Why is There so Much to Do?

Oh, hi again!

First of all, I have not been writing. I've been thinking about writing, and I did that partial-chapter revision I already wrote about in my last post. But right now time is not on my side. The new school year is standing at the front door clearing its throat and getting ready to knock, which means I'm spending all my time doing the dozens of last-minute tasks I need to feel prepared for the long plunge. It's like getting ready to die. That sounds like a horrible way to describe things, but I think it's pretty true. It's the "death of free time." Especially this coming semester, with my crazy life as a combination of staff-faculty-graduate student. Goodbye, friends! Goodbye, social life! Luckily, all the things I'm busy with are important to me, so I won't complain anymore.

So, where does that leave HP? Poor little HP, always pushed to the sidelines. If only I could take a few months off from all my obligations and just focus on finishing the novel. I've been writing it for three years....and yet, that's not three solid years. I've only been able to write it for a few months at a time, during semesters when I'm not teaching. So when just counting the months I've had to devote to it, it hasn't even quite had a full year of attention. And even during those limited "writing months," it still only gets my time every other weekend or so, since the full-time job and normal chores fill up much of my time. All told, I think I've only been able to spend about 500 hours on the book...which sounds like a lot, but is only equivalent to about three months of full-time work. If I'd had 3-4 solid months of just writing 40 hours a week, I would be where I am now, after 3 years of trying to fit this in during my sparse free time. That's sad to me. I mean, I'm glad I continue to work on it despite these obstacles...and I guess I'm not willing to quit teaching...and I need to work...so this is how it has to be. But I feel bad that HP has such a tenuous claim to my time. Therefore, I'm going to try to fit in some writing each week...even if only for an hour or two. That's the plan ~ to at least keep stirring the pot, regardless of what else I have going on. Then hopefully when January arrives I'll be able to spend a great deal more time on it again. And once I look into the copywrite issues, I'll perhaps start posting the revised chapters here in case people want to start reading it.

Next post will feature my watercolor tribute to the winners of the Favorite Alice in Wonderland Character contest. I have Alice and the Cheshire Cat done, but then The Queen of Hearts snuck up to make it a three-way tie. So to be fair I'll need to do her watercolor as well.