My Muse--The Addictive Writer

It's true. My Muse likes fountain pens. Really. In an age of high tech, the Muse I meet prefers real pens, real ink in a bottle, and a feed system based on capillary action. I've come to accept reality. My Muse is just sooooo 19th, well all right, 20th Century. I am my Muse, and not. Whatever lets the Muse speaks is the best tool for me.

In fact, I've been literally (and literately) accused of being ever so last century for reasons other than choice of writing equipment. There are huge advantages to a slower means of writing, not the least of it being handwriting generates one copy only. My Muse prefers a rough drafts, real letters sent by post, notes, memos, and assorted labeling matters done in the old fashioned paper and ink mode.

I've yet to find a laptop that survives a reading session in a tub filled with bubbles of wonderfully smelly stuff. It must be the water.

But this is about the writing. This is about the communication with people, not necessarily with machines. Machines, such as computers are tools.

Some tools work better than others.

Sometimes if you rush, you miss meeting a Muse. I think of my Muse as terrifically fond of real ink pens. Bottles filled with colorful potions bearing labels of "WidowMaker", "Bouton D'Or" or "Prussian Blue" are lined up in the ink bottle tray. Each color fits a mood, or fits a pen.

Now, don't get me wrong. My Muse also views computers and electronic wizardry as wonderful. Even the lowly ballpoint pens are good tools, when necessary. I avoid purchase of those mass produced, use, lose and forget-'em ball points. There are plenty of them available if you keep your eyes open. Check the bus stop. You'll average one a week if you're looking.

Typewriters allowed authors avoid the ignomy of being dismissed for poor penmanship. Then computers made writing faster and easier to send 'round the world. But in that speed, that rush, the still small voice of the Muse is harried, or may be missed entirely.

For those times, there is nothing like a fountain pen. At least for me. And they can be outrageously inexpensive at garage sales, back to school promotions and online. Try any search engine, like Google and thousands of fountain pens appear with enticing marketing and prices from a dollar to thousands.

Don't worry though about the Muse getting too pricey to afford. In fact, purchasing fountain pens is sometimes not necessary at all. I found a Parker 51 rolling about on the Chicago El. That pen, a workhorse, has a very smooth nib, holds a lot of ink, and is one of the best "purchases" I've ever made. (Hey, it cost $1.50 for the ride!)

The Muse here never makes a nasty comment about pen or any writing instrument. I like what I like. You like what you like. Personally I am sort of wondering about the rock table/hammer and chisel folks, but to each--his, her, or its own.

Fair warning. Founatin pens might be a problem for certain people with addictive personality. For them, there is the Fountain Pen Twelve Step Program. That is a program where you purchase 12 fountain pens along with appropriate inks, papers and the whole shebang. Then repeat the process as many times as possible until you achieve "pen-ury".

Fountain pen collectors can be just as addicted as watch collectors, art collectors, violin collectors or any "collectors". Check out The Fountain Pen Network for more information.

But this is about finding your Muse. And this post is about finding your Muse through using a tool. If your search for your Muse has hit a wall of sorts, try an equipment change. Refit the tool belt. Sign onto the technology that works best for you. I know a writer who photographs blackboards, filled with chalky writing, and then washes the board, and starts again. It's a far more certain process with the advent of digital photography and the instant ability to see the picture does hold the entire writing before the erasing and starting over begins.

Whatever.

Any tool for finding your Muse might be addictive. You might be addicted to the process of finding your Muse. For me, there is a Siren in that ink holder, fitted with nib, feed mechanism and some literature in liquid form.

The cause of my addictive disorder is "Pendora's Bottle". It is a creature akin to Pandora's Box. When you open your first bottle of fountain pen ink, the powers of the "Gotta Have More" Fountain Pen Genie is released. Stand too close (anywhere less than 50 feet) and you're on the path to a Membership Card in that fountain pen Twelve Step Program, or just a bunch of wonderful pens and a staggering array of inks very soon.

