The Whims of the Muse

Molly O'Neil recently twitted a link to Shannon Hale's blog: http://oinks.squeetus.com/2010/04/fall-2010-new-from-shannon-hale.html and I completely relate to the author. I'm not yet published (notice the yet) and my current project is taking quite a tall on me - but I wouldn't have any other way. My research has taken me to other dimensions, and the fact that I'm trying to connect a scientific theory to a completely different theory unrelated to science is keeping me up at nights. Still, the plot won't have it any other way and my characters are waiting for me to finish the story already. But I can't have a character expertly fishing if he doesn't know how to hook a bate, or play an expert violin unless we know of their background and how this connects to the rest of the plot. As Shannon Hale said, sometimes we have to "bow to the whims of the muse" and she's so right.