Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Peggy: I've Got a Theory-- The Claustrophobic Muse

This here is Muse. He likes to live in your brain and talk a lot. Yeah, I know he looks different than you're used to seeing him-- USUALLY he looks like your characters, but that’s because he changes to match the situation. Kind of like a chameleon, only better. Although he can take on the guise of anyone or anything, this is his actual form.

And while he may be adaptable, he’s also extremely claustrophobic.

Muse goes to bed every night in his little room. His bare little room with empty white walls, a white bed, white linens, and even a white night stand. Boring, yes? That’s why he frequently wants to talk to you ALL NIGHT LONG.
When you call to Muse the next day, his door magically opens, and everything is sunshine and lollipops.

When you don’t.... a lock appears on his door. Did I mention that he’s claustrophobic? A lock tends to make him twitchy.
Leave Muse in a second day, and another locked room appears between him and freedom, sunshine, and lollipops. That feeling of being extra trapped makes him frantic.

A third day, a third locked room, and Muse is going so insane, he starts bouncing off the walls.
A fourth, and Muse tries to beat the doors down, desperate for escape.
On the fifth day, all the craziness overcomes Muse, and he passes out. Even if you call to him with promises of coming out to play, he can no longer come out on his own.

You have to go in after him and lemme tell you: those doors... those locks... they aren’t easy getting past. You have to beat and beat and beat on them one at a time until it breaks down, then you have to step over the splinters and do the same thing to the next door. Door after door until you can finally free him, bring him into the sunshine, and nurse him back to health.

An ignored Muse is a hard-to-revive Muse.

And that, my friends, is why it is good advice to write every day.

43 comments:

  1. Peggy you seriously need to write a childrens book! Your illustrations are so amazing! I would have to take LSD or something to come up with something so clever. But then my muse would be high! Love ya Pegs.

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  2. LOL! This is great Peggy :) Now I need to go out and write. You scared me!

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  3. Peggy - once again, you never fail to amaze and inspire. Fabulous thoughts and post. Thanks for hosting her today Sara!

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  4. This is great Peggy! Lol. I think I better stop fartin' around on blogger and go write. My muse is getting twitchy. :)

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  5. Great advice, Peggy! I loved the illustrations! :)

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  6. Love the illustrations and as always funny and inspiring. Now, I must go play with Muse.

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  7. I love it! Your drawings are the best. Totally puts it in perspective!

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  8. Aww! The illustrations are so cute. Poor little Muse, though.

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  9. Poor muse raging against the locked doors formed from days of neglect screaming, "No More Locked Doors!"

    I must say, with this illustrated version of the bad things that happen to ignored muses, I believe I'll have to cuddle and coo mines every day, even if just for a moment. I don't want muse-poo to have any more locked doors :-)

    Thanks Peggy for the Muse PSA.

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  10. Love your imagination. I see children's books in your future, Roland

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  11. Excellent post! I too see picture books in your future, lass. (That's my Scottish accent)

    Now I must go write. I don't want my poor neglected itty-bitty muse to die on the floor of his itty-bitty wittle room.

    You rock, Peggy!

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  12. Peggy, love this! Along with the others, I'm off to go write. My muse needs some lollipops and sunshine. :)

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  13. I'm never going to sleep deeply again.

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  14. Absolutely brilliant. I love how you made all of these pictures and made the post come alive with them. Thank you for sharing and posting :)

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  15. Great advice! :)

    And I love the illustrations.

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  16. Wow! What a brilliant way to express this advice!

    I think my Muse is going insane because in addition to hiding him behind doors, I also feed him lots and lots of caffeine and sugar!

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  17. hahahahaha! I never ignore my muse and I had no idea why. Thanks for clearing that up, I'll be able to explain to others now.

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  18. Am I the only one who thinks the muse looks like he came out of "Where the Wild Things Are"?

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  19. This is adorable and entirely lovely. Best way of imparting the advice I've ever seen! :)

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  20. Brilliant, Peggy! i love that your muse is a cuddly, toothy thing. Come out into the sunshine, little guy! SO FRIGGING CUTE.

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  21. Aw, he's so cute! Sunshine and lollipops, LOL. And such great advice (and drawings) Peggy, thanks :)

    Hugs,

    Rach

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  22. Hehehe! Wonderful advice. That was so cute. My muse brings out the big guns if she's locked up! She likes to sleep in too.

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  23. Note to self: Play with Muse every day.

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  24. Love this! Great advice too. Oh, and it's entirely true!

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  25. Aw, Peggy, this is such a cute post, and it sure gets the point across loud and clear! Are those your illustrations? Whoever drew them, they're great!

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  26. So cute! That poor little guy will definitely motivate me to never go too long without writing.

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  27. What a totally great post! Loved it! And who knew you could draw so well? Are you sure you don't want to write picture books?

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  28. Hilarious. I have one of those trouble-making muses who only wants to play when I need to be doing 8 million other things. I've had to learn to say no to the things and the muse sometimes. Very funny post.

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  29. my muse needs cpr!
    continue prodding revisions!
    great guest post =)

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  30. Haha that is awesome :)

    I try never to let my muse be silent for so long. But I have found he is rather chatty at night

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  31. Peggy, your fuzzy little Muse kind of looks like an Ewok gone seriously wrong. At first I was like, whoa those teeth totally freak me out, but then I was all, what's up with his feet?

    OK, seriously your post is awesome and you're awesome for taking the time to draw it out, freaky Ewok and all. I lub you so much and I'm so glad that Sara Crowe is your lovely agent.

    And Sara, your blog is fun and inspiring and insightful and awesome.

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  32. This is so CUTE! If you like cute. Which I don't.

    —Muse

    PS. Let me out ... PLEASE let me out ...

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  33. OMG, what a great metaphor! Time to park my arse back in the chair, and dive in when the festive craziness subsides.

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  34. Love this post a lot. Its absolutely spot on. Whenever I ignore the call of my muse, I go through what you have described in this post :)

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  35. Great post and awesome illustrations, Peggy!

    Riya.

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  36. Great post, Peggy! I think my muse is hiding under the pile of notes in my office. :P

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