(Don't worry. Your membership documents will be done up in lovely calligraphy, with a real ink pen, colorfully done, and in your own handwriting to boot.) Sure, the method of writing with a fountain pen is very old school. Yet it is a means of communication that makes writing more about the process, the thought, the beauty of putting the words into concrete form. There is ceremony to writing with a fountain pen. A pen is a small thing in so many ways, yet it is a gateway into the world of words, ideas and thoughts.

My Muse is addicted to fountain pens. Yours might be hooked on ever faster processing speeds with WiFi availability. Step One, admit the problem -- done.

Muses tend to work with the tools that work best for us. A pen may be a work of art in its own right and a way to slow down and allow your Muse to be heard. It is a vehicle for expression that demands respect from the writer. It may be last century technology, but in the short time we humans have been writing, it is one of the few tools we have that allows us to record our thoughts with nothing more than a piece of paper and a pen in our possession. The fountain pen, that addictive mechanism of tubes and nib, allows us to quiet the hustle and bustle and hear, listen, to that small voice inside that speaks, often slowly, to make the Muse heard.

No extras required -- no 'links', no software, no electricity, no nothing. Just a pen and piece of paper. And the process. And the opportunity to meet your Muse that might just work at the speed of handwriting.

As I said. To each, his, hers or whatever. Find the tool that works today, perhaps change tools tomorrow. Just meet your Muse. And listen.

Hmmm. Where'd I put the Brilliant Black? Or is it Prussian Blue day? It's time for a little exploration of the certain tool I need today in the world of my Muse.

Monday Morning Muse

It's going to be a great day!

I know this because the sun is rising, the temperatures are warm enough for a light sweater, the trees are filling with that wonderful spring green only visible a few days a year, and there's laughter outside my windows.

That's right. The kidlets of the neighborhood are getting to the last days of school and they are feeling the freedom close at hand. I live near a college. This past weekend was filled with commencement exercises, parties, family celebrations and a few raucous parties for those leaving school for the big wide world.

Over the next days, the neighborhood will empty out. Students moving from the dorms will return home, travel to Europe for study, or simply leave for a holiday. Families will leave town for the Memorial Day weekend, and those of us remaining will marvel at the quiet of early summer mornings once again.

Then we shall hear the silence. It is time to wander to the river. A brief saunter around the campus near my home brings me to the property of an old seminary. Students there study God. I study the silence of God for a moment. Quietly, I move across the lawn and listen. All of us occupying that area, even for a few short minutes, listen for some sound or other. Are we listening to God? Is God speaking on the morning breeze?

Wandering a bit further to the west, I reach the banks of the Mississippi River. The river is not very wide at this point, having grown from a trickle up in northern Minnesota. My part of my Mississippi is north of Lock and Dam No. 1. There are few boats travelling the river this far north. Most carry food, coal or other commodities.

The banks are steep and filled with trees, wildflowers and an array of birds that is breathtaking. I often stand still and look up, hoping to see the what newcomers are arriving on the last waves of the spring migration.

Owls, flying on silent wings, swoop from the air and capture a bit of breakfast for their young.

I listen intently to hear the sounds of the river. The sounds of traffic are muted along the riverbank where the trees are thick. Sharp ratta-tat-tapping indicates a pileated woodpecker is finding bugs for a feast. Other sounds tell me squirrels are warning an intruder away from their young. A rustling of leaves indicates a raccoon is rumbling along the river, earnestly seeking nourishment.

We are fed by this river, all of us. Our bread rides south in barges filled with grain. Our lights are powered by coal transported by riverboat. Our books go past in the form of pulpwood. Our souls are filled and fed by the music of birds and conversations among the small animals calling the riverbank their home.

This river, this watery highway of commerce and path of migration, is my home. This river was home to Mark Twain. This river on this Monday morning is my inspiration. I stand still one more time, listening to the river. I am spellbound as I behold limitless beauty moving before my eyes. The river is alive with possibilities.

Monday morning, on the riverbank, and it shall be a wonder filled day indeed.

Which Muse? Can I Rent A Muse?

It's Friday, that run-up to the weekend. One of the projects of Friday afternoon is to assess what you'll be doing Monday. More accurately, you need to figure out what needs to be done on Monday, and whether or not you'll be spending the weekend with your computer, chained to some desk or other.

