Research.

I always do it, do rather too much of it if I'm being honest. Right now I’m researching Ancient Sumerian Gods - Not an arbitrary decision, they are of  relevance to the novel but their allure is great and altogether too fascinating.

What research really = is, of course, PREVARICATION in its purest and most elemental form. That, and blogging about it.

To an undisciplined sort like myself, research always gets out of hand, becomes an end in itself so I end up with page upon page of repetitive, confusing notes with little or no relevance to the novel, which serve only to muddle and confuse.

What I should be doing is WRITING; diving into the cool blue waters of my first chapter, poking around the coral reef of my setting, making friends with the colourful life forms who inhabit it, stretching metaphors like elastic bands, to the very limits of their endurance and the reader's patience. Research should occur only when required for the purposes of the story.

That’s how it should be done and I know this, the way I know I'm going to need more coffee and a buttered crumpet in about twenty minutes, so why am I reading ancient religious texts I'll know I'll never need? Why is there an irresistably lovely clicky-link on every damn page? And look where they take me! Ooh, shiny! See how brightly the pretty clicky sparkles, and look at this! This page has pictures and more links and exciting text I can cut and paste into a document I’ll later lose and my digi-guide says The Goons are starting on BBC7 and can has coffee nao…?