Research Spirals

“My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.” – Hedley Lamarr

Lately I have been going down a lot of rabbit holes to explore where and how deep I can take some of my thoughts. I’ve plunged head first into wormholes just to see what was on the other side. My brain is on the edge of the map just to get a glimpse of what’s next.

My research spiral is an evolving process where ideas, drafts, and explorations continuously loop through phases of discovery, reflection, reworking, and iteration. The unfinished works¹ and blog posts aren’t static—they exist in a state of potential, waiting to be revisited, expanded, or reimagined. Some pieces find new meaning over time, some merge into new projects, and others remain archived as stepping stones for future ideas. Publishing is just a temporary phase, as even completed works can inspire deeper exploration later. This spiral approach turns my Library of Unwritten Books into a dynamic archive and my blog into a living ecosystem of interconnected thoughts, ensuring that no idea is ever truly abandoned—only waiting for its next cycle.

Then I thought, hmm, what is a better phrase for “research spiral?”

1. Exploration Loop – Emphasizes the continuous cycle of discovery and refinement.

2. Recursive Inquiry – Highlights the revisiting and deepening of ideas over time.

3. Idea Labyrinth – Suggests a complex, nonlinear journey of exploration.

4. Concept Vortex – Implies a dynamic, ever-evolving swirl of thoughts and connections.

5. Knowledge Helix – A structured yet open-ended progression of learning and iteration.

6. Thought Ouroboros – A self-sustaining cycle of ideas consuming and reshaping themselves.

7. Discovery Continuum – A process with no fixed endpoint, always expanding.

8. Intellectual Current – Captures the flow and movement of ideas as they evolve.

9. Iterative Mindscape – A mental landscape where ideas continuously shift and take new forms.

10. Living Archive – Perfect if you want to emphasize how unfinished works remain active and influential.

Adjectives are fun, no?

1. Library of Unwritten Books ↩︎