How To Nurture Plot Bunnies & Your Muse - The Creative Process

How To Nurture Plot Bunnes & Your Muse

May I first say that I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season and I wish you a Happy New Year. Thanks for following me for the past year and I hope that 2014 holds many good things for you.

I don't know about any other writers, but my muse has a physical form. It's a NanoBug and sometimes when I'm stuck, I switch it on and let it run rampant over my chapter plans and character notes. Sometimes it works and I get myself out of the funk that I was in, other times it falls off my desk and goes zooming around under my feet looking for a place to hide before it gets rolled over or trapped. Muses are like that sometimes, they're great when they're doing what you've asked them to do, but other times they can be little buggars and withhold what you need from them. So, how do you nurture your muse and any plot bunnies that come to visit you?

Plot bunnies are a difficult breed, they visit at odd times of the day and night. I know that some writers will keep a notebook and pen by their bed so that as they're drifting off to sleep they can write down any ideas that come to them. I know of other artists and people who do the same. It does seem to be the general case that plot bunnies will come hopping along as you're drifting towards sleep. I also know that they seem to come with an amnesia pill that wipes you of their plans when you wake up the following morning. You are aware that they were there but they never let you actually remember what they whispered into your ear.

Of course, muses that zoom around the desk and plot bunnies that act like the sandman are just my personal way of describing the things that inspire both your writing whilst working on a project and the initial idea that kicks if all off. I recently wrote a piece about how sometimes writers can take on too much work at once (found here) and told you all about how my latest plot bunny paid me a visit whilst I'm in the midst of two other books and simply do not have the time to spare to start a third. I tried to work on it, but my muse had other plans.

I have learnt during the time I have been a writer, more years than I care to admit really, that sometimes you have to apply tough love to your muse to get the job done. I think it was Neil Gaiman who said that part of being a writer is that you can't just write when you're inspired. You have to write when you're not too. He has a good point, writing daily is something that most, if not all, writers should try to do. But what do you do when the ideas have dried up and you're left without any inspiration on where to go next? I certainly don't hold the key to that answer, but I have employed a few tricks in the time I've been doing this and thought they may be of some use to you.

#1 FEED YOUR MUSE & PLOT BUNNIES
The number one thing you should always do is find ways to keep that elusive muse singing (or in my case whizzing around my desk). The same idea applies to plot bunnies. If you leave out breadcrumbs, they will come looking for you. Ideas are plentiful, I have always said that I will keep writing books until I run out of ideas and after nearly twelve books written, I can say that the ideas are still coming. Finding inspiration is not as hard as it seems, at least at times it isn't. It's about being able to turn the everyday things into something that inspires you to write a scene in your book. Whether it's someone you see in the supermarket whose eyes have wandered onto a beautiful woman and are looking at them with nothing but love in their eyes. Or watching the news and being inspired by the dark side of humanity with the crime stories, and the brighter parts with the latest scientific discovery. Inspiration is EVERYWHERE and part of being a writer is knowing what will and will not work.

#2 GET A WAY TO REMEMBER
As I said, when plot bunnies visit just before you fall asleep, they try to wipe your memory. I mentioned that some people keep a notepad to jot those ideas down, but it doesn't work for everyone. I personally, can no longer write more than a couple of words with a pen because of the cramps in my hand from Fibromyalgia. It's one of the reasons I no longer hand write chapters but use a tablet instead. So, upgrading the notepad to an app is fine, but what if you don't want to jolt yourself awake for every little idea that in hindsight wasn't workable or even that good? It's a thin line between getting the visit of the plot bunny down in print and torturing yourself through lack of sleep. You have to know when to draw the line. Other suggestions are using a Dictaphone, or an app where you can just record what you're thinking and then look back on it in the light of day. Another is to not make any record and hope that you remember in the morning - it works for some people, but for others it doesn't. Whatever way you use, it has to be something that won't mean you're sacrificing sleep, but still managing to stop those bunnies from wiping your memory.

#3 KNOW YOUR LIMITS
It's all very well and good having a great way to record each and every idea that comes to your mind. Or to write out every scene that has inspired you, but you have to realise that we all have limits, some more than others. Since becoming chronically ill, I have been made all the more aware of those limits. One thing that is important when dealing with muses and bunnies is knowing when to say "I'm too busy". If you've reached the point where you're not sleeping because you're writing everything down, or you're not finishing anything because you stop to write a new scene before you can complete the previous task, then you need to realise that you have reached the limit of what you can and can not do. I have said many times that part of the creative process is knowing how many balls you can juggle at one time. For me it's uni work, two books and various other commitments. Others can handle a lot more, and some a lot less. There is no shame in not being able to do as much as this one writer you know who writes six books at once, all within six months of starting as well as doing three degrees and holding down five other jobs. It's just not realistic to hold yourself to someone else's standards and abilities.

