In the World of Trish, it's an unwritten rule that when your alarm clock goes off you 1. Press the snooze button and 2. You're not allowed to leave your warm cozy bed until the alarm goes again. You may, at this point, choose to snooze again (several times if you like). Each time you hit that snooze button, the Rule of Snooze comes into action. This is one of my favourite Rules (especially on work days).

It's also indicative of a chronic case of Roundtoit-itus also known as Putitoffuntilabettertimetodoitcomesalong. More simply, procrastination.

My writing, while it hasn't exactly suffered, has certainly been effected (or affected, I can never remember which) by this dreaded affliction. Output has, at times, come to a grinding halt while I drilled my way through layers of work, family, and health trying to find time as well as peace and quiet in order to release the creative flow I need to write.

Time. Peace. Quiet.

The Real World seems diametrically opposed to providing all three requirements at the same time. And, as I can't get all three, I put writing off until such a time as I can. The Real World keeps hitting that snooze button.

In the last few weeks, I've been in partial remission from procrastination and have managed to post to my blog every weekend. I'm hoping that this will soon translate in moving forward on the novel I've been "writing" for the past couple of years. The one I put off nearly three years ago for one year due to a major change in my work situation (I went from 3-days a week to full-time) and again 18 months ago when I also decided to start a Diploma in Marketing. The diploma was only supposed to take one year, but roundtoit-itus hit me again and I'm only half way through. Mind you, I'm still working full-time as well so I was doomed from the start.

I've found some time at nights while everyone else is watching tv. I pop open my laptop and go for it. It's been great for writing posts and I'm hoping that I'll stick with it long enough to expand my sessions so that I can produce some fiction and then build enough momentum to create my own peace and quiet, and get that darn novel finished!

Until then, I hit the snooze button every morning and enjoy 10-minute pods of time, peace and quiet in the World of Trish instead of the Real World, and dream/plan/create characters for stories that are patiently waiting for me to get my act together.

Sometimes, it's not writer's block that stops the flow, it's the build up of real life that forms a dam across the river of creativity.