Grey Areas - Inspiration Point

“It was a dark and stormy night…”

“No, no, no, you can’t start like that. Try again.”

"Okay, then… A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”

“No! Stop torturing me. You know Mr Spielberg won’t stand for it. Try again.”

“You are so hard to please. Okay then, how about this: it was a grey day, the kind usually reserved for sitting inside with a favourite book, unending cups of warm beverages and wistful stares out the window at a landscape washed out of colour.”

“There you go, this works better. So what comes next?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m going to have to think about it.”

“And therein lies your problem. You need to stop thinking so much and just get on with it. Inspiration can’t be collected and saved. You have to use it as it happens or someone else will get it.”

“I can’t just let it flow out of me. I have to think about it.”

“What is there to think about?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Little things like plot, character development, story arcs and such.”

“Look, why not just let the story come. If you start concerning yourself with trivialities like plots and arcs, you’ll lose the magic.”

“Magic! There is no such thing as magic. Storytelling is about technical ability, understanding the plot developments and devices and, most of all, planning ahead so it doesn’t become bogged down.”

“Jeez, no wonder you get blocked up all the time. You should learn to relax and let things happen. Its not as though you’re trying to write ‘War and Peace’, is it?”

“Well I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to develop this idea yet. I could be writing another ‘War and Peace’, for all you know.”

“Trust me, I know what you’re writing and it is most certainly not ‘War and Peace’. If you don’t let it flow, then I’m just going to have to leave you to your own devices.”

“Oh, goody, abandon me yet again.”

“Now, now, don’t be like that. There is only so much a muse can do. The rest is up to you.”