~~ muses, madness, writing and so on.
Apr. 8th, 2004 07:10 pmBy default, it seems, people think about either themselves or other people: in first person, basically. Their world starts with "I" and expands outwards by a network of connections like "you" and "them" and "us". This makes perfect sense, of course, 'cause human beings have to survive in the day-to-day struggles of existence even now-- they have to feed and clothe and shelter themselves. Even the inexperienced writer is well-known for initially writing instinctively in the first person.
I suppose there is a reason they call them "starving artists", though. It's like... being a writer/artist seems to define your very thought processes, the way you perceive the world, what you want and need out of existence. Your needs for companionship dwindle when your mind enters "the Zone", as one might call it. In the Zone, it's almost like you're largely a receptacle for thoughts and images that come from outside you, whether you're imagining them yourself or reading about things other people have imagined.
Perhaps this is a -type- of writer/artist-- I know not all are like that. Some are quite clear-headed and completely grounded, having no problems separating their writing tasks from their identity and the business of day-to-day living. I imagine their writer self is in the background if it's not currently in use through actual writing, and only manifests by flashes of inspiration that aren't that hard to ignore. This sort of writer/artist could probably hold down a regular job with no problem, having compartmentalized themselves successfully and stabilized their ego so that the possibly frightening experience of "inspiration" can be controlled and given structure. This sort of writer probably places a heavy emphasis on linear plot development in their stories and write them more or less from beginning to end.
I remember a number of writers expressing confusion and disbelief at the idea that one could have "muses". It does seem a bit crazy to refer to those sorts of things, doesn't it?
( Not, of course, that I would let that stop me. )
I suppose there is a reason they call them "starving artists", though. It's like... being a writer/artist seems to define your very thought processes, the way you perceive the world, what you want and need out of existence. Your needs for companionship dwindle when your mind enters "the Zone", as one might call it. In the Zone, it's almost like you're largely a receptacle for thoughts and images that come from outside you, whether you're imagining them yourself or reading about things other people have imagined.
Perhaps this is a -type- of writer/artist-- I know not all are like that. Some are quite clear-headed and completely grounded, having no problems separating their writing tasks from their identity and the business of day-to-day living. I imagine their writer self is in the background if it's not currently in use through actual writing, and only manifests by flashes of inspiration that aren't that hard to ignore. This sort of writer/artist could probably hold down a regular job with no problem, having compartmentalized themselves successfully and stabilized their ego so that the possibly frightening experience of "inspiration" can be controlled and given structure. This sort of writer probably places a heavy emphasis on linear plot development in their stories and write them more or less from beginning to end.
I remember a number of writers expressing confusion and disbelief at the idea that one could have "muses". It does seem a bit crazy to refer to those sorts of things, doesn't it?
( Not, of course, that I would let that stop me. )
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