How time flies?

Ok, to be honest, time is not flying. In fact, it is crawling by at the pace of a lame snail. For my wife, however, time does seem to be flying by. This is mostly due to the fact that we have a child to care for now! For me, I am swamped with assignments and trying to make up a lost week. I have a LOT to do, since next week is the last week of classes. So, for me, I count the seconds before I am DONE with this and can spend some time at home and writing.

On that note, writing is actually taking off. Yes, I am busy, so how do I find time to write?

The bus.

I take a bus to school every day. It takes half an hour each way, so I get to spend at least a full hour doing nothing but sitting. So, I have begun taking my computer out and trying up my story. Since I already have the hardest part completed (the Action/Reaction part, which is the outline I am using for the story), I can really let myself just write! It's so therapeutic! Also, if I find I have time to myself and don't have access to the internet (which is needed for just about all of my assignments), I break out the computer and start to type. So, how much have I written since my last post?

16,725 words. That's about 38 pages single-space, or 76 double-spaced. All in my spare time and all since the birth of my daughter. I'm more than 1/4 into the story!

And after I finish, I am looking forward to having people critique it so I can rewrite and improve. I don't want a proofreader who just says what they think I want to hear ("Oh, it's good! I liked it!"). I want a proofreader who will metaphorically hold down my story, slice open its belly, and strangle it with its own innards. I do not pretend to think that my story is actually GOOD. However, I can make it good once I know what is wrong with it.

And, for you proof-readers/critics out there, there is a difference between proof-reading and criticizing. Proof-reading is a positive thing by which you help the writer. Show the writer where the weak points are, what the strong points are, how the pacing works, anything that doesn't quite work for you. That way, the writer can fix it. Criticizing is simply the art of insult. Come up with unique and inventing ways to put something down so that you sound so much smarter than the writer. Your goal is to cater to your own audience and possibly hinder the writer's. Some critics will also think up inventive ways of praising something they particularly enjoy (or are paid to enjoy). These are "professional critics." However, if you can be constructive in your criticisms, then the writer may be able to improve further works by learning what his audience wants. So, critics, please keep in mind that the writer wants to improve. For you. And if you just call the writer "the greatest generator of fluff since the cotton mill," you're not doing anything for your future self.

I digress. Rewriting is something I am looking forward to. I am already not happy with the beginning of chapter 8, so I expect it will take many proofreaders before I am satisfied with the work as a whole. This will likely take some time, but it is not to be rushed. however, I will finish writing it before I go back to edit anything. If I don't, I will NEVER finish.

When school ends, I will be looking for work and taking care of the baby full-time until my wife passes her comprehensive exams. Then I may return to school, provided I do not have a kick-ass job. During this time, I expect to be able to write a lot more. Regardless, it will still take a while.