That Magpie Stage

Okay, so here's a tip: Never leave a complexly plotted book for a year and a half without leaving yourself very detailed, explicit notes. Jeez. I feel like I've been wandering for years, lost in the Labyrinth like Theseus, only I don't have Ariadne to help me. More's the pity.

However, I have finally become fully emerged in the book. How can I tell? Because I am now officially in The Magpie Stage. It's that stage of writing when everything feeds the book. Wherever I turn, there's an image or the perfect word, or a glimmer of human nature, that is just exactly what I need for the book so I snatch it and quickly store it in my waiting nest. Whether it's stumbling on just the right reading material, finding the perfect resource in a most unexpected place, tripping over a website that shouldn't have anything to do with the book, and yet it turns up a perfect detail.

See? Even searching for an image of the Theseus myth turns up a wonderfully medieval picture of the myth, even though it wasn't medieval at all.

It feels like the very Universe itself is lining up to help me write this book. I adore this stage, truly. And it doesn't always last long, so I try to soak it up while I can.

In other news, I have vowed to leave at least five comments a week on other blogs. Okay, three. Five might be biting off more than I can chew. But I vow to leave three comments a week on other blogs. The thing is, I love the blogs I read and I want the bloggers to know that I'm there, reading, appreciating their efforts. So that's my new almost-May-Day-resolution.