Creativity and Other Errant Gestures

I am working on novelizing one of my screenplays (I suppose the correct way of putting it is "adapting" one of my screenplays -- although the process usually goes the other direction. At least I was working on the novel.

In the last week though, I have started and finished two short stories and started and gotten several (to six) pages into several more. I am not experiencing writers block, just at this time, novel block.

And when I tell someone about this, they ask, "Why don't you just finish the novel?" -- as if that were an easy task I could accomplish this weekend, if I would only stick with it. I then have to explain the writing process, and how creativity works for me (it's not a start/finish/stop process).

When I am stuck on a longer piece, it is sometimes easier to do a short piece. Feels less frustrating that way for some reason. If I try to continue to slug it out with the novel, it only gets frustrating, especially since the novel is 'already finished' if you will -- the basic plot is down and just needs to be 'filled out' 'some.' Usually a lot 'some.' 

Hence, the short story.

Now what I really need to finish are several articles. But that requires research. Oy! Now that's 'work.'