Maybe you need something, a paragraph or two, perhaps a white paper. Maybe you simply need a small bit of verbiage that will accomplish something, but you aren't sure exactly what to do. Or, you're overwhelmed, and you need a bit of help to get things done.

Perhaps you need to meet, and Rent A Muse. You need to Meet a Muse that will help you get the work done so you can go to the beach, show up at the barbeque, or take in a ball game. You can Meet A Muse here who will make your life easier.

It's about tools. It's about using help that is available. It's about keeping your sanity. It's also about having a weekend off before the next Millennium.

You can rent a Muse here at Meet A Muse to make the words come together for whatever project you need done.

For example, if I am working out on a task, such as a marketing letter, then I summon the Marketing Muse. I work with all Muse seekers to be sure the best writing I can do for your communications with your clients. That's true for any communication project, in-house, B2B, or copy for promoting a product or service.

Do you needs a scathingly brilliant idea or two, but have no idea whatsoever that idea will turn out to be when it is transformed from a "hmmm, might be interesting" into a "WOW, could I do that?!?!?" sort of project, I'll bring out the Marketing Muse to help with marketing those "WOW" ideas. And the not so earthshaking ideas, but if there is any WOW to be found, Meet A Muse will help you find it.

Meet A Muse will introduce you to a Muse to perform those descriptive tasks that will help you focus on the very best way to sell something. Believe me, there will be no lying allowed. At the same time, we'll put words together to help make someone want to do that something you want them to do. And the Muse you meet here will do that without even any disgusting, slicked up, slimy sales strategies of any salesman who'd lie rather than tell the simple truth, even when truth would make the sale.

For the times when a lot of information needs to be distilled into a single coherent message, I'll help you meet the Researcher Muse. Or, if you need to come up with a distillation of huge amounts of data, and then sell it, I'll bring out the Persuader Muse.

Do you have a new invention you want to market to another company? Check here, and Meet A Muse will introduce you to the Intellectual Property Protector Muse.

Maybe you need research paper completed for your employer. We'll help you meet the Data Distilling Muse. Lots and lots of facts can be pulled together, alternative courses of action described and the concerns of potential naysayers refuted, often before they open their mouths.

Monday morning is looming. Do you need a brochure prepared? Perhaps you want a few posts on some blogs in your field. Are you about to pull a catalog together? Remember the Marketing Muse is here to prepare copy for you.

Of course if you are simply unsure of what Muse you want to meet here, just drop an email to me at penplay@juno.com.

Meet A Muse is here to serve you. If you are unsure of exactly which Muse you want to meet, give a shout and Meet A Muse will answer your questions, help you define the project, or lend a hand.

Meet A Muse will work with you, and for you, on any project . The Muse you meet will get what needs to be done, completed on time, and to your satisfaction.

All you need to do is ask. We'll meet your creative needs when you Meet a Muse

My Musical Muse and The Space Between

Like they say in the commercial, no one can have just one. By that, I mean none of use is constrained by a limit on the number of muses we have within us. We learn much from our muses, whether we recognize that learning or not.

I have the Muses of Listening, Reading, Writing, Conversing, Running, Walking, Swimming, Drawing, and Playing. And there are still more Muses within me.

My favorite Muse is my Musical Muse. She is. Yeah, I know, she is a "she". Then again, so am I. Except when playing Liszt, when I wail and moan that I can't locate my third and fourth hand, each having six very long and absurdly muscular, coordinated fingers. At those moments, I often think my Musical Muse is some genderless being composed of ill intent. But I digress.

My Musical Muse is the guide that helps me listen and play. My Musical Muse is my teacher, my friend and my guide. My main instrument is the violin, so if you're not a violinist, be patient. There is a message in this for musicians of all sorts, from rock to chant, instrumental or voice, musicians and self-defined non-musicians, players, or listeners.

And the first thing my Musical Muse reminds me of each day is the importance of active listening. Listening, at its best is never sitting back and allowing sounds to wash over you as a spring shower bathes the earth. No, not at all.

Listening is a very active process. Listening is an engaging process where you receive information that has meaning. Think of it like riding a bicycle. If you're going for a ride on a bicycle, you are not just sitting there on the bike seat doing nothing. Even if you are riding on someone else's handlebars, you are actively remaining in balance with the bicycle as it moves along. When you coast on a bicycle, you have to maintain your balance or you'll not be riding for long. The same is true of listening.

