, look it up. And I am very surprised at you. (also, I am very interested in learning just how you've gone so long without hearing one of the greatest songs EVER?!) So, I will talk about what this song has inspired. This song is like Pioneer, only with more desperate anger. It's inspired character who want to change the world, and it's inspired characters who want nothing to change. All in all, it's inspired a lot of dialogue. This is the song I listen to when trying to figure out the relationship between different people. So....yup.
#2: One Girl Revolution
So, Superchick has apparently disbanded, (so sad!) but I still LOVE this song by theirs. (I was in a 'women empowerment' mindset when I wrote this list, can you tell?) This is agressive, and about women being awesome even if they don't look like it. I use this song to inspire any character who does any kind of fighting: whether it's sword fighting, martial arts, kickboxing, verbal sparing, anything. This is a song for making a difference.
#1: Immortals
YES I love this song, it's awesome! My number one song for this list is by Fall Out Boy, and most people have heard it in Big Hero 6, (fascinating movie, also need to do a post about it. Let me know if that's interesting) I actually don't use this song for my immortal characters, (yes, I have a few.) but instead I use this song to inspire moments where my characters have to decide what exactly would be worth more to them than their lives. Interesting that I use a song called 'immortals' for when characters are faced with their own mortality. Huh. Maybe I need to examine my head for a sense of irony?
Anyway, please let me know what you thought, (and also if this was too long!) Seriously, other than the practice I get from writing these, I can't really get better without your comments! Positive or negative, just as long as it's constructive! I'll get back to you guys soon! Happy Fall! Scribe Ergo Quae Vidiste Vivere!
I started writing this post...what, a month ago? Two? Yikes! This got out of hand. Oh well, let's jump into the topic! I'm talking about 10 of my favorite songs to listen to while writing. That's it. Nothing else. Enjoy!
#10: Footloose
There's something about this song that is just: fun. The tune is exciting, the words are slightly rebellious, and the general atmosphere of the song is that of an adventure I'd love to go on. I've never seen the movie it's from, but I don't think it's necessary to enjoy the song. This is usually what I listen to when I'm writing something fun, and not terribly depressing or tragic.
#9: Hold My Heart
This is a song by ZZ Ward and Lindsey Stirling on Lindsey's new album: Brave Enough. There were several songs on that album that I wanted to write about, but this one stood out to me. It has simple and easy to understand words, and is saying something great for writing strong female characters: just because they don't need the man to save them, doesn't mean they don't need the man. There's a fine line in writing between needy women and overly independent women. If you want to write one, fine, go ahead. Just know when that's what you're writing. (I think I got of track though. :) ) The music is very reminiscent of a 20s murder mystery, and has an air of class and mystery that I find excellent for writing complex dialogue. (All dialogue is complex, but sometimes there's a verbal sparing match happening between two characters, and you suddenly realize: wait, did he just say that?!)
#8: Pioneer
This song by The Band Perry inspires hope, adventure, and a sense of purpose. The first time I listened to it I was lost in the words and the music, but since then it has become a symbol of my wandering mind. This is the song for your dreamer character. This is a song that tells of determination and peaceful, blind hope. It's pretty calm, but near the end the music becomes very...emotion-awakening, and it still gives me goosebumps.
#7: Your Side of Town
By Maddie and Tae, this country song is full of threats of revenge, cheeky sass, and a fun sense of being fed up with people who betray us. I use this song as inspiration for one of my characters in TreasureHood, especially with the division between the pirates and the other people. (Yes, I'm working on a better name for them!)
#6: Lone Ranger
I recently watched the 2013 Lone Ranger movie, and found that the movie was excellent! (I'll be working on a post for that soon) This song I felt should have been in the movie, had it been written yet. Lone Ranger by Rachel Platten is an AMAZING song. It has a wandering sense, and feels like the Old West, but not in an overbearing manner. The song's an upbeat minor song, (which is actually not very common outside of soundtracks) and I enjoy writing anything general. For example: if you have to write an essay. I know that's a terrible example, but seriously. This is the kind of song you listen to when writing a first draft, and just trying to get the words out there on the page. This could be for light dialogue, it could also be for scenery or history, or even a cute bunny trail like the ones I tend to write on here. Basically, this is what you listen to when you're writing what you already know, but just need to get out there actually onto paper.
