Have you ever been pregnant? Or known someone who was? There’s a time late in the pregnancy that the old wives called ‘nesting’ — a time when the sudden and powerful urge to clean and organize swoops in and the need to move furniture and wash curtains seems irresistible. A time to prepare the nest, so to speak.

I remember it during each of my three pregnancies and usually could not resist it — even though the old wives suggested doing just that. Why? Well, that’s the exact time when an about-to-be-mother should be conserving her strength to go through labor instead of using it all up mopping floors!

Fast forward to my writing career. . . and I’ve decided that creativity in its many forms seem to cause that ‘nesting’ instinct.

I write each book in a deadline-focused blur but before I reach that stage, I go through some kind of nesting process. I guess it’s my brain’s way of clearing a path to the story that is simmering inside. I clean the office, organize my research books and materials, gather my planning pages, diagrams and charts and get ready to write. (Yes, I create geneology charts, diagrams of my villages and keeps and write out my plans for the story!)

Last week, the nesting began. The need to sort out my books, putting the ones about Scotland and medieval history closer to my desk. The need to find and review my character lists and names from previous MacLerie books. Pens, pencils and notebooks at the ready. Flashdrives for backing-up. Copies of the previous MacLerie books or manuscripts.

I still have some time before the heavy writing will begin, but a sense of calm came over me once I finished cleaning my office and getting things in place. Now, everything is where I can find it when I need it. Ahhhhhhh………….

So, how about you? Do you experience ‘nesting’? Is it before a big project for work or school? Or do you have another way to prepare for big challenges? Please let me know — I’ll pick one person who comments to receive one of my backlist books (print or digital)….

    Terri is not only nesting, she also getting ready to attend the annual RWA conference in Anaheim, CA. She’ll be signing (along with 500+ authors) at the RWA Literacy Signing on Wednesday, July 25th at 5:30pm. It’s open to the public and she hopes to see lots of her readers there. (Pssst — she’s signing the UK edition of THE HIGHLANDER’S STOLEN TOUCH but don’t tell anyone! LOL)  Visit her website for more info about RWA and her upcoming releases!