From the Lion’s Mouth

Greetings fellow Disney fans! I thought it would be fun to share a writing lesson from the King of Beasts himself.

Mufasa tells us, in a voice only James Earl Jones could master, to: Remember who we are.

I adore this speech, and more importantly, I think it has a lot of relevance for us as writers. It’s all too easy to get so caught up in industry details, query woes and deadlines that we lose sight of who we are.

Storytellers. We love stories. It’s that simple.

When you first decided to write, was it to get an agent or be on the NYT bestsellers list? Probably not. (Those dreams started after you finished your first chapter, remember?) I bet most of us first picked up the pen because we had an idea for a story. A great story! And we wanted to share it with the world.

THAT’s what we have to remember. In the end, it all comes back to our stories. That’s where we find our joy.

Here’s a challenge for you: Watch Mufasa’s speech. Now, imagine it’s your muse talking to you, asking if you remember, really, why you first found the love to write. Have you forgotten? My guess is that it won’t take long to find renewed inspiration!

To kickstart your musical muse, also check out the amazing Broadway song.