#5: El Dorado
Named after the City of Gold from Aztec mythology, this song by Two Steps from Hell, (a trailer music group) lives up to its expectations. I've heard many people have different ideas from listening to this song, but I always imagine it starting out as a thief running through the streets of that ancient city, then slowly his life gets more and more complicated and entwined in the government of the city. Different people hear different things, but this song almost always wakes up a muse of mine. It's EPIC, and while all the songs by the group could be called epic, this song's quick and light pace, (At least to start with) has made itself stand out in my mind.
#4: World on Fire
Speaking of epic, this song is mostly used in fan videos on youtube, but it registers a level of despair, and forging ahead through that despair that gets to me. Most of my muses have responded to this song, but generally it's either an opening first act song, or a third act song. (Or, it's usually the 'moment where it becomes real' for the main character, or the moment of apparent defeat.) I like it, and it's very dark, and in minor.
#3: One Day More
No, I don't have to explain this one. Les Mis. Simple. If you don't know it, well, look it up. And I am very surprised at you. (also, I am very interested in learning just how you've gone so long without hearing one of the greatest songs EVER?!) So, I will talk about what this song has inspired. This song is like Pioneer, only with more desperate anger. It's inspired character who want to change the world, and it's inspired characters who want nothing to change. All in all, it's inspired a lot of dialogue. This is the song I listen to when trying to figure out the relationship between different people. So....yup.
#2: One Girl Revolution
So, Superchick has apparently disbanded, (so sad!) but I still LOVE this song by theirs. (I was in a 'women empowerment' mindset when I wrote this list, can you tell?) This is agressive, and about women being awesome even if they don't look like it. I use this song to inspire any character who does any kind of fighting: whether it's sword fighting, martial arts, kickboxing, verbal sparing, anything. This is a song for making a difference.
#1: Immortals
YES I love this song, it's awesome! My number one song for this list is by Fall Out Boy, and most people have heard it in Big Hero 6, (fascinating movie, also need to do a post about it. Let me know if that's interesting) I actually don't use this song for my immortal characters, (yes, I have a few.) but instead I use this song to inspire moments where my characters have to decide what exactly would be worth more to them than their lives. Interesting that I use a song called 'immortals' for when characters are faced with their own mortality. Huh. Maybe I need to examine my head for a sense of irony?
Anyway, please let me know what you thought, (and also if this was too long!) Seriously, other than the practice I get from writing these, I can't really get better without your comments! Positive or negative, just as long as it's constructive! I'll get back to you guys soon! Happy Fall! Scribe Ergo Quae Vidiste Vivere!
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Disaster films: San Andreas
Dear Bookworms,
I recently watched the movie San Andreas with my family, and I found it to be a wonderful movie. It exceeded my expectations and inspired me to write, so I thought I'd write a review of it. (Yes, something other than muses and zombies!)
Plot (pacing):
The pacing of the film felt very natural. The set up didn't take too long but emphasized the importance of the earthquakes, giving meaning to some of the concepts that would be introduced further on in the plot. The middle built up towards the finale of the 2nd act, (using the 3 act format) and the ending was not only well played out and one of the tensest moments in the series, but it threw a surprise in that I didn't see coming, and definitely appreciated, and it reminded me that the finale doesn't have to be the biggest event, just the most personal.
Characters:
I won't go into much detail in this, but through most of the film my mom was commenting: "That's what you should look for in a guy!" I think they balanced the heroism of the men with the intelligence of the women, and gave each a chance to save the other. I found that none of the main characters were 'just plot devices' and each of the characters had a unique role to play. Unlike most disaster films where the children just give the main characters something to fight for and the audience a sense of danger, the kid in this film actually had a very important role in the survival of the main characters.
Disaster Scenes:
The main reason that anyone watches a disaster film: the scenes. This film had incredible jaw-dropping cinematography, and while it was noticeable that a few scenes were CGI, the disaster scenes were usually visually realistic. It wasn't just earthquakes, there were...well, I don't want to spoil anything, but it showed some epic shots with a great deal of variety in the destruction.
Accuracy:
There are two sides to this one. On the side of science I've heard that this film had some scientific inaccuracies. I'd have to agree. Here's the thing: writing isn't about accuracy. Writing is about telling your story, and entertaining the audience. If they wanted accuracy they could go watch the History Channel. Though I'm honestly not sure if that would be any better. :) (I've seen some good stuff on the History Channel, but also some REALLY bad stuff.)
On the flip side, their portrayal of human reactions to traumatic situations seemed to be rather accurate. (I cannot fully say, this is just based off of what I've heard.) The way they showed blunt force trauma and how humans respond to stressful situations seemed to be more accurate than most films I've seen. So, spot on.
