I know how much a procrastinator I am but one recent entry of kerydwenn's LJ made me want to write this entry.

There's an Irish proverb that says something like : thinking about it all the time won't help you plough the field. I think a lot about my novel, I talk or write or read a lot about writing but the thing is... I haven't written anything since the end of NaNoWriMo.

By writing, I mean a paragraph or a scene or a chapter of the novel - and just the novel. Blogging or e-mailing or school assignments don't count - unfortunately, because I've done quite a lot of writing there !

I told I would resume writing by january - well, we're in february now and when I see all the assignments due for this month in Computing Fundamentals (which I'm currentlty struggling with), history of animation and Film Studies - not to mention all the minor tasks in web design and development and also in the Photoshop class, well it looks like I won't have time for proper noveling before St Patrick's Day - or  even after - or never...

I know, studies (and mental health altogether) are my #1 priority, still I am tired putting off writing a story that keeps developping in my head. I recently discussed that with someone who advised me to write three pages a day. 3 pages ? A day ? That would be something like between 1,500 and 2,000 words per day - the daily target during NaNoWriMo. It doesn't sound too unrealistic but with all the work I have, I would be happy if I could complete one single Word document. Then comes the eternal question of when to write when you are bogged down in assignments. Not to mention that I also need time for e-mailing, blogging, shopping, cooking, cleaning and tidying, and also some quiet time and fun time. Considering all that, it's out of question to go back to the frantic daily schedule I had last november. So, setting one hour or two per day to write one or two pages - OK. But NOT EVERYDAY. How about  monday, wednesday and friday when I have my mornings free ? OK, let's give them a shot.

Also, I should start with that which I should have done for ages : go through my (very messy) notes and write an outline. Then create a document per character and write a little story about them. If I stick to my schedule and my every-other-daily targets, I should be able to resume writing the novel per se in early March.

And I'll start ploughing the field... tomorrow ! Yay !