#4 LET THE IDEAS BREW FOR A BIT
As an English person who likes tea, I can tell you that every good cuppa needs some time for the tea to do it's magic and the water to infuse the tea leaves. The same can be said for ideas and inspiration. Sometimes, taking a step back and letting yourself mull over the idea is the best plan. It allows you to decide whether or not it's one that you feel can be worked through. It also gives your brain time to make other connections to that one idea. Perhaps linking it with a scene you wanted to write, or a genre that you've been meaning to break into. Allowing yourself time to think about it can lead to less time wasted looking at a blank screen and cursing yourself for ever thinking you could write about this. This point links up with the third one, knowing your limits. If you let the idea sit around for a while before jumping in and starting to write, it could be that by the time your workload has shifted to allow you to start working on the new project, you have pages and pages of research done, ideas and character plans and all of the rest that will enable you to write quicker and with a better idea of how the story should go.

Finally #5 REMEMBER TO BREATHE
As someone who frequently says that they believe breathing is optional, I know how hard it is sometimes to stop and just breathe. Sometimes taking a moment to catch your breath can allow you to properly judge whether or not an idea is viable. If you have let it brew for a bit but are too caught up in the fact that it sounds good and exciting and you need to start it right NOW!! You can't always see that in the long run, it's not actually going to work because person A would come off as a stalker if they chased person B after one meeting in the supermarket. Or that killing this person in that way would mean that the detective would have no evidence to find out who did it without bending the rules of reality a little. Sometimes, just taking a moment to breathe allows us to look at things a little more critically and gives our judgement a chance to really examine the idea. So, just remember folks, that a brittle asthmatic may think breathing is optional, but it's not really!

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Taming Your Muse - The Creative Process

Taming Your Muse

See the picture above? That's what I call my muse. Silly I know, but I like to have something physical to hold onto and play around with while I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. I've talked about writer's block (here) and the struggle with that. I've also talked about when inspiration strikes at the worst times (here) but now I'd like to talk about how you tame your muse.

Pretty much every writer I've known has either had something they refer to as their muse. They may also call it their "inspiration" for the story they have written. Sometimes, like in the case of the TV show, CASTLE, it's a person. Sometimes, like in my case, it's an object that's whole purpose in life is to both annoy me and make me giggle like a three year old. Whatever you think of as your muse. You have to learn how to take the inspiration from its starting point to where it will end up in your writing.

I'm a planner (read about it here) and I'm also someone who easily gets distracted (read here). I struggle with my writing at times, but I also set myself goals to keep me orientated. Like writing two books at once (here), or writing a whole series (here). I find that I work best when I know exactly what I want from myself, but also when my elusive muse decides to let me in on how the story *should* go.

Sometimes I spend ages staring at it and cursing at it. I spend time making it vibrate across my desk and chapter plans. I beg it, I plead with it. I just want to write a few sentences, I say, can I just not get a helping hand up to the start? Sometimes it plays ball, other times it just screws with me for shits and giggles. Most of the time I don't know when it's doing either to be quite honest.

Being a writer and writing stories, be they novels, novellas or even a short article, you need to find that balance between relying on that inanimate object or person or whatever to write the piece for you, and finding the words from inside yourself. Once you strike that balance (and you will, eventually) you'll soon see that it's just something you keep around for sentimental reasons and not because you need it. Or at least that's what I tell myself when I'm going through a good patch writing wise.

"NanoBug", that's what my muse is called. It has no other function but to help me to think OUTSIDE the box. I need to write (hell, we all need to write) original works. It's not good taking something someone else has done previously and trying to make it similar but different enough that you won't be sued for plagiarism. You want an original idea. You want something that's within your comfort zone, something that you will enjoy writing and think others will enjoy reading. However, it's far too easy to get stuck in that little box of comfort and just churn out book after book without breaking a sweat. You need to make yourself work for the prize.

That's why you need to tame your muse. If, like me, you prefer to stick to one genre that you enjoy yourself then you need to make a compromise. You can write teen fiction, you can write books for middle aged women, whatever you fancy. It's the genre where you need to sometimes jump outside your box with your eyes closed and pray you land on something soft. So, say you are me. Which is good, coz I'm rather awesome ;) You write teen fiction and you mostly write for the crime genre. Yet, you know that you can't just sit there forever. You have to embrace new things. Art does not stand still and writing is an art form all on its own.

So, you step out and you think, I'll write a teen fiction book with the focus on romance, or one for pre-teens, or one with a different kind of crime story. Throw in a little supernatural, throw in some thing you've wanted to explore but have never gotten the chance. The idea is to think outside the box and sometimes that means dipping your toe into the pool and being unsure if you'll sink or swim. Every writer will go through this at some point and you never know, it might end up being something you thoroughly enjoy and plan to do again. It might even become your new main genre.

Whatever the outcome, we live in an age when a wealth of information is at our fingertips. The internet and while I don't advise using it as your ONLY source of research, it can come in handy for those little pieces that makes your work even more real to the reader.

So, learn to tame your muse. Bring it under your control and step outside of the box on occasion. If it all goes horribly wrong then at least you've learnt that that particular genre is not for you. Not everything you write has to make it to the final stages of publication. Explore the world a little, learn new things and enjoy making your readers enjoy them too. Most of all, have fun. If it becomes something you dread doing, then you're doing it wrong!