When you are listening to a friend speaking, you are active. You are taking in the message. You are balancing on the sounds you perceive, investigating them, translating the message.

When you listen to music, you are actively taking in the sounds and making sense of them. Even when you listen to "white noise", that formless, content void of sound, you are listening to the nothing. In silence you listen to the lack of music, a coherent sound stream with a message. The same is true of the music of speech or the hubbub of the city as heard in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

There is a Zen-like statement that goes something like this: music is not the notes, it is the space between the notes. A single note, even perfectly sung or perfectly played, is just that. It is only a note. It is not music. Skills of the mythical bad violist notwithstanding, the ability to play a single 64th note is just that. A note without music.

The space between the notes gives you direction, the pulse of the music, the flow. The space informs the listener of the musical style, the emotion within a phrase, even the goal of a tune. The spaces between the notes recognizes that a high A vibrates in the air differently from middle C.

The "space between" informs us that the music is a march, a dance or a dirge.

In speech we also have the space between the notes. The spaces are punctuation, phrasing, meter, and the spaces that define the end of one thought and the beginning of another.

In art, we have the spacing between the colors. The color red is a different wavelength of light from the color blue.

In comedy, the space is the timing, the pause, the moment when a funny bone is tickled.

Frequency and time, the currency of Music. Frequency and time, the currency of communication.

Frequency and time--the space between.

And so my Musical Muse reminds me each day to listen to that space between. The frequency and modulation of the cawing crow or the trill of the robin. The space between the chirps of a sparrow. The frequency and modulation of the phrase of Liszt or the muscular run of notes in the Barber Violin Concerto.

It is by listening we learn what is going on in the world. The newscaster, pundit and preacher all depend on our listening to the spaces between. The music of the world in words, music or noise informs us as we listen to the Musical Muse.

Take a moment, listen, and thank your own Musical Muse. You've learned so much from Music, and will learn much more this day.

Listen. Are you hearing the space between the notes that tells you a police siren is approaching, or that a child is crying? Are you hearing happy laughter or a derisive chuckle? Listen. Drink in the music of the world. It is the voice of your Musical Muse informing you that what you are hearing is what you will learn in this very special moment.

And thank the music for the space between. In that space, the chasm between the notes is the music.

Reviewer Muse -- Finding Help For Your Creative Muse

There are only a few days left in May. Perhaps your deadline has "graduation" at the end of it. You might just be working on one of those longer projects and are stuck with "something not being right" but you're uncertain what that "something" is. Whatever applies, your deadline means you move from where you are to somewhere else. The deadline is just that. Either you pass it or you are for all practical purposes, stopped dead where you presently stand. Or sit.

If you're in school, your assignment might have been given weeks ago, but there was Spring Break, spring weather and a general sense of "it will all end soon, and then my life will be my own again".

Some call it "senior-itis". Sometimes it's a simple realization that your grades won't matter much as you already have that great job lined up. Some call it fatigue. You may even think of it as getting to the end of the "sentence", even a "release date" if you think of school as prison (or purgatory) where you've spent the past years learning something, anything, useful to land you a job.

You've got the job. You're certain of the next step, which may be more schooling or it may be a year off, or it might be going to work for "International Gizmo and Widget" (or their lawyers, bankers, or health care providers.

All that stands in your way is that research paper. Or that writing project. Maybe it's a speech. No matter what it is, you are unsure if this is going to be your best work. Maybe you are so sick of the work from the past nine months that you frankly don't care what you write, just so long as the pages are filled and you turn in anything. You just want this project to end. Now. Right NOW.

Well try this on. Find a Muse for a little creative review of what you've done to date. That's right. Ask the reviewer to be your very own "Muse For A Moment", your "Reviewer Muse". It's not a job with the perks of "Queen For A Day", but you aren't giving prizes to the reviewer. You're giving yourself the gift of perspective.

Can you as the creator of your own work, step back dispassionately, review, edit, fill in the blanks or suggest improvements to your own work? Are you able to be neutral about judgments concerning content, rhythm, pacing, flow and word choice?

