The way of the muse

Muses are funny creatures. You think you have figured them out and know how they operate. Then they decide to give you a wild pitch.
I spent most of yesterday obsessing about the hero's name. I was convinced that was what was wrong. Then it came to me as I was climbing down the ladder after an impromptu cleaning of the gutter under the middle's window. (The children now know that to tease by holding books out a dormer window -- several things will happen if you accidentally drop them -- 1. They will slide down the roof. 2. They will become stuck in the gutter 3. Their mother will become rather angry). I need to make his motivation for a few things clearer.
So this morning I went back to chapter 3 and layered a few things -- hopefully adding to the conflict. Suddenly the muse is happy. She does like the name Octavian and now does not want to change it.
Why couldn't she have whispered her problem in the first place?
Anyway, I can now continue to write -- as long as nothing else goes out a window...

Kate Hardy made mention of Vindoland in her blog. And that reminded me. Apparently this year's dig has revealled a horde of statues and busts. They are all very excited about the development. My husband was speaking with someone who works there at a governor's meeting the other week and he was explaining about this. The High School where my eldest goes has ties with Vindolanda that go back many years.
This means I shall have to go and visit once again.
Vindolanda is quite near my house (within hiking distance) and it is where they have discovered more private Roman writing than anywhere else. Much has been preserved due to the soil conditions. The British Museum recently said that the Vindolanda tablets were the greatest of all their treasures. Every summer, the Vindolanda team excavates more of the site. Some of the best finds have come from the areas of the old latrines.