Contest: Who's Your Muse?

[alanajoli]

As I mentioned earlier, I got my Serenity Adventures earned Origins Award, known as a "Callie" (because it's in the shape of the muse Calliope) in the mail in the last few weeks.



In honor of Calliope's arrival, I came up with my very first contest question: Who is your muse? This could refer back to which of the classical muses you prefer (I admit to having a soft spot for Terpischore, the dancer, who appeared in a couple of mosaics and paintings I've seen as a red-head, so she reminds me of my sister, but I know I work for Calliope). If you'd like to take a less literal interpretation, feel free. On August 8th (one week from today!) I'll choose the answer I like best -- or, more likely, I'll think they're all good and won't be able to choose, so I'll use a random number generator like all the cool kids.



Your fabulous prize is an advanced reader copy of Troy High by Shana Norris, which just released today. I had the opportunity to review this one for School Library Journal, and I have to say that The Iliad works brilliantly well as a high school football rivalry. (I can't say more than that here -- you'll have to do a search for my SLJ review.)



So, who's your muse?

Comments

[spyscribe.livejournal.com]

This is utterly unromantic, but the impending deadline is my greatest inspiration. That and knowledge of the sucking well of self-loathing that awaits if someone asks me, "So, what are you working on?" and I know the true answer is: "Nothing."

[jeff-duntemann.livejournal.com]

Calliope, of course. I have a perverse love of the musical instrument, the original steampunk synth, which came about when a clever mechanic connected a row of surplus locomotive steam whistles to a keyboard. A calliope has a role in a future drumlins story, so I've been reading up on them.

But more to the point, when I want to set a mood for a scene I'm about to write, I play a few tracks from my MP3 collection that point me in the right direction emotionally. This works better sometimes than others, but sometimes it works spectacularly well. The best example from my personal experience is the scene in The Cunning Blood where the slightly deranged nanomachine Sahan Grusa destroys Sophia Gorganis's pirate colony by creating swarms of terrifying but harmless nanobots. The track there was "The Plagues" out of the soundtrack album for the film Prince of Egypt. The effect was damned near perfect.

[elven-wolf.livejournal.com]

Euterpe. Because even though like you I work for Calliope, it's Euterpe who goes 'Look! Here's a musician! You need to write about him and his music!' And I can't write without listening to music that fits the scene.

[bccreations.livejournal.com]

Salma Hayek from Dogma.

[dcopulsky.livejournal.com]

Everything I write is secretly about my girlfriend (Kat), whether I'm drawing on things we've done together, incorporating odd bits of the knowledge and ideas she's shared with me, or exploring the emotions of our relationship through strange characters in ways I'd be too embarassed to articulate.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Congrats, sir -- the d10 of Fate chooses you! I'll announce it on the post today. Shoot me an e-mail (alanajoli at virgilandbeatrice dot com) with your current mailing address and I'll send out the book. :)

[inspirethoughts.livejournal.com]

Beautiful, I must say your muse! :)

Hmm..If muse can be anything, clouds are my muse...yeah it does sound silly!

[lyster.livejournal.com]

My first personal encounter with a muse was in high school, when, in the midst of a particularly frustrating romantic moment involving unrequited love and a slightly older woman, I wrote in pencil in a sketchbook the first 100 lines of an iambic pentameter argument with Erato, in which I rather vociferously quit writing love poetry.

I think in some ways I've been working for her ever since. The checks come from Calliope but it's becoming slowly clear that Erato's the one funding her.

[(Anonymous)]

Euterpe because she is the goddess of music. The reason I chose her as my muse is because music creates beauty and if you listen close enough you can hear a story behind it. And when you listen you can hear whatever story you want for it.-Amy Z.

Muse

[(Anonymous)]

My mother would have to be my greatest muse. Even tho she has been bed bound for over 10 years I have never heard her complain of her disease and have always been inspired by her hope.
love and peace always
Maryn E Inman

[biguglymandoll.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I write because I have to, I get cranky if I don't. I haven't given my muse a name, specifically, but I know when she's around. Oddly, unlike several of the comments above, I cannot write with music on. I can do a little exposition work with classical music, sometimes, but not dialoge or poetry.

My kids, all three of the crazies, have provided a lot of material and, as they've learned to read, they are becoming the audience. There's nothing scarier than the first time you realize your 10-yr-old is reading your blog about herself!