We are not, uh, mused?

One of my favorite quotes from any of my writing classes is, "The muse is a fickle b**** but God help us, every writer loves her." If you are unaware of the muse, she is said to be the one who brings inspiration inexplicably in the middle of the night (when you never have a pen). Most people who write casually wait on the muse and only write when she comes. This is an ancient tradition dating back to the Greeks. Before each epic poem, there is an "invocation of the muse," a prayer to a specific muse, believing she would guide their words. We still read their works after 4,000 years so did it work?

I'll be the first to tell you that the muse is amazing when she's around but as my teacher said, she's fickle. So what do we do about her? Well, Milton followed the classical poets' example but he called the Holy Spirit his muse. It surely work for him with Paradise Lost but what about Paradise Found?

Some people use other people as muses. Having these others around help them be more creative and further their work. An example of this would be something like Russell Crow with Ridley Scott or Johnny Depp with Tim Burton.

My opinion? Do whatever you can to get the muse working for you. I think it can be unique to everyone. Music, art, and other media often help me in my writing. But it's the writing (or whatever you do) that you do without the muse that really shapes your work and defines you as an artist.


This poem came from a musing after a long talk with a friend late at night at LSU.

Two Shadows

Two shadows walk under the star-bare dome
brushed by flames of trees rubbing on streetlights
and sing the nightsong, listen for the echo
yelled from empty buildings with windows whitened
by backlit blinds hiding secrets screamed
at muted walls

Venus dances wild in her open floor, twirling, leaping,
swirling until she sees the two shadows. She listens
while their idle words float like moths to her
light. They stare at her splendor with
exposed tongues stapled to useless lips
trimmed in fear of
rejection?




-Caston

Elementals part 2

You may have noticed either that the title of this post is a part 2 or that the previous was part 1. If so, you win! If not, this is the second part ;-). So, I wanted to give a personal example of elemental tone in a piece so I pull out a completely unseen poem from April. I wrote this one while watching Dead Poets Society one day. It was inspired as much by the feel of the movie as the content. The fog when the boys sneak off to their cave, the carved wood of the school, the cave itself, the robes they wore, and even the Puck costume had influence on the way I wrote this. I hope you enjoy it and please, please, please email or text me feedback for it, as it is the extreme first draft and I haven't even reviewed it. Also, I'll be happy to clear up any questions about it, but I want you primarily to focus on the way the poem feels. Thank you

Ubi Sunt?

We are.
We were.
We ever shall be.
All that once was
Trembles above us.
Dust and shadows
Press our lungs
Till our dry shouts
Consume the world of
Those corporal spirits.
We laugh with bony tongues
At their haste to join us.


-Caston

Elementals part 1

I've been musing on elements a bit today after glancing at some desks in Wal-mart of all places. It struck me that each desk was either wooden with aged brass details or post-modern with glass and stainless steel. This made me think of writing and how often the tone of the piece and sometimes the entire inspiration for a piece can be defined elementally.
For an example I think most people can relate to, I'll turn to Tolkien first. In the complete Lord of the Rings series, think about what stands out the most, what sticks with you? The locations and peoples and even the languages of middle-earth are dictated by elemental tones. With the elves, the elements would be pure, plants, light. The dwarves, by contrast, are defined stone, the dark, dank feeling of being underground, rough metals, and leather (oddly enough). The hobbits would be grass and gardens and so on. It's this use of elements that create the tone/feeling of the story.
Though this is the clearest (due to the elements and environments both being natural) and most relatable example, I would argue the most stories, movies, poems, music.... all contain some connection to specific elements. Works like iRobot and Minority report bring us back to the stainless steel and glass not only in the construction of the world, but in the overall feel/tone of the story/movie.
This can be controlled by the creator to maximize the effect of the story or it can just happen by crazy random happenstance. Word choice is one of the most essential, but sneakiest ways to create this elemental tone. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to look at the differences between strong, earthy Germanic words and cleaner (and even pretentious) French/Latinate language. When it happens by accident, it's absolutely beautiful but it's hard if not impossible for the creator to recreate that "something" that made the original stand out.
One last example for this part is a demonstration involves a term that we've all used but probably have never thought too much about. Have you ever referred to something (movie, book, poem, song) as gritty? That is a beautiful illustration of what I mean. Quentin Terrentino (sp?), for one, has grabbed this idea and made a career from it. He takes "clean" things (bright colors, shiny weapons, beautiful women, men in suits) and throws them into a world of grit and dirt and grime and sweat, but in the end, the contrasts of the different elements make all of it cling to us.


-Caston

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-Caston

In the beginning, there was the word...

Soooooo I decided to start a blog because I had some people suggested it. I'm hoping to blog about writing and life and such, which writing is about. Anyways, the name of the blog is from an E. B. White quote about writing, "Be obscure clearly."


-Caston