Really? Are you sure you can do this with a bad case of spring fever, senior-itis, new-found love (hey, it happens in the spring -- ask Shakespeare), or while you have to move from one end of the country to the other for that new job that starts in 3 weeks?

If you can honestly say you are able to be unaffected by "life" as you complete this task, good on you. If not, find someone to be your Reviewer Muse. This is not a job for the creative muse type that got the project off the ground at the beginning. That Muse was in you, part of you, and worked with you through long hours of research and writing.

The Reviewer Muse is probably not the Muse in your own head. In fact, the Reviewer Muse might be the best friend you can ever meet. Hiring a Reviewer Muse is like hiring any professional. They often work for no pay, but your choice is important. Payment to a Reviewer Muse may be by the page, project or time. Reviewer Muses often work for hugs (parents and significant others), treats (friends) or cold hard cash (professional editors).

Make sure the reviewer knows a bit about what they are reviewing. If you're writing a technical paper, then find a muse with some experience in the field. If you are unable to find anyone with prior skills, can the reviewer at least help with grammar and punctuation? Can you provide a "cheat sheet" with which words are proper nouns, nouns, verbs and singular/plurals in your writing?

If you're writing for a particularly skilled audience, can you find someone that fits that profile to complete your review? If needed, you may have to swear your Reviewer Muse to secrecy. Remember, if you're working on a project for International Widget concerning their new improved product, you want to avoid International Widget's competition for help on your "white paper", confidentiality agreements notwithstanding.

When you have your Reviewer Muse, and the changes are before you, read them carefully. Accept what is good, work with works, discard that which makes no sense. Then go for a walk, review one more time.

Finish the job. Then break out the boxes and packing tape. Move on to that new job a thousand miles away, or just walk into tomorrow with a light heart. You did your best, got the help you needed and it's time to start anew.

Reviewer MuseThe Muse of the Thesis--The Muse on Research Papers--The Muse on Writing Projects

There are only a few weeks until it all begins again.

Yep. School is around the corner, and the shops have already started the 'Back to School' sales.

The goal has "graduation" at the end of it. The deadline means you move from where you are to somewhere else. The deadline is just a line in time. Either you pass it or you are, for all practical purposes, just where you presently stand. Or sit.

When school starts, you will get an assignment, and there might be a break involved before you turn in your masterpiece. This autumn, you might find weather and a general sense of "it will all end soon, and then my life will be my own again" will be dangling before your eyes like the Sirens tempting Odysseus.

Some call it "senior-itis". Sometimes it's a simple realization that your grades won't matter much as you already have a great job lined up. Some call it fatigue. You may even think of it as getting to the end of the "sentence", even a "release date" if you think of school as a prison where you've spent the past years learning something, anything, useful to land you a job.

But don't fall for the nonsense that you're getting to the end and grades don't matter any longer. Five or even twenty-five years down the road, you might find that you must submit a transcript to get the next job. Grades will matter then, and there will be nothing you can do about it then.

This year, it might be wise to dedicate August to a little 'thinking ahead'. You know the courses you'll be taking, and you've likely got a good idea there will be a paper or thesis due. Start reading. Start writing. Start researching. Now.

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That's right. Give the Muse a jump start.

You've got the job. You're certain of the next step, which may be more schooling or it may be a year off, or it might be going to work for "International Gizmo and Widget" (or their lawyers, bankers, or health care providers.

All that stands in your way is graduation. No worries about that research paper, or many other assignments. Or that writing project. Maybe it's a speech.

But what stands in our way in the long view is this. We need to be able to get an "A+++" every day when we're working. It's a Pass/Fail system. You do well or you fail. That's it.

So, dust off that Muse finding technique, whatever is your favorite. And just for practice, give yourself exactly 3 days to do a very complex project, equal to the most complex project you've done in school (or at work, if school is a distant memory). Science geeks might want to avoid the 'bench chemistry' on the kitchen table for safety's sake.

If you're nowhere near graduation, either too far in the future, or too long in the past, try it anyway. Challenges are good. Intellectual challenges are fun. At the end of the day, when the "new year" starts on Labor Day, you'll be ready for more challenges at work, and in life.