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Questions From Readers - Part Two

Once again, Joey is answering questions sent to her by readers. You still have a chance to ask Joey a question, as the end date for this batch is the 31st August 2012. If you have a question, send it to JoeyBug44@gmail.com before the date and she'll try to answer in a new post!

-> Describe an average working day for you

I don't work a conventional day. I don't do nine to five, five days a week and then take the weekend off. Due to my health being up and down, I'll work when I can. Sometimes that's every day with a day off or two scattered through the week and sometimes it's an hour or so every few days. I've never been able to do a solid "write for two hours; break; write for three hours; break; write for two hours; end of work day" pattern for my days. It really does depend on how I feel, how the books are flowing and a lot of variables like that. I do try to manage two chapters of each book a week, but sometimes that doesn't happen either. Take this week, I've not managed a whole chapter yet and it's a Thursday! Other weeks I'd be onto my third or fourth chapter by now, it really does vary!

-> Will your books ever be available from other ebook stores? Or in paperback?

Right now, the answer is no, but I am working hard to do what I need to get the books in the iBookStore and that's my next goal. As far as getting them into paperback, that may happen in the future, but for now, it's just Kindle. They may start to appear in other ebook stores soon, but because of the agreement I have with Amazon, I have to sell them exclusively with them for at least six months, which will obviously delay their arrival in other book stores, no matter what format they're in.

-> How did you know your books were good enough to publish?

I'm very critical of my own work, so to be honest I didn't know they were good enough to publish. I started out by printing my own copies and binding them and selling those. The people who read them gave very good feedback and told me that I should pursue publication. I'd also approached some main stream publishers and didn't always get the standard "Your work is great but..." rejection letter. I had a few hand written notes saying that if they could, they would take my work but because of my lack of an agent, they were unable to. That made me more determined to actually publish my work.

-> I'm an aspiring writer, and wondered how easy it is to get your work noticed?

I would say that the first thing you need is a good first reader. Someone who you trust enough that they will give you an honest opinion about your work and any edits that need to be made. From there, you'll probably do better finding an agent. There is a Writer's Handbook published every year, available from places like Amazon, that details EVERY agent there is world wide. Among other information, it'll list the genre they specialise in. An agent should be able to tell you whether they feel your work has merit and then it will be their job to find you a publisher on your behalf. They will take a percentage of the profits and will also help you make sure you pay the right level of tax.

-> How do you make sure that your continuity is correct in a series like "Dying Thoughts"?

I'm a planner, always have been and when it comes to my books, I plan methodically. I have chapter lists, character notes, notes of what day it is in each chapter. My advice to anyone writing ANY kind of book - series or standalone, is to plan, A LOT! It's easy enough to note down something the first time you write it, and then you don't have to worry later on about it when you mention that small piece of info again and get it wrong.

And that's all the questions from the first batch. There are more to answer and if you wish to ask a question, email Joey and she'll try to answer it in the next post. Remember the deadline is August 31st 2012! 

Something Fun!

INTRODUCING: 'NANOBUG' THE MUSE

It seems to be the case that some writers have what they call 'muses'. Sometimes they are things - objects, places, music etc. Sometimes they are a person - lover, friend, child etc. It's not just writers who claim to have them, but artists too, of all kinds! People in the creative world seem to have something that works for them, helps them produce their art - be that painting, sketching, building, writer, creating, anything. 

As a writer I've always had something "real" that I call my muse - for a while it was a stuffed monkey, called "Matt" that was a gift to me by a dear friend. However, Matt never reappeared when we moved house and so I am unsure if he ever made the move. As it so happens, up until now I've never had the need to replace him with anything. For a while it was because I was only writing in the summers and therefore didn't have the want or need for something physical to talk to when I got blocked.

However, my god daughter managed to get her 100m & 200m in swimming the other week and as a reward I said I would buy her something. We walked up and down the toy aisle in Tescos and I spotted the HexBug Nano's for sale and thought "Hmm, as I am known online as "JoeyBug" wouldn't it be appropriate for me to have a muse that was also a "Bug"?". I offered to buy my god daughter one, but she chose something else. The next day, however, I went back and brought myself one. They advertised that they had a purple one and as you all know, purple is my favourite colour! I couldn't find a purple one - they only seemed to have blue, green and black, so I settled for a black one.

It's a great little bug, it whizzes around in circles and has fallen off my desk and tried to escape more than once! I like it, and it seems to be working as the past week has been filled with chapters being written and one of my finished books almost has a front cover! My artist, and best friend, B now only has one front cover to draw and all the finished books are done. She plans to then go back and "update" the other front covers to have them all look more recent and "professional" as she puts it. So, keep you eyes pealed for new covers - you'll hear about them here first! Also you can "like" me on Facebook for all updates there too!

Anyway, back to writing some chapters - do any of you have "muses"? Are they a person, place or object?