Musing About Dragons and Muses
It is said that every writer has a muse. Sometimes they are portrayed as a person in the writer’s life. But some of us are less mundane and have a more…well…interesting muse.
Muses come from Greek mythology. If you want to know more, here is a link. But today’s muse is more of an entity that creatives talk about inspiring their work. And we all have a different idea as to what this “muse” really is. Scientifically, the muse is understood as something within the brain that allows us to create. In the case of a writer, it’s the writing that’s created.
On the other hand, many times, it seems to me, that what I write comes from nowhere. As I write it seems the characters and story come from somewhere else. Many times I look back at what I’ve written and I can’t believe that story came from me. It’s an amazing experience, and I’ve heard other writers say similar things. It’s not only writers either. Artists, musicians, and others have the same experiences. When asked about his statue of David, Michelangelo something like, You just chip away the stone that doesn’t look like David. (Sources give different words).
Here’s my take on my personal muse. I see myself as a dragon whisperer because I communicate with my muse, who happens to be a dragon. At least usually she is. Once, when I was getting an X-ray. In my head, I saw a sudden clear image of a beautiful young woman, very elf-like sitting on the equipment. “I’m your muse,” she told me, then vanished. I was so surprised, I just stood there staring at the place where she’d just been. I know I have an active imagination, but this was weird even for me.
So that’s who she is, a woman who likes to take the shape of a dragon. She comes to me when I’m writing, In my head I see and hear characters and situations. She surprises me on a regular basis with twists and character actions that seem to come from nowhere.
Is it just my imagination that’s responsible for my writing? Maybe. But I choose to believe there are things beyond the reach of our current science. Life is just more fun that way.
Have a magical day,
