IY: Bonus Blog: #NaNoWriMo 2015 Round Up & Publishing News

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Ileandra Young

Oops. It just hit me that it’s now December 5 and I’m yet to round up my NaNo experience this year! Aaah well.

There’s not really too much to report beyond what I talked about in all of my other updates: Clash of the Animal Kings (Mach II) is completed and I made a good start into Season Two of Dead And Alive.

There IS some news though . . . something I’ve been thinking about since Monday when I first heard about it.

Angry Robot is opening their doors to submissions again.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

For those of you who don’t know why this is significant, may I refer you to my posts of this time last year here, here and here. There are probably more, but you’ll get the idea from those posts.

Anyway, I was close last year. Soooooooooooooo close! The idea that I could submit again, that I could send them this novel is just too tempting to pass up. It would mean shuffling my schedule around (a lot!) and working (flat out) to get a (terrible) NaNo draft ready for Jan 31 the latest. But I could do it. I could do it.

And now I don’t know what to do. 😦

Any thoughts/opinions/advice you have on the matter would be deeply appreciated as I’m having trouble making up my own mind here.
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Posted in Dead And Alive, NaNoWriMo 2015, Other Writings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

IY: Mah Plans 30/11/15 & November Round Up

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Ileandra Young

This is one of the few nights that I’ve written my goal post as it goes out, rather than slightly ahead. Let’s just say it’s been a weird, unsettled, uneven and disrupted sort of week with all sorts of things going on with DSB which has made both Raven and I suffer in big ways. o.O

Still, it’s the end of the month and I figure rather than waiting for the first post of the next month, as I usually do, I’d work through my round up now.

Actions Over The Past Fortnight

~Complete draft of ‘Clash of the Animal Kinds (Mach II)
As you may have picked up from my NaNoWriMo posts, this was done quite a few days ago. I’m pleased and looking forward to going back and editing the thing. It’s going to be a much better story now that I know something about structure, arc and characterisation. That’s a wonderful thing to be able to say, given that I first wrote that novel five years ago during my first NaNoWriMo of 2010. ^_^

Complete formatting of ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ for Kindle
Done this morning. I guess it slipped my mind just how long CreateSpace takes to send you proofs of their paperbacks so I ended up doing that first, so I can order it. I’ve not done so yet—just a few more tweaks required on the cover—but that was done well before the Kindle file. Ho hum. At least they’re both done now. Talk about a relief!

~Complete blurb for ‘Episode Three’ and list as pre-order
At laaaaaaaaaast! I really must do the other episodes in advance so I don’t have this problem. Blurbs are mega hard as they have to be enticing, without being spoilery. Quite a feat given that these episodes are so short and that the story all ties together as one. And the worst part? I found that I had already written a blurb and put it in the back of Date Night. -_- And that one was waaaaaaaaaay better than the one I put together this time around. *sigh* So now I’m using a combination of the two, pulling the best of both to make one ‘super blurb’. Yey me.

November Round Up

~Finalise ‘Dead And Alive, Episode Three’ cover art
Sorted. At last!

~List ‘Dead And Alive, Episode Three’ as a pre-order
Also done. Almost a fortnight later than I hoped, but done!

~Format ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ ready for Kindle and CreateSpace (Kindle first)
Check!

~Write and send Autumn newsletter complete with Dead and Alive Teasers and freebies
Check. And it was a fun newsletter too. If you’d like to receive this, once a quarter, sign up here for the next one and a selection of freebies. ^_^

~Complete draft of Clash of the Animal Kinds (Mach II) . . . yes, that is what I’m calling it. Whuuuuut?
^_^ Done. Feeling pretty proud too (see above).

Changes To My Plans

Right! It will be nice to see this list drop right down to the last few tasks. It’s been a long time coming, but . . . here we are! Completed tasks struck out, changes/clarifications in red and additional tasks in green:

  • Complete first draft of Clash of the Animal Kinds (Mach II) by end of November as per NaNoWriMo rules
  • Complete back end of ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ by end of November (final proof and formatting)
    • List ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ for pre-order
  • Publish ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ through Little Vamp Press in digital form by December 29
  • Publish ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ through Little Vamp Press by end of January in paperback form
  • Start deep edits on ‘On A Knife Point’ on completion of Clash of the Animal Kings draft
  • Send one more newsletter to subscribers.
    • Include giveaway copy of ‘Episode Two’ and ‘Episode Three’ in next ad hoc newsletter
  • Publish Season One of ‘Dead And Alive’ episodically every two months (from August)

That last one, strictly speaking, shouldn’t be struck off yet, but since the pre-order for Episode Three is now live, that’s the goal largely complete. I don’t need to do anything more with it except watch it release.

Targets For December 2015

Can’t believe it’s the end of the year! I’m really looking forward to my round up where I look at everything I’ve done. I think I’m going to get a shock.

  • Complete half the deep edits on ‘On A Knife Point’ (45,000 words ish)
  • List the remaining ‘Dead And Alive’ episodes as pre-orders as far as Amazon and Smashwords will allow
  • Proof the physical copy of ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ and release
  • Proof the digital copy of ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ and release

Activities For This Fortnight (complete by 14/12/15)

  • blank calendar from OpenClipArtComplete digital read of ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ (paperback file) and order proof from CreateSpace
  • Ensure final digital file of ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ for Kindle is uploaded to Amazon
  • Format ‘Target Beta: Episode Three’ for Smashwords
  • Ensure final digital file of ‘Target Beta: Episode Three’ is uploaded to Amazon and Smashwords
  • Finalise covers for episodes four and five of ‘Dead And Alive’
  • Read ‘On A Knife Point’ in it’s current form and make broad notes on editing

Thoughts…

Another fortnight of bits and bobs. It seems a bit heavy, but it’s a lot of small jobs, rather than a huge amount of big ones. I’m confident this is possible.

