The Missing Muse
My muse is missing.
I do not believe in a literal muse that inspires artists to create, but the idea of the muse is useful for talking about this situation.
I look at Open Office and the words don't come out like they used to. My notebook of ideas has a few potential gems, but I just cannot realize their potential. An old habit of mine that I thought I had defeated came back; I have deleted in-process stories. There was nothing wrong with them, but they are gone now.
The screen just sits white and untouched.
Dialogue, scene ideas, character ideas... they just aren't there anymore.
What do you do when your muse leaves? How do you get her back?
Picture Credit: "Muse" by Phil Warren is licensed under CC by 2.0
When this happens to me, it's usually a sign of deep-seated fatigue, or some as-yet undiscovered flaw in the story.
I've found that the best solution is to take a break, go do something else, review the story plan, let the subconscious mind churn over the stories and come back when I'm fresh.
I agree with Cheah. Go do something different for a while. I've been ill lately, and I don't write well when I'm sick. I've spent a lot of time reading instead.