Because I am a writer, I believe in magic. I believe, like Annie Dillard, that 'I do not so much write a book as sit up with it' (The Writing Life). I believe it has a life of its own, that exists without me, and I, by some miracle, get to be part of the process by being quiet enough to listen. If I wait for long enough, I am able to capture it, and write it down for others to read. Julia Cameron, in The Artist's Way, puts it like this: 'I remind my students that their movie already exists in its entirety. Their job is to listen for it, watch it with their mind’s eye, and write it down.'

You may set out with your idea, but then you reach a point where what you thought would happen suddenly seems implausible and something completely unexpected happens instead. And this is why creating doesn't feel lonely, it feels instead that we are not in control, and that we are partnering with something outside of ourselves to bring something new into being. It sometimes feels that the creation already knows what it wants to be.

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Harold Pinter said of his play The Birthday Party; 'The thing germinated and bred itself. It proceeded by its own logic. What did I do? I followed the indications. I kept a sharp eye on the clues I found myself dropping.' (Quoted in The Gift, Lewis Hyde)

Whilst writing Murmuration, I had a feeling that it was set on Sheppey, even though I'd never been there and didn't know what it was like. When I showed the first few chapters to a friend, she said it sounds like Sheppey, as she had lived there and knew it quite well. I said, 'I thought it was!' My subconscious knew before I did.

In Murmuration 2, there is a major plot twist coming which I can't reveal to you yet. I hadn't planned on it at all, but my subconscious had as all the clues were there in book one, before I even knew it was going to happen.

When something unexpected happens, something that feels magical, I realise I am on the right track.

So how do we create with our intuition?

1. The first step is to be ready to hear.

2. The second step is to begin the work, but always be open to change. The tracks may seem ordinary enough to begin with, but then the magic will come in sideways, when you weren't expecting it.

3. The third step is to thank God, intuition, the universe, the muse, and hope that it happens again one day.

I’d love to hear if you use intuition in your work and how. Hit reply and let me know!

Thanks so much for reading Miners,

Elisabeth

Miners is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.