The Ups And Downs Of The Writing Life - Pissing Off The Muse (and a question)

One of the things writers fear most is pissing off their muse or characters. We all tread carefully to make the fickle creatures happy, or at least appease them. Most of the time I've done just that.

My muse and I have (or should I say had) a good working relationship and understanding. I'd take her little inspiration snippet of an idea for a novel and build upon it. I'd do all the research and I'd build the novel off of her idea. Similar to a house being built on a foundation. Then she and the characters would help me make the novel better where they saw fit. This last step either happened before I began writing the novel - sometimes though Ah-Ha! moments, sometimes through dreams. Sometimes it happened as I wrote when the character saw something she just didn't like. Whichever the case it happened, and I fully allowed it to happen - even if it did mean changing the plot a bit to accomodate said changes.

Anyway, last year I had started a plot - a murder mystery. It was one that I liked a lot, but when I saw it moving in a direction I didn't like (too similar to a movie out there) I tossed it aside declairing that it needed more time and more work than I could give it it. 

Earlier this year I picked it back up determined to write it for this year's NaNoWriMo. I got quite a bit of progress made. I had managed to come up with my opening hook, ending (brings it full circle) a background about my killer, their MO, victims and more.

The main character was visiting often in the first week of working on it. I didn't know her name nor what she looked like, but there she was telling me the story. It was during one of these visits that I realized that the novel would no longer be a typical mystery. She told me it was HER story... and since it was her story and her point of view, the mystery was now out the window.

I struggled to determine what the new genre would be. I couldn't identify it. I guess it's a cross genre. (Oh boy) It firmly perches between Mystery/Suspense and Thriller. While this did intimidate me a bit I marched on with her at my side.

She never did tell me her name, but what she did tell me was most of her story. She'd tell it to me at some of the worst times, but I obliged willingly. One night she came skipping along with an idea as I was headed to bed. Clint and Gideon were both asleep and all lights were off in the house, save for the hallway where I was. There I was sitting on the floor of the hall transcribing her story. What a writer doesn't do for her characters!

Then in the middle of all of this, Clint comes up with a stunning novel idea. He just says one short sentence and my mind is off on a whirlwind of ideas on this new novel concept. I'm bitten. I decide to go for the new plot for this year's NaNoWriMo. I was concerned I might piss off the muse and/or my character, but I hoped they would understand.

The problem lies here:

The new novel plot crumbled before my eyes as I researched. I was prepared for some of it to crumble, but it ALL did. I was left with an era, a topic and nothing more. Not even a genre. Still I researched. I thought surely a new plot would turn up - it usually did. Not this time. I had some dreams of the topic, but they were nothing that was plot specific - or not that I saw. I've even lost my drive to research, but I'm still doing it a bit here and there.

I think I've finally lost the muse... and my character isn't coming around either. So, here I am unsure what to do - plow on with the new idea (which needs a lot more work than the other one - about 7 months of work...) or go crawling back to the other novel and character and maybe kiss her blood-stained boots while I'm at it.

I was hoping something would tell me where to go. A unseen hand pointing toward one plot or the other. A dream.. anything at all. No, months later I'm barron.. and sad. The dreams themed with the historical novel have ceased, and I'm wondering if I should go on with it or back to the other novel that was progressing so nicely before I had that new idea smack me upside the head.

As writers I think we all have had one of these moments at least once in our lives. What have you done when you were faced with issues like this?

I'm considering freewriting a bit.. something to see where my ideas mostly lay. We'll see what one I end up working with.. and if my character ever forgives me.

It's terrible having writer's block, but worse yet is having too many ideas... and making one or more of them angry with you. Ideas and character don't like to be left hanging or waiting. However, in my case there's one of me, and over 50 plots vying for my time. Someone is bound to get mad. Usually the plots sit quietly and wait there turn. Sometimes they don't. This was a time they didn't want to wait.

I've been writing snippets lately.. most of them are aimed at my frustration with the muse. I'm glad to write those.. and they are kinda fun... but I fear the muse will think she can feed me 30 word snippets and slack off on the novel side of things.

I've pissed off the muse, it seems.