Freeing The Muse

By Maureen L. Bonatch

~Happy Independence Day!~

Writers are often asked the question, “Where do you get your ideas from?”

Inspiration is different for every writer and sometimes that inspiration runs dry, or hits a wall and the muse becomes silent. Some call it writer’s block, others might say it’s a mental block, but most would agree in calling it frustrating when the faucet runs dry and the words that had flowed so freely have now sputtered to a stop.

Just as each writer has different methods of writing their story, most have their own method of getting their muse freed to keep the stories flowing.

One of my best ways to free my muse is right in line with the Bad Boys of Summer theme…

You know the ones…loud, leather-wearing, tattooed, sexy, confident…

Bikers.

Of course I must point out that this is the Stereotypical (though hot) image of a biker as many biking groups are well known for their fundraising rides, support of military, retirees or for a social group.

Recently, I attended Thunder in the Valley, which is known to attract over 200,000 bikers and is one of the largest Pennsylvania biker rallies.

With bikes, bands, a parade, food stands and more...it attracts both bikers and those of the four-wheeled variety as well.

Lucky for me I have my own Bad Boy Biker. It used to be that I was a tad jealous of his love for her (which you can read about on my blog...here) but then decided…If I can’t beat her, might as well join them. It’s been one of the best ways for me to awaken my muse as I cling to my hero’s back and watch the world rush by. 

So for me requesting a ride on the back of his big, sexy beast of a motorcycle helps clear away the cobwebs of my story for it to flow freely through my mind. Thus why I have tiny tablets stashed everywhere to jot down ideas.  

So it came as no surprise to me to find that in my upcoming release, DESTINY CALLING, my Bad Boy happens to be a biker who despite/because of his bad boy persona, my heroine has a hard time resisting.

 Here are other strategies a few of my fellow Paranormal Romantics offered to help defeat Writer’s Block and Free the Muse:

Sometimes I take a step back; stop writing and watch TV or read a book and then hit the writing the next day. Normally stress is what's blocking me so have to take the pressure off of myself and approach things with a clear head. ~ Selena Illyria 

I listen to music, all kinds, which usually sets my creativity loose again! ~Veronica Scott  

When my Muse takes a hike, I watch movies—esp. a science fiction thriller. If it has a romance, all the better.~ Diane Burton 

I let things rest and percolate in the background while I concentrate on other things, such as figuring out how I was going to market  my upcoming novel. Promoting other authors. Writing short pieces for blogs. Reading books for fun!

I am a creature of habit, so I absolutely don’t like change and it appears change upsets the flow of my writing. So after the great hard drive crash of 2014, my muse hit the highway, and did not return until I had my laptop fixed, was sitting in my office cross-legged on the daybed at 3:30 in the morning with a cup of coffee beside me.~ Sophia Kimble

If I'm writing on the computer I will switch to writing long hand. Sometimes I can squeeze out several more pages just doing that. 
 ~Beth Matthews

Thank you for stopping by!