What has been missed from all of these notes so far is the work I’m doing on ‘Dead And Alive, Season Two.’ I hesitate to include it in any of these goals as it’s non-essential for now, but in an effort to ‘write something every day’ I will be continuing to pick away at it. Not lots, you understand, but enough that it doesn’t drop out of my mind completely.

Not a bad idea, right?

 

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Posted in Dead And Alive, Goals Posts *haha!*, Ileandra's Posts, On A Knife Point, Saar's Legacy, Walking The Razor's Edge | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

IY: Fantasy Creatures – Werewolves – How To Spot ‘Em?**

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Ileandra Young

Phew! Been a while since I talked about fantasy creatures, hasn’t it? Sorry about that. I’m back now and ready to go through the ‘how to spot a werewolf’ stuff.

line break, swirling graphics, from openclipart

There are five handy ways to spot such a creature, most seem pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll list them here for your amusement information.

Pays Strong (Slightly Obsessive) Attention to the Lunar Cycle

Everyone knows that werewolves are governed by the room, right? That once a month these fantastical creatures slip their human skin and walk the night as huge wolves. Well, in order to maintain any sort of social life, or indeed stay hidden from nosey neighbours and fussy friends, a werewolf must know exactly when the full moon is due and when it ends. Some may equate this knowledge of the moon’s movements to a lady’s *ahem* own cycle *ahem* but think about it? Once a month we turn into crazed, hormone driven beasts . . . but we always know when it’s coming, right? Werewolves are no different.

Enjoys Raw Meat

Everyone likes a good steak, right? What do you mean you’re vegetarian? Anyway, similarly, everyone knows that the best steak is beautifully charred on the outside and a liiiiiiiiiiitle bit pink on the inside. Werewolves take this to a new extreme; they are the types who instruct their waiters ‘Drag the beast in, let it look at the oven in fear, then bring it out to me!’ They don’t just like it rare, they like it rare and kicking. Look out for those gulping down prime cuts with red rimmed mouths. If you can’t prove it’s wine, maybe it’s time to switch tables.

Hairy, Hairy, Hairy!

Dogs are hairy. Wolves are hairy. It’s no big surprise that wolves are hairy too. Look for eyebrows that meet in the middle, excessive body hair across back, chest and stomach as well as patches of hair on the insides of the palms. This may be tricky to spot, but if a handshake with your new boss sends a tickling chill up and down your arm, just have a quick look . . . and crack out the classified ads.

Violent and/or Bad Tempered

Maybe this links in with the lunar cycle, but I know I’d be annoyed if, once a month, I was forced to slip my clothes and run about the woods like an animal—as an animal. Werewolves are known for their beastly tempers and prone to outbursts of rage at any moment. Do your darndest to stay on their good sides or else, you know, lock your doors at night.

Frightens Cats

No surprises here, right? My old cat used to freak out the second she the neighbours front door opened and they had a chihuahua. -_- Imagine the fright a cat might get upon smelling one of the biggest, baddest canine predators around. And we all know cats loooove people, right? So keep an eye on the little feline warning systems. If they yowl, scratch and make themselves scarce, it might be time for you to do the same.

brown werewolf with yellow eyes

Credit: feraliminal

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**I’m tired, demotivated and slightly spacey right now, so this post has been written with a stronger than usual dash of humour in attempts to cheer myself up.
. . . You’re welcome.
Posted in FUN!, Ileandra's Posts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

. . . BWA H AHA HA HA HA A HA AH AH AH HAHAAAA!

Okay, yeah, so I ‘regained my flow’ and then promptly lost it again. -_- Friday was a rubbish day for me and Saturday wasn’t much better.

Today I sit here feeling a whole heap better, but well behind in all my actual work. So I’ve written no fresh words for NaNo.

I’m not concerned—as I keep telling myself, the NaNo novel is done, but I was really hoping to put more of a dent in Dead And Alive. Never mind. Instead, Episode Three of Season One is now complete and up for pre-order and I’ll be writing a little more of Season Two tomorrow.

So . . . yeah! Tomorrow I’ll have the final word count for the month.

Day29 Calendar

Should be interesting.
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Posted on November 29, 2015 by Ileandra Young | 4 Comments

Regained my flow as far as Dead And Alive is concerned. Good think really as it’s given me the push I need to go back and finishing editing the chunks I need to get done for Episode Three. It’s releasing soon and I’m behind schedule. That’ll learn me! But I’m now coming up with new plans for how I want Dead And Alive to work and where it can take me in future. These characters have so much potential and so much life and personality to explore . . . particularly Michael. So it’s going to be a great deal of fun working on slightly longer pieces when these first two (possibly three?) seasons are done.

I’m exhausted today. It’s been a busy week so far and I’m looking forward to tomorrow which, compared to the week so far, is a day off. I still have a lot to do, but at least I can do a lot of that sitting on my backside.

 

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Posted on November 25, 2015 by Ileandra Young | Leave a comment