It's time to knuckle down and create that blog post, freelance
article or the early drafts of that book. You have made the commitment - to
others and to yourself - but the inspiration (and motivation) is just not
there. The ideas are far and few between and time is slipping away.
This makes you feel anxious, and you know all too well from
experience that your muse doesn’t dance hand-in-hand with apprehension. She’d rather move at her own pace, frolicking and twirling on an open ballroom all of her
own.
This doesn’t change the fact that there is a deadline looming
and white space where your story should be taking form (‘Should’ being used
very loosely here).
So how do you connect with
the muse when you need to most?
Firstly, it’s important to understand and accept that it’s normal.
It’s normal to be lost for ideas, frazzled and not sure where to
go next. Wipe the shame and the judgement. The most prolific of writers
experience times when the inspiration is at an all time low. That doesn’t stop
them though. There are times when there is ease and flow, and others when
whatever is happening in your life (or in your day for that matter), there just
isn’t.
Some days the words and messages just arrive, delivered from
your brain to your fingertips in a thoughtfully packaged parcel (why thank
you!), and other times, there is nada. Zilch. Zippo. I’m the first to raise my
hand to this experience.
Here are some tools to help awaken your silent muse, as shy as
she may be.