Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Lauren v. The Muse

For as long as I can remember I've been inspired by a lot of different entertainment mediums.  Movies, music, and other peoples' words have always served as a catalyst for my writing life.  I'll easily admit that this pursuit of pop culture has turned me into a total junkie.  My ability to remember lines from movies and TV shows make me one annoying watching companion!  


You could certainly say I have a muse.  My muse is pop culture and any genre will do.  Sometimes it can be one song, a commercial, or entire television series that sends me into a writing frenzy.  There is no rhyme or reason to my inspiration either, but during those periods it takes everything within me to be sociable.  


Typically, when I find something inspirational, I launch into a frenzy of mass absorption.  I will devour any element of pop culture that I can get my hands on.  I'll read, watch movies, listen to my iPod, and I'll just write.  Let's not get it twisted here, I like TV for its entertainment value too.  I'm not writing this ode to entertainment to make an excuse for my avid viewing or my box set bullying.  I love me some TV, no lie.


When I finished reading the Twilight saga, (after the initial "what am I going to do with my life now?" reaction wore off) I wrote for days and days.  I wasn't writing creepy fan fiction about the future marital bliss, then eventual divorce of Edward and Bella because he decided to marry me, so rest assured.  Nothing I wrote about had anything to do with teenagers, vampires, or werewolves.  I wrote for six days, pretty much non stop and banged out about forty moderately sized chapters.  My husband developed the dusty appearance of neglect, my work backed up, and my eyes burned from constant exposure to only the light of a computer screen.  Despite this, I was exhilarated.  My joy had nothing to do with what I was writing, it was pure, undiluted inspiration caused by nothing more than an appreciation for a great series.  


Classical music usually is the catalyst when it comes to inspirational music.  Anything from Beethoven to Yo-Yo Ma to John Williams.  Anything orchestral will strike a chord within me (pun completely intended).  I'm a sucker for cello music and film scores (the theme to Jurassic Park will reduce me to tears every time I hear it).  Classical is usually my music of choice if I'm in the writing zone and it serves as a way to keep the creative juices flowing.


Any movies will inspire me, it just depends on my mood and how said movie hits me on a given day.  Home Alone and Indian Summer can usually choke a couple of pages out of me and the soundtrack to Braveheart will turn me into a typing fool.  I recently saw Wicked on Broadway and that amazing production has spurned a reemergence of my flash drive collection.  TV shows are the same way for me, and there's no pattern evident as to what show will affect me when.  It could be a single episode of Buffy or Gilmore Girls, or it could be my insane eleven seasons straight of SVU.


The downside of my particular muse is that it obviously is not a social inspiration.  Don't mistake what I'm saying, I obviously draw character inspiration from people I know, meet, or see.  Writing is solitary, though.  It can be lonely and isolating.  I'm pretty social by nature (I love to talk) so when I end up in one of my writing tornadoes, I tend to show up less.  I'm quieter, more introspective, and I sleep more.  As you can imagine, this solitude doesn't do much in the way of maintaining communication.  Luckily, I married a man that doesn't require constant attention.  I don't need to be right beside him at all times, but I think both of us like to know that the other is close by if needed.


To my other people, please keep in mind that this way my first love, my best friend, and in some instances my only friend.  Paper is kind and it's never busy.  Paper doesn't have kids or deadlines to meet and it is pretty much always willing to listen.  I ask of you, please be patient with me.  My idiosyncrasies are plentiful, but some of them can be fun.  The patience of my friends during my reclusive periods is what will keep me from being the crazy hermit alone in a cabin penning my fifteen volume manifesto.  So, thanks in advance.

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