 |
||
 |
||
|
|
||
Perceptions
|
|
THE ETHEREAL MUSEWriters speak in whispery voices of the ethereal, creative Muse. We
question this breath of inspiration and wonder as to its origin. Is it
from our conscious or unconscious mind? No, one, not even the renowned
William Faulkner could give a satisfactory definition. In a 1962 University of Oregon Question and Answer Session, someone
asked Faulkner: "How do you get your inspiration?" The author replied, "I see something, or an idea comes to me, that
needs to be told; and I think about it, putting off the physical act of
writing until the urgency of the idea becomes so great that it demands
that I write." Is it possible that Faulkner's "urgency" is nothing more than the
chimerical Muse ascending from our soul's nether regions into the
sunlight of enlightened reality? Whatever her origin or definition, when the Muse brushes your
awareness with her angel wings, release her, let her inspiration soar. ETHEREAL: (i-'thir-e-al) Adjective. First usage 1513 A. Of or relating to the regions beyond the Earth SYNONYMS: Airy, Vaporous, Tenuous, Rarefied, Subtle, Chimerical,
Shadowy, Our own muse may also be released by reading other writer's works. We
become inspired and learn how to release our own energies, how to write
with the right words, how to construct plots, and how to develop
characters and intrigue readers. For these reasons, I became a literary
critic. Writers often say, "Oh, I never read a novel while I'm writing
one." Why this is so, escapes me. How better can we learn the basics,
know what works and what doesn't work? It is by reading that we receive
the key to unlock our own creativity. A friend of mine used to say, "The more books you read, the taller you grow." We can turn that around and say, "The more books you read, the better you write." I believe both statements to be true. We do grow taller in our intellect, and we do become better writers. And most important, when we read, we enter the presence of our ethereal muse. Jones is a published writer & a book critic for The Tulsa World newspaper COPYRIGHT 2006 Patricia A. Jones All Rights Reserved |
|
|
