How does a writer keep their muse healthy?
One of the things I like to do as I write is listen to music. I turn it on low and let my favorite songs play in the background. Right now, I’m hooked on U2-X-Radio on SiriusXM. They play U2 songs, of course, but also songs that the band members like and songs that inspired them, so it’s an eclectic mix. I also listen to movies and TV shows if I’ve seen them enough so they don’t distract me from the story I’m working on. Movies like Lord of the Rings and old John Wayne Westerns are good for that–I’ve seen them so many times that I can let them be background noise instead of paying close attention to the show.
Another inspiration is reading, of course. I try to keep up with some of the newer stories in my chosen genres, although I don’t always enjoy the dystopian stuff that seems to have become so popular nowadays. I do enjoy a good Western novel (I even like the odd “mail order bride” tale upon occasion) and am partial to mysteries even if I cannot write them effectively. Scifi and historical fiction are harder to keep up with. There aren’t a lot of novels which sound interesting to me (that dystopian thing) but I do make the attempt. I’m not a huge fan of overly political stories either–the ones where the characters have to fight conspiracies or “the old order” to succeed. I’d much rather read a good coming-of-age story or something about aliens surviving on their own planets.
I’m hoping the country is ready for some lighter-hearted stories again after all this dystopian political negativity. I, for one, have had enough realism in my novels and would like to see some humor again. And I can only hope I’m not the only one, because that’s what I tend to write.
What about you? What do you find that inspires you to write? How do you keep your muse healthy?