With the rhyming of that title one would maybe assume that Dr. Seuss is mine?
For the record, he's not. But I do have them.
Plenty of people have muses. They can be a person (or several), a place, even a band - anything that serves as inspiration.
Author Stephenie Meyer (of the Twilight books, in case you've been under a rock for the last 3 years) has said that the band Muse is her, well, muse. I seem to share the band-as-muse gene with Ms. Meyer. I'm sure by now you know that I love U2 (more specifically, BONO). No? You didn't know? Read this. Now you know! U2 gets my creative juices flowing and they are always in my playlist when I'm writing.
I also consider Savannah, Georgia one of my muses. The first time I visited I fell in love with it. Each time I'm there (three times so far) I feel more inspired to write. I hope to have a home there one day (or if all else fails maybe I'll rent one of those air-conditioned storage units and put a pull out couch in it).
I also have a few real-life muses. My mother is one of them. The others are celebrities and are too embarassing to admit to the entire Internet, so I'll keep them my little secret.
Your turn: Who's your muse?
Great question! Let's see, I think I have a handful...
ReplyDeleteColson Whitehead - My favorite contemporary writer definitely inspires me. The man is brilliant and funny and his works (especially Sag Harbor and The Intuitionist) are fantastic.
Jack Kerouac - If I was around during his time, I'd like to think I could have been part of The Beat Generation. The Road is my all-time favorite book.
Pearl Jam - Those guys have been rocking for almost 20 years now and I love listening to their music while writing. They cover a lot of deep, emotional themes... and that certainly relates to writing.
Our Lady Peace - This Canandian "alternative" rock band is another source of inspiration... but more by concerts than actual albums. At one in particular -- it was in Chicago -- I had a moment where I just knew I was meant to write. (That might be a bit weird, but it's what happened.)
Christopher Nolan - Memento, The Dark Knight and now Inception are some of my favorite movies. They make me want to pen great works. (Don't know if I ever will, but Nolan's films fuel my fire to at least try.)
Nice subject today! :)
I've never given thought to my own muses, about whether I subscribe to that brand of inspiration. When you explain it this way, that it could be could be people, places, things, maybe I do.
ReplyDeleteI love that Dr Seuss is your muse. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I have a muse. Or each book is inspired by someting different.
I don't know if I can name one person or place, but I'd have to say I'm pretty inspired by nature -- and its Creator.
ReplyDeleteA day outdoors by a lake and my creative juices are flowing!
My little girls love Dr. Suess...
ReplyDeleteWhere the spirit moves. Water, nature, sometimes even the shower! :P
ReplyDeleteMost often my muse is my little girl, Ellis Jane. We got to meet her nine weeks ahead of schedule---watching her grow and change from a tiny 2 lb. 13 oz. baby into a running toddler has been so creatively inspiring to me.
ReplyDeleteAnd Amy Butler fabrics make me want to create, too :)