Feeding My Muse: Celebrity Crush

I've been taking multitasking to a whole new level lately. The other day I found that I could hold the sleeping baby, read blog feeds, catch up on listening to podcasts, drink my morning coffee, and eat lunch all at the same time. It's the only way to get it all done. While I was listening to the gals over at Will Write for Wine, a couple of things on the subject of feeding your muse peaked my interest. Lani suggested first that you actually picture you muse(s) in your mind. Stephen King has talked about his guy in the basement who is a bit of a cigar-smoking bastard, but he does his best to keep him happy. Lani Diane Rich said she has 3 muses in her basement and knows precisely what each one looks like. I haven't fleshed my muse out yet, but I'm going to give it a shot. I mean, it's fun to have imaginary friends right? Oh, and if you've got an imagine of your muse that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it.

Another activity she suggested was to indulge in a celebrity crush. While I don't normally spend a lot of time with this, I do find it helpful, especially if you can get a character out of the deal. It can really help if you're a visual person (like me) to search online or in magazines for
photos of real people to use as stand-ins for your characters. I like to post images around my work area to remind me what they look like, for inspiration/motivation, and to study while I try to imagine different aspects of what their life might be like.


It's no secret, I have a thing for Clive Owen.


Nice to look at and a voice I could listen to endlessly and never tire of it. After looking around for photos, I started to get ideas for what kind of character he might be in this story and how he might interact with my main character.





But then I watched Law & Order last night, and was reminded of this guy . . .


Jeremy Sisto, who has a slightly similar look, but has a completely different feel as a character. A little darker, maybe quirkier, and definitely more interesting. Translation = fun for me to write. But I still like the Clive Character in my head, but maybe not for this story, or not as a lead role.

So, I'm off to cut and tape and wake my muse, because she's been lying around on her butt for far too long!