A Course in Demonic Creativity

“[A] re-imagining of the Muse . . . fascinating . . . eloquent . . . magic.”
— Goodreads review

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About the book

Where does creativity come from? Why do ideas and inspiration feel as if they come from “outside,” from an external source that is separate from us but able to whisper directly into the mind? Why have so many writers throughout history—and also composers, painters, philosophers, mystics, and scientists—spoken of being guided, accompanied, and even haunted by a force or presence that not only serves as the deep source of their creative work, but that exerts a kind of profound and inexorable gravitational pull on the shape of their lives?

These are all questions addressed by A Course in Demonic Creativity: A Writer’s Guide to the Inner Genius. The book’s starting point is the proposition that we all possess a higher or deeper intelligence than the everyday mind, and that learning to live and work harmoniously and energetically with this intelligence is the irreducible core of a successful artistic life. We can call this inner force the unconscious mind or the silent partner. We can call it the id or the secret self. But muse, daimon, and genius are so much more effective at conveying its subversive and electrifying emotional charge, and also its experiential reality.

Your unconscious mind truly is your genius in the ancient sense of the word, the sense that was universal before it was fatefully altered several centuries ago by historical-cultural forces. Befriending it as such, and interacting with it as if it really is a separate, collaborating presence in your psyche, puts you in a position to receive its gifts, and it in the position to give them to you.

Praise from Goodreads reviewers:

“The true magic in this book comes from the pure, honest joy vibrating beneath the words. This is written by someone who loves what they do, and it shows. . . . It’s rare that someone who has thought this deeply and this cogently about the creative instinct shares their thinking gratis.”

“This is of great interest to any creative person, especially one struggling with a block. I think I got a lot of insights about how to deal with the fear of creating every artist experiences.”

“I didn’t expect to find so much insight about the creative process in a free ebook.”

“I found this one of the most informative and inspiring books I’ve yet read on the subject.”

“Indispensable.”

“It certainly inspired me.”

Free download: A Course in Demonic Creativity

NOTE: This book was developed from essays originally published at the blog Demon Muse (named on the cover), which was active from 2010 to 2011 and is no longer available. After writing the book, the author felt led by his own daimon muse to release it into the wild for free. It has been downloaded by tens of thousands of readers.