Clash Of The Animal Kings: Nearly There!

I’ve done it. Its over. Its done. Can you believe it?! Somewhere around 10.30pm last night I finished the final touches on my edit of Clash. Its done!

You know that little lip wobble thing you do when you’re just so happy that you’re afraid you’ll cry? That’s what I did and I had to trawl some of my favourite websites to calm down. It didn’t work – in calming me down I mean – but it did distract me long enough to stop me turning on the music too loudly. Then I caved in and did play a song… just one which, cheesy as it may be, helped describe what I felt.

Eeeeyup. Turned it up – not too loud – and just sat there singing as loudly as I could. Then I remembered that it was fairly late and that I’d better now, so I chilled a smidgy bit. But not for long. Then I went straight to CreateSpace to arrange for my proof copy of the novel. That, after all, is the reason I pushed so very hard after NaNoWriMo to get the edit done by this month. That is why I utterly dropped SORB (though it does strike me that I could have left Clash and put SORB through CreateSpace instead, though I have plans for bigger and better things with SORB; NaNos can happily be done POD). That is why I’ve barely seen my partner for two months and that is why my computer chair has a beautiful groove in it which fits perfectly with my arse. I’ve barely left the damn chair!

But I’ve done it. I’m there.

Then I got to go through CreateSpace and start putting it all together. I had to convert my .doc file into a .pdf on their strict margin templates. I had to go through it page by page to retain all of my formatting and yet ensure that the book is readable and pretty. I had to ignore those annoying red lines (the template was .doc) telling me that the file was full of spelling mistakes (the dictionary for that template was American -_-) and just focus on what I knew had to change. Hardest of all though, was that I had to trust my checking.

I’ve been going through the novel almost constantly since January now. I can’t afford to read it through again. But deep inside there is the tiniest fear that there is something I’ve missed or skipped or not made as clear as I could have. I’ve had proof readers and checkers go through it, but only one provided me with feedback and notations that I feel have made me do a good job of those scenes that I have no real life experience to draw on. Yeah… but I had to trust what I’d done already. So that meant no re-reading, just applying the 91k plus words to the template.

It came out at 250 pages all told. Well… the physical book will be 250 pages, the pages containing text number 243. I had no idea I’d written that much! But it does give me something of an idea towards how big something like SORB or Gaea might be. Gaea at its first edit was 250k words. o.O That will be a HUGE book!

But I did all that. I applied it to the template after picking out the size. I decided on a blurb for the outer cover and some ‘about the author’ text for the inside. I must admit, I just modified what was here for that. Kyonë did such a good job that I’ve used her words to describe myself with only slight modification. She doesn’t mind; I’ve already asked her. I think she’s pleased actually. And then… I got to make my cover.

!!!

I got to see the cover of my book. Laid out flat as if you had the book open with the spine facing up I got to see how the cover would look. That’s when I started crying again. I couldn’t help it. By that point it was probably 12.40am (I haven’t had much sleep), I was tired, I was buzzing but seeing my name on the spine and the title that I picked so long ago… I couldn’t stop the tears. I was just so unbelievably thrilled. I had already been upstairs to ask my partner if it was a good idea to start while I was so emotional, but I don’t think I explained properly what I was feeling and why it was making me ask. I have to get better at that. Anyway, I was supposed to stop and take myself to bed at midnight, but by that point I couldn’t stop.

So I made the template for my cover as well as all the blurb information and submitted all the files for review. They’re reviewing it now. Soon I’ll be able to know if the files are suitable for printing and then I’ll have the book. They’ll send it to me and I’ll be able to hold my novel in my hands. XD I don’t know how I’m going to get through work today. I’m too excited!