Restocking the Creative Pond.

Every writer knows the frustration of dealing with a Muse that’s blown a fuse. We’ve all had days, which usually come with deadlines attached, where the words creep across the page in a slow trickle or worse the words stop trickling at all.

Most of us have to schedule our writing time and force it to fit in our practical lives. We all face days when the Muse resists or resents the schedule and refuses to cooperate. Not surprisingly those are the best days to restock the creative pond.

Writers, who force themselves to write on demand, will eventually drain their creative pond of good-sized fish-I mean ideas. You can’t keep taking big ideas out while putting nothing back. You have to restock the pond you fish from. That means walking away from the computer and reading, living and actually doing some of those things that are so much fun to write about. Even watching great movies will restock the pond.

I write romance, which puts human subtleties under a microscope so human contact restocks my creative pond. I love meeting new people and watching their mannerism and listening to their voice inflections. One of my favorite games to play on restock days is go into the world knowing fate will place an interesting character into my path. I leave the house open to the idea that I am going to speak with a fascinating person. That person can be anyone a waitress, a homeless person or a sales clerk. I let the person choose me and I never bother anyone who is busy.

The rule is: The person must approach me and they must do the talking. It is my job to listen to them with an open heart, no judgments with only enough comment to make them feel comfortable. I’m astonished with the information strangers share with me. If I do my job right and I leave the house with the clearest intentions strangers walk up to me and confess. It never fails.

While others are speaking to me, I see them as perfect souls and the highest teachers I could ask for at that moment. During the conversation, no matter how brief, I always end up feeling or hearing some moment of human truth.

After all that’s why I do this in the first place. I find the more I love about humanity the easier it gets to write about love.

The best conversations end in mutual laughter, a handshake and rarely but sometimes a hug. I always say thank you before I walk away. I have met a countless number of “great teachers” out there disguised as everyday people who have helped me restock my creative pond and I am thankful for it.

What creative ritual or act of love do you offer your Muse?

XXOO Kat