Story Telling Elements:
Finally, the different elements in this movie were fantastic. They had tension, of course. What disaster film would be complete without it? They also had romance, but it was in its place. The romance was secondary to family. The main romantic interest was more focused on saving his younger brother than on saving the girl. That didn't mean he didn't care, of course he did. But his first priority was his brother. As it should well have been. Finally, it included a lot of something that several disaster films don't have: humor. I understand, if life as we know it is coming to an end, there's not a lot of chances for snarky one liners. But then a movie becomes bogged down and the audience loses interest in the story, and also looses sight of how terrible these events are. By adding in some more light-hearted moments, the narrators were able to pull the contrast on the darker moments and show them for what they were without being graphic. Excellent story telling.
Honestly, I don't know why this movie was as poorly rated as it was. Sure, there's some brief swearing. If I was in that situation, I'd be swearing too. Probably a lot more than they did, and they kept within a PG-13 rating. Anyway. Any other movies you want me to comment on? Anything you want me to write about? Please let me know!
Scribe ergo quae vidiste vivere!
I recently watched the movie San Andreas with my family, and I found it to be a wonderful movie. It exceeded my expectations and inspired me to write, so I thought I'd write a review of it. (Yes, something other than muses and zombies!)
Plot (pacing):
The pacing of the film felt very natural. The set up didn't take too long but emphasized the importance of the earthquakes, giving meaning to some of the concepts that would be introduced further on in the plot. The middle built up towards the finale of the 2nd act, (using the 3 act format) and the ending was not only well played out and one of the tensest moments in the series, but it threw a surprise in that I didn't see coming, and definitely appreciated, and it reminded me that the finale doesn't have to be the biggest event, just the most personal.
Characters:
I won't go into much detail in this, but through most of the film my mom was commenting: "That's what you should look for in a guy!" I think they balanced the heroism of the men with the intelligence of the women, and gave each a chance to save the other. I found that none of the main characters were 'just plot devices' and each of the characters had a unique role to play. Unlike most disaster films where the children just give the main characters something to fight for and the audience a sense of danger, the kid in this film actually had a very important role in the survival of the main characters.
Disaster Scenes:
The main reason that anyone watches a disaster film: the scenes. This film had incredible jaw-dropping cinematography, and while it was noticeable that a few scenes were CGI, the disaster scenes were usually visually realistic. It wasn't just earthquakes, there were...well, I don't want to spoil anything, but it showed some epic shots with a great deal of variety in the destruction.
Accuracy:
There are two sides to this one. On the side of science I've heard that this film had some scientific inaccuracies. I'd have to agree. Here's the thing: writing isn't about accuracy. Writing is about telling your story, and entertaining the audience. If they wanted accuracy they could go watch the History Channel. Though I'm honestly not sure if that would be any better. :) (I've seen some good stuff on the History Channel, but also some REALLY bad stuff.)
On the flip side, their portrayal of human reactions to traumatic situations seemed to be rather accurate. (I cannot fully say, this is just based off of what I've heard.) The way they showed blunt force trauma and how humans respond to stressful situations seemed to be more accurate than most films I've seen. So, spot on.
Story Telling Elements:
Finally, the different elements in this movie were fantastic. They had tension, of course. What disaster film would be complete without it? They also had romance, but it was in its place. The romance was secondary to family. The main romantic interest was more focused on saving his younger brother than on saving the girl. That didn't mean he didn't care, of course he did. But his first priority was his brother. As it should well have been. Finally, it included a lot of something that several disaster films don't have: humor. I understand, if life as we know it is coming to an end, there's not a lot of chances for snarky one liners. But then a movie becomes bogged down and the audience loses interest in the story, and also looses sight of how terrible these events are. By adding in some more light-hearted moments, the narrators were able to pull the contrast on the darker moments and show them for what they were without being graphic. Excellent story telling.
Honestly, I don't know why this movie was as poorly rated as it was. Sure, there's some brief swearing. If I was in that situation, I'd be swearing too. Probably a lot more than they did, and they kept within a PG-13 rating. Anyway. Any other movies you want me to comment on? Anything you want me to write about? Please let me know!
Scribe ergo quae vidiste vivere!
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Writing Block Corner: The Muse Pt. 2
Hello Bookworms!
It has come to my attention that my previous conclusion about muses is...incomplete. So, here are 10 more muses that you might come across! Have fun reading?
