When I awoke, something seemed different — something was missing. I checked under the bed, the back of the closet, my underwear drawer, and behind the fridge for good measure. But, it was nowhere to be found. It was as if someone crept into my room and sucked it out through my fingers while I slept. My blogging muse had been kidnapped. (That, of course, was the most logical conclusion when all the circumstances were considered.)

Who would do such a dreadful thing? Steal one’s blogging muse? It wasn’t until I settled my mind and looked at it from all possible angles did I realize the perpetrator could actually be much closer than I expected. So close I was staring at her in the mirror.

My muse hadn’t been pilfered while I slept; it had wilfully packed its bags and ran away to teach me a lesson. And, boy was I learning.

When your muse seems to have disappeared, it’s your muse’s way of telling you that you aren’t taking proper care of it. (Bloggers need "mental health days", too.) It can be a tight bind to find yourself in one morning, but there are some things you can do to coax your muse back home.

  • Turn off the computer. A muse is like a "special" friend; it likes some quality alone time with you every now and then, without distraction.
  • Talk to friends. A muse is like a "special" friend; it doesn’t like to be smothered all the time. Show it that you have other friends with whom you can talk and bounce ideas around.
  • Comment. Sometimes you’ll happen across another blog that sparks passion within you and as you write the comment, you realize you’ve just written an entire blog entry. Hop back over to your own blog, write it up, and trackback.
  • Take a walk, go dancing, be active. This goes back to the quality alone time mentioned above, instead of just sitting around the house, get out into the fresh air and get your body moving.
  • Rediscover your inner child. Our childhoods are rife with potential content for blog entries — even if not true to the letter. Do things that remind you of your childhood and allow yourself to feel in the process.
  • Watch a movie, listen to music, or read a book. All of these activities stimulate different areas of your brain, and each of them can cause you to relax (depending on the subject matter, of course). And in this relaxed state, inspiration may hit.
  • Be prepared. You never know when your muse will return, so be sure to carry around a small pad and pencil or voice recorder so you can jot down quick notes.

If your muse refuses to return, then it may just be time for a vacation altogether. Get away for a few days or weeks, then come back to your blog refreshed.

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