Am I procrastinating?

Today I have been planning a story.

I finished a short story that I started last week - which I thought I'd never be able to do (I can't believe how good it feels to actually have finished something!) - and now I want to plan my novel!

Don't get me wrong, I've had this idea in my head for months now. This idea has been lodged in the back of my head behind algorithms, integration and vectors over the past couple of months. But now, since I've begun to practice and craft my writing style, I feel like this is the time for me to give it a go.

Before creating my characters and developing the plot, a little research has to be done to grasp some prior knowledge of the novel. Of course, some people may not need this. But I'd highly recommend it, if you are setting your story in an unfamiliar place, or are writing about an event that happened in the past, so to make sure that the story holds accuracy.

Research was my main focus today. I am a lover of fantasy fiction and the topic of my idea tends to the fantastical. I researched some Greek mythology which I have always been interested in and was fairly shocked by how much I could remember from primary school - I never realized how much of a player Zeus, God of the sky, was!

Ideas seemed to spiral the more I researched and it was interesting how much my initial idea could change. Yet, for some reason, it felt like I was procrastinating. I don't know if it's just me, but since I'm doing something I really enjoy, this research stage seems like a gift. I love learning new things and so, it wasn't a chore. Not that writing is necessarily my job, but I really believe in this quote. I hate the idea of being trapped doing something that I don't enjoy.

I did get a bit carried away with my research and was probably reading way too deeply into things and wasting more time than was necessary. Nevertheless, now I have a better understanding of some of the themes that are likely to occur in my novel.

I don't feel you can ever do too much research. At the end of the day, I know their will always be one reader who will know more about the events, (etc), I may be depicting in my novel than I do. If I write something that is inaccurate - they will pick up on it and they will have no problem in voicing these flaws!

Planning a story can be very quick and easy for some, but for others, it takes a while to fully create the story. It doesn't mean you don't have a great idea. It just takes time and dedication to turn that idea into a novel.

I'm learning as I go and welcome any comments that will be helpful to me in the planning stage of my story :)