1: The Research Muse
This muse has ideas, and want to know if it could happen before it's written down. This muse doesn't lead to a lot of writing, but it is the one that makes sure you've got everything right. It wants to make sure you're getting every detail of your story right. It's unpredictable in its nature, and can show up at the strangest times, then last for anywhere from a few minutes to several days, asking the questions you don't honestly have the answers for at the moment, because who want to deal with that editor muse anyway?
2: The Editor Muse
If you haven't run across this muse yet, you haven't been writing long enough. This muse will come up to you at some point in time and yell at you to go back through all of your writing and fix everything wrong. This word doesn't make sense, you shouldn't use that pronoun in that sentence, and you've got an entire paragraph you need to rewrite. No, scratch that, an entire chapter. Well, why not the entire book while you're at it? This muse won't let you live down a mistake, only live it up. It's annoying as anything, and gives you massive insecurity about your book. Unfortunately it's impossible to fully get rid of, as it is necessary. Sorry, but someone needs to tell you to go back and fix your spelling. It just needs to learn timing. Really, dialogue is hard enough without the wrong voice in your ear!
3: The Auditory Muse
This muse is most helpful with dialogue, but really it can help with anything. This is the muse that has you speak your words allowed, and doesn't really like coming out in public. You speak the words allowed and find yourself pouring more emotions into the words than you had originally planned. This is the muse that lets you play out your situations, understanding how long it really takes to speak a paragraph! And if you give your characters the voices of certain actors, well, that's just par for the course.
4: The Actor Muse
I am not even joking when I say that this muse has taken up a large percentage of my Pinterest pins, and entire board. This is the muse that sees a picture of an actor, and suddenly a completely rounded character appears. Fully grown, and on his horse. The problem: this character has no story. Oh, the character has a story, but there's no story that the character belongs to. We're not just about to write an entire story for one character, are we? We're not that big into his previous works.
5: The Copy Muse
We're that big into his previous works. This muse is the muse that is tired of working with original stuff, and wants to see what it's like to experiment with other characters. This is the muse whose works we fondly keep in a drawer and pull out sometimes when we're sentimental. This technically isn't our own work, but hey. We wrote it, and we learned important lessons while doing so. And yes, it might be called fan-fiction, but we prefer to call it a nowhere story. Besides, did you hear the music for that film? Awesome!
6: The Music Muse
This is the muse that loves music. Not every writer has this muse, but for those who do, they find that they do more writing with music in the background than without it. Music is what gives this muse a sense of purpose. An emotion to key in on during a scene. A sense of epic purpose to help you transform your book for words to adventures. This muse works surprisingly well with other muses, which isn't honestly that common.
7: The Muse Clique
This is a group of several muses who never go anywhere without each other, and it's very hard to write one without writing all of them. These muses will copy each other's emotions. They are very difficult to break up, and usually become very upset if you manage it. Eventually you're just going to have to either try writing all of them at once, or take one of them out at a time and give them each your undecided attention for long enough that it no longer feels the need to band with other muses. Even the principal muse has difficulty ratcheting down on these muses.
8: The Principal Muse
If your mind is a school, then this muse is its principal. This is the muse that oversees the rest of them. Or at least tries to. Your principal muse is the means of communication you have with your other muses. If you have writer's block, it's typically because this muse isn't feeling well. This is one of your most helpful muses, until it decides that you should be writing, only none of your other muses are even awake. You're stuck with a desperate urge to write and no outlet, meaning that you generally end up stuck examining the morph.
9: The Morph Muse
You know one thing about this muse. Whether it's a character, or a general arc, or a world, or maybe even the way three characters interact. But other than that, nothing is known. Everything changes. Is it a Western? Is it a Sci-Fi? Is it in the past or the future? Nothing is known. Everything is suspect to change. It's a very difficult muse to write, and also one of the most addicting. You just want to examine every aspect of it, peel away the surface, get underneath its edges, carve away at it...
10: The Constructive Muse
Unlike constructive criticism, this muse means constructive in a very literal term. This is the muse that works best when you're using your hands for something else. Whether it's drawing, cooking, building, blowing things up, this muse wants you to see that you've done stuff. This muse is also a very logical muse. Not everyone has this muse, but it's a very polite muse to have. Well, polite for a bit of a control freak.
Alright, so please! What experiences do you have with muses? Would you like for me to continue talking about muses? Or is there something else about the insanity of writing that you'd like me to go into?
Scribe ergo quae vidiste vivere!
It has come to my attention that my previous conclusion about muses is...incomplete. So, here are 10 more muses that you might come across! Have fun reading?
