Flashes of Brillance

A few years back, I read a biography about Louisa May Alcott. Her family was often concerned when she would begin a new book, as she would often write for days at a time, barely pausing to eat, sleep etc.

She described this as, “The Vortex”. I remember where I was when I read those words. It was like a mental telepathy from a woman behind a wooden writing desk, in a drafty house, and most likely a quill pen rushed forward to connect to me-in bed in the 21st century. That is precisely the word...