There are writers feel story and character ideas are fed to them from “somewhere else”, a parallel universe perhaps, where these characters and stories truly exist.
Clearly, that “somewhere else” is a very vague concept and means different things to different scribes: it could be a religious concept, a spiritual one, or even tied in with scientific theory such as ‘brane cosmology’. Whatever your persuasion, writers who hold such beliefs say it is very important to allow your mind to be open to receiving these ideas – wherever they come from.
Personally, I’ve had moments when I felt plugged into a conduit, receiving stories, characters and ideas fully formed, all wrapped up and ready to go – though I hesitate to say if this was a spiritual event or just the way the brain works in creative mode.
And it is a rare enough event – I can never conjure ‘the writing rapture’ but if I write often it’ll roll around every now and again. And when it does, it’s a magical moment when stories and characters cascade.
All we can do is sit down to write every day and hope for the best – most days you’ll get coal but if you keep at it, the diamond muse will show up sooner or later.
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About suehealy
From Ireland, Sue Healy is Literary Manager at the Finborough Theatre, London, a full-time Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. Her book on theatre literary management is published by Routledge, December 2022.
Sue is an award-winning writer for stage, TV, and prose writer.
TV
Her current project, a 6x60minute TV series, is under option. She is under commission with Lone Wolf Media, producers behind PBS’ “Mercy Street”, to co-write the pilot and treatment for a six-part TV series.
Stage
Her most recent stage-play, Imaginationship (2018), enjoyed a sold out, extended run at the Finborough and later showed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Her previous stage productions include Cow (Etcetera Theatre, 2017) and Brazen (King’s Head Theatre, 2016), funded by Arts Council England. Sue’s short plays have been performed at the Criterion (Criterion New Writing Showcase), Arcola (The Miniaturists) and Hackney Attic (Fizzy Sherbet Shorts).
Radio
Her radio work includes nine plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (Opening Lines winner), WLRfm and KCLR96fm.
Prose
Sue has won The Molly Keane Award, HISSAC Prize, Escalator Award, Meridian Prize and has been published in nine literary journals and anthologies including: The Moth, Flight, Tainted Innocence, New Writer, Duality, HISSAC, New European Writers. She has been writer-in-residence on Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, and at the Heinrich Boll Cottage on Achill Island. She has also benefitted from annual artist residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, and at Ginestrelle, Assisi in Italy.
An academic with a PhD in modern theatre history, specifically the Royal Court Theatre, Sue has presented her research internationally. She spent eleven years in Budapest, editing Hungary A.M. She has a PhD in modern theatre history (Royal Court Theatre) and is a UEA Creative Writing MA alumnus.
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suehealy 
June 16th, 2013 at 12:46
Interesting! I think I’d go with the scientific theory for this 🙂
It’s also very difficult to find time to sit down and write every day! I usually find that when I do a blank mind sets in…what was that you were saying about writing rapture? lol 😉 The closest I get to that is when I have one particular mobile in my hand, usually when I should be working and if the inspiration allows it flows wonderfully…for all of about 60 secs lol into my trusty mobile for use at a later date 🙂 Well! You have to capture those rare moments anyway you can! Once they disappear they never return in quite the right form 🙂
June 16th, 2013 at 17:36
Clive Barker calls it Quididity. A vast dream sea of consciousness we all share in common. Hermitic Magick has a term for it as well, I think Dream Sea.
I call it The Aesthetic Mind. Stephen King says all the stories are there and you as a writer more or less go about discovering them. Like an archaeologist, the action of writing, sweeps away at the sediment and unearths the relic.
I agree with all of that more or less.
June 17th, 2013 at 09:38
Thanks for that. I’ve been shovelling coal for way too long, but am still otpimistic about finding diamonds.
June 17th, 2013 at 21:56
Everybody has a muse of a different kind I suppose, some call it hard work, others divine inspiration. Wherever it comes frome, if the wagon is rolling jump on board.
Jim
June 19th, 2013 at 00:05
Sue, I’m new to your blog, and thank you for choosing to follow mine, although I haven’t posted much lately. I’ve chosen to do more off-line writing. When the time is right, I’ll pick it up again. Anyway, to stay on topic, I believe writing generates inspiration, not the other way around. One idea written leads to another and another. I never really thought of it as something mystical and magical. That’s not to say I don’t feel more creative some days than others. There are times when the mood strikes, I’d rather just sit back, daydream and enjoy it. Is that selfish?
June 23rd, 2013 at 02:54
I am very interested in this post. I think King is right – the stories are all there and it’s up to us as writers ti discover them…I’d go a step further, however, it’s up to us to express them in a way that becomes impermeable, a part of our collective understanding. But, well, whatever ‘it’ is, we must somehow enjoy it/need it. Look at us – we’re all doing it 🙂 And @Idlagarino ..I personally don’t think that’s selfish, I think that’s normal 🙂
August 2nd, 2013 at 18:07
Wow! Who remembers that track?