Hunting for Muses and Motivation

Today I have to take some time and write - actually write. I have a story due in less than two weeks with a good beginning, but I need to add a lot to it and it's got a deadline I cannot miss. It seems odd to be writing again. In the last nine months of 2015, I only wrote a single story - a 100 word drabble. This, from a person who spewed words out like raindrops in the tropics in prior years. But I wasn't 'inspired' or 'motivated' or any other number of things and excuses.

My muses always manage to find really good caves in which to hide. 

In cases where motivation lies dormant and the muses have found a cave and retreated from view, it can be difficult to rediscover and revive them. In the past, I hunted for them. I grabbed my mental flashlight and went searching in the dark corners of my mind. Sometimes I found them, whipped the motivation back up to a standing position and pulled the muses back into the sunlight. But that didn't work in 2015.

In my case, motivation rarely seeks me out. Instead, I have to
find it and lead it back to my home port. 

Last year my motivation refused to rise, despite tender loving care and feeding. Last year my muses triple-locked the gates blocking their cave and refused to listen to my pleading words. Last year, in other words, was a bust. The fact that I was even able to pull out a drabble in the latter part of the year was a bit miraculous.

It's time to round up my muses and my motivation. It's time to
sit at the keyboard for something other than tax forms and blogs.
It's time to WRITE! 

But this year I'm armed. I'm taking my flame thrower to burn down the door to my motivation's hide-out. I'll feed it and drag it out into the sunlight. This year I'm taking my metal cutters to cut through the chains, and a torch to melt the locks blocking the entrance to the cave where my muses have secreted themselves. I'll find them and bring them back to a sunlit glade. They'll be kicking and screaming, and I'll probably be bruised, but the clock is ticking and I have people counting on me. Here's hoping you have a great and productive Thursday. I certainly plan to :-)