1: The Research Muse
This muse has ideas, and want to know if it could happen before it's written down. This muse doesn't lead to a lot of writing, but it is the one that makes sure you've got everything right. It wants to make sure you're getting every detail of your story right. It's unpredictable in its nature, and can show up at the strangest times, then last for anywhere from a few minutes to several days, asking the questions you don't honestly have the answers for at the moment, because who want to deal with that editor muse anyway?
2: The Editor Muse
If you haven't run across this muse yet, you haven't been writing long enough. This muse will come up to you at some point in time and yell at you to go back through all of your writing and fix everything wrong. This word doesn't make sense, you shouldn't use that pronoun in that sentence, and you've got an entire paragraph you need to rewrite. No, scratch that, an entire chapter. Well, why not the entire book while you're at it? This muse won't let you live down a mistake, only live it up. It's annoying as anything, and gives you massive insecurity about your book. Unfortunately it's impossible to fully get rid of, as it is necessary. Sorry, but someone needs to tell you to go back and fix your spelling. It just needs to learn timing. Really, dialogue is hard enough without the wrong voice in your ear!
3: The Auditory Muse
This muse is most helpful with dialogue, but really it can help with anything. This is the muse that has you speak your words allowed, and doesn't really like coming out in public. You speak the words allowed and find yourself pouring more emotions into the words than you had originally planned. This is the muse that lets you play out your situations, understanding how long it really takes to speak a paragraph! And if you give your characters the voices of certain actors, well, that's just par for the course.
4: The Actor Muse
I am not even joking when I say that this muse has taken up a large percentage of my Pinterest pins, and entire board. This is the muse that sees a picture of an actor, and suddenly a completely rounded character appears. Fully grown, and on his horse. The problem: this character has no story. Oh, the character has a story, but there's no story that the character belongs to. We're not just about to write an entire story for one character, are we? We're not that big into his previous works.
5: The Copy Muse
We're that big into his previous works. This muse is the muse that is tired of working with original stuff, and wants to see what it's like to experiment with other characters. This is the muse whose works we fondly keep in a drawer and pull out sometimes when we're sentimental. This technically isn't our own work, but hey. We wrote it, and we learned important lessons while doing so. And yes, it might be called fan-fiction, but we prefer to call it a nowhere story. Besides, did you hear the music for that film? Awesome!
6: The Music Muse
This is the muse that loves music. Not every writer has this muse, but for those who do, they find that they do more writing with music in the background than without it. Music is what gives this muse a sense of purpose. An emotion to key in on during a scene. A sense of epic purpose to help you transform your book for words to adventures. This muse works surprisingly well with other muses, which isn't honestly that common.
7: The Muse Clique
This is a group of several muses who never go anywhere without each other, and it's very hard to write one without writing all of them. These muses will copy each other's emotions. They are very difficult to break up, and usually become very upset if you manage it. Eventually you're just going to have to either try writing all of them at once, or take one of them out at a time and give them each your undecided attention for long enough that it no longer feels the need to band with other muses. Even the principal muse has difficulty ratcheting down on these muses.
8: The Principal Muse
If your mind is a school, then this muse is its principal. This is the muse that oversees the rest of them. Or at least tries to. Your principal muse is the means of communication you have with your other muses. If you have writer's block, it's typically because this muse isn't feeling well. This is one of your most helpful muses, until it decides that you should be writing, only none of your other muses are even awake. You're stuck with a desperate urge to write and no outlet, meaning that you generally end up stuck examining the morph.
9: The Morph Muse
You know one thing about this muse. Whether it's a character, or a general arc, or a world, or maybe even the way three characters interact. But other than that, nothing is known. Everything changes. Is it a Western? Is it a Sci-Fi? Is it in the past or the future? Nothing is known. Everything is suspect to change. It's a very difficult muse to write, and also one of the most addicting. You just want to examine every aspect of it, peel away the surface, get underneath its edges, carve away at it...
10: The Constructive Muse
Unlike constructive criticism, this muse means constructive in a very literal term. This is the muse that works best when you're using your hands for something else. Whether it's drawing, cooking, building, blowing things up, this muse wants you to see that you've done stuff. This muse is also a very logical muse. Not everyone has this muse, but it's a very polite muse to have. Well, polite for a bit of a control freak.
Alright, so please! What experiences do you have with muses? Would you like for me to continue talking about muses? Or is there something else about the insanity of writing that you'd like me to go into?
Scribe ergo quae vidiste vivere!
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