More often than not, it's an impulse.  "Five Minutes", "Images of
Tenchi", "El-Hazard:  The Xth Night", "Evangelion:  Epilogue", "Project
A-Ko:  Losses" ... all these were impulses.  My muse -- and yes, I fully
subscribe to the idea of a little entity sitting on my shoulder whispering
me ideas -- grabs hold of my jugular and says "Write this or I start
chewing."

	That doesn't mean that it gets done all at once.  These things
take time.  I used to write my stories on an ancient word processor called
Multimate, then convert them to ASCII, save to a 3.5 disk, and carry them
to one of the University's computer labs.  Ah, the joys of using
technologically antiquated machinery.  Then my A drive died on me.  Ah,
the joys etc.

	Anyway, I usually spend a couple hours nightly writing at my
projects.  The aforementioned A drive has delayed Act II of Together
Again:  1996 Chapter more or less indefinitely, until I re-type up the
hard copy of what I've got.  So I'm fiddling with other projects.

	Even though I write by impulse, some conscience insists that I
have all the information I can assemble on a series before I start writing
about it.  Thus, while I *want* to write about Utena & Anthy, about Tiara
and Japoro, about the crew of the Nadesico, I *can't*, ethically.  I 
haven't seen their shows yet.  (Sometimes, I hate the net as much as I
love it.)  I have broken this rule only once.  I am still amazed that my
proofreader didn't realize that I hadn't seen the series I was talking
about.

	So here I am, with the idea for a kick-ass Plastic Little story
bouncing in my head, and I'm held up by not knowing enough about the
background of the story.  Oh, and not remembering one of the character's
names.  Pretty soon, that muse is going to bite.

	God I love my job.

Chris Davies.
(Bloody muse ...)