Seeking One Muse -- Or the 2 am ARRRRGH!!!

Imagine this. It's 2 am, you're about to run out of ideas, you're on deadline, and suddenly your inspiration takes a nap. Or creativity "takes a powder" as they used to say in the hard boiled detective stories.

Or, it's still 2 am, you are about to fall asleep where you sit and you're out of coffee, functioning on less than 2 functioning brain cells and you can't recall the real reason you're sitting there in the first place.

Could you need to meet a Muse?

How about this situation. You have a presentation to make and you are simply frightened out of your shoes at the prospect of standing in front of a group of people and speaking.

Maybe you're a performer. Maybe you've got stage fright. Or maybe you don't consider yourself a performer, but you know that when it comes time to open your mouth and explain why your ideas are the very best, your voice will suddenly disappear, you'll go mute, have a nervous breakdown, or simply melt into the carpeting from anxiety.

Need to meet a Muse now?

Fast forward from that 2 am session in front of the computer screen. It is now an entire hour after the presentation. You are vaguely, perhaps uncomfortably aware, that you agreed to do something by a certain date, and for the life of you, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that informs you exactly what you just agreed to do.

Add to that, a firm belief that you don't have any memory defects. Or, if you have memory defects, you are certain you didn't have any problems in that department when the meeting started.

Well, the truth is, you need to Meet A Muse.

All of those situations, whether 2 am or 2 in the afternoon, before, during or after your project is presented, printed, published or performed, are times where you need a Muse. Not just the inspiration of the Muse, but the calming, productive functioning Muse.

Most broadly, these are all situations of stage fright. You don't need to be a musician, dancer, actor or performer to have performance anxiety. The Muse can help you.

Stage fright is a blessing and a curse. Whether your performance is on paper, on the phone, via video feed or before small or large groups, stage fright is that paralyzing feeling that it is all going wrong, or will go wrong no matter what you do.

The solution? Check in with your personal Muse. If you don't already know your Muse, consider this. A Muse is not just inspiration. A Muse keeps you on track, mind and memory fully functioning, with ideas (and the right words) clicking in when you need and want them.

But first, the Muse must come to life. You can't meet a lifeless or comatose Muse.

Well, you can, but the conversation is going to be terribly one sided and of little help in the long run.

Bring your Muse to life. Meet YOUR Muse. Life in the world of humans means having a pulse. Pulse-less is lifeless. Pulse-less is dead on arrival. There are many ways to find the pulse in your Muse, none of which involve locating a pulsing carotid artery.

A pulse means rhythm. Rhythm means pulse. Every thing you do has a rhythm. Breathing, speaking, walking, talking, thinking, writing, dancing...everything you do has a rhythm.

So check into the first rhythm you can find and hang on for the ride.

Your project has a title. That title has a pulse. Repeat it to get the flow. Maybe the words of your topic really don't have a flow or pulse. Maybe you're not making sense of things because there is no rhythm, no pulse, no pacing to the words of the title. That's right. The title.

Is there any possibility of music to go with your words? Well, scratch around a bit, and see if you can find some rhythm, any rhythm. This is rough draft time, don't worry if you've got it all right.

Then, walk around the room a bit, moving to your ribbon of rhythmic words. Before you write, find the pulse of the idea, a flow of words before they hit the page. If you're performing music, find the pulse in the opening phrase. If you're speaking, find a rhythm for the first paragraph.

That's it. That's the beginning. Waken the Muse with the pulse.

Find rhythm in the words. If there is no rhythm to the words, find words that have rhythm. Put a pause in if that does the trick. You're on your way. You are beginning to waken the Muse so that you can have a conversation (which also has rhythm, BTW.)

Tomorrow, more hints for meeting your Muse. And a discussion or two about the message of the Muse.

Welcome to Meet A Muse

Welcome to Meet A Muse. This site is about thinking, exploring, analyzing and giving voice to thought concerning issues of today and tomorrow. Meet A Muse is about finding your voice and making it heard in a noisy world.

We are under construction. Stop back soon please. A Muse is waiting to meet you.