2023 - Frazzled But Fortunate

This was a rough year. I felt like I was rushing and pushing to get tasks done, which sucked. However, it was still a successful year.

This blog post is my last official writing task for 2023, and then I'm taking a two-week break (aside from working on my Bullet Journal, but that's more meditative than work-related). I need it. I'm exhausted. =P

Let's see how I fared with my goals overall...

2023 Publications

❦ Fairies - Fractured & Uncut (Fractured Fairies Collection)

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams)

Yes, I published both titles I'd intended to this year! Dead As Dreams being complete is the accomplishment I'm most proud of, though.

2023 Progress

Go ahead and pop over to 2023 - Year of Death and Dreams, if you'd like to compare this year's goals to what I actually completed.

❦ Revised, Edited, and Formatted Dead As Dreams (squee!).

❦ Revised/Expanded Immortal Woes.

❦ Edited and Formatted Fairies - Fractured & Uncut.

❦ Yet again, no words added to Gemini's Echo - this novel is going to turn into the new Dead As Dreams isn't it? You know, where I keep intending to work on it, but it keeps getting put off while I focus on other writing projects.

❦ Newsletters - sent out 6, but not all when I'd scheduled... Had to do some rearranging - heh.

❦ Born to Write - I kind of dropped the ball on blogging once per month. Other tasks and situations took precedence, though.

❦ Social Media - I've pretty much completely cut Twitter (sorry, not calling it the stupid new name) from my time and attention. Good riddance. But I've started posting videos to TikTok - this is way more satisfying, as I love the creativity that goes into making videos.

❦ Marketing - Yes, I got through more Ads for Authors courses! That was earlier this month. I did the Facebook Ads courses, and then I was ready to start some good, targeted ads, when Meta decided it would add a new "feature" that was preventing me from choosing an option on how to run my ads. I'm still waiting for them to fix this "feature" (they said by the end of this month - I'm not holding my breath), and then I'll be running a couple ads, including one to build my newsletter subscribers.

Guess what time it is? Number crunching time! Some hate it, I love it, so I'm throwing the numbers at you no matter what.

❦ No drafting done, since I spent my time revising and editing (though at the end of Dead As Dreams the amount I had to rewrite made it feel like I was drafting!).

❦ I revised a total of 73,687 words.

❦ I edited a total of 255,415 words (yikes!).

❦ 245 hours spent writing, revising, and editing (yes, I did double that number from last year).

❦ 53.75 hours creating cover art, formatting, and publishing.

❦ And the final total is (excluding reading and Haunted Unicorn jobs)... 424 hours spent on writing and writing related tasks! Last year I almost hit 190, so I more than doubled my time. No wonder why I feel frazzled. Also too many writing tasks that weren't actual writing, revising, or editing.

I honestly didn't realize how much time I put into writing this year until I typed up the numbers for the post (I hadn't even glanced at the totals on my handy spreadsheet before starting this post). I mean, I know it's not full-time hours, but I'm pretty amazed at all that I accomplished. Now to find a better balance, so I don't feel like I'm running as fast as The Flash to complete some of the tasks - lol.

How'd everyone else do in 2023? Writing or other goals?

NaNoWriMo 2023, Dead As Dreams Update, And A Halloween Pic

It's November! Yay! And I can't do what I originally planned to do for NaNoWriMo. Booooo.

As of this morning, I had two scenes left to revise in Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams). Right now, it's one (mind you, the scene I worked on today ended up being over double what I estimated it would be...). So, I need to finish that scene tomorrow. I'll be counting the revisions for both scenes on my NaNo word count.

But once I'm done revising, I need to dive directly into editing Dead As Dreams, as I FINALLY intend to publish it on November 29.

This means no drafting fun this month for me. Sigh. I've been wanting to get back to Magic Morsel, add to Gemini's Echo, and draft the next Fortunes of Fate story. All that will likely have to wait until 2024, as if past Decembers are any indication, I'll get no writing done this December.

However, that doesn't mean no NaNo. I'll be counting every hour of editing as 500 words. NaNo Rebel! Forever and always. And I probably won't hit 50k, but do I ever?

So that's the scoop with NaNoWriMo 2023 for me. I won't be keeping track on my blog at all for NaNo progress either. Life has me a tad overwhelmed right now. Good luck to all those undertaking the NaNo challenge (rebels or not)!

Oh, just for some fun, here's a picture of my fairy garden decorated for Halloween. =D

2022 - Broke The Cycle!

Did I accomplish everything I set out to do in 2022? No. But that's OK. I didn't have a crappy year, like so many other even numbered years. Hell, I actually wrote more days and wrote/revised more words than 2021. Woo hoo!

Of course, 2022 wasn't without struggles, including many other tasks devouring my attention (stupid, messy, house... which is messier than at the end of 2021, if that's at all possible - heh). Some months didn't include much writing progress. One of these days, I'll get the hang of writing more when the kids are home. Probably when they're ready to leave the house - lol.

But this post isn't about what I didn't get done. Nope. It's all about what I accomplished in 2022. So here's the rundown!

2022 Publications

❦ Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5)

❦ Do Not Go Gentle (Prequel to Dead As Dreams)

Only one of the two I planned on publishing, but at least I published two, even if one was originally unplanned.

2022 Progress

If you'd like to compare what I accomplished to what I had planned, take a peek at 2022 - Keep The Momentum Going. But if you're just curious about my final numbers, read on!

❦ Revised Nymphs Need Love Too.

❦ Revised 46,190 words of Dead As Dreams (not finished like I wanted, but a lot of progress).

❦ Drafted and revised Do Not Go Gentle.

❦ Added 8,979 words to Magic Morsel - 9 new episodes.

❦ Unfortunately, no words added to Gemini's Echo.

❦ Newsletters - all 5 sent out, as planned. Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession is complete!

❦ Born to Write - Hey, look at that, I blogged once a month. Twice this month, even.

❦ Marketing - I purchased the Ads for Authors course. However, I've only had a chance to watch a sliver of the videos, so I haven't experimented with more ads yet, aside from trying my hand at a couple Facebook ones before I bought the course.

Now for my favorite thing. It's number crunching time! Let's see all my totals.

❦ I drafted a total of 15,225 words.

❦ I revised a total of 63,055 words.

❦ I edited a total of 49,422 words.

❦ 123.47 hours spent writing, revising, and editing.

❦ 17.83 hours creating cover art, formatting, and publishing.

❦ And finally, 189.83 total hours on writing and writing related tasks (up to the time of this post, excluding reading and Haunted Unicorn Publishing work). I actually find this number quite interesting. It's lower than 2021, even though I wrote more days and produced more words in 2022. It either means I'm producing faster, or I spent less time with other writing tasks outside of drafting, revising, and editing. I'm guessing it's a mix of both.

I'm damned proud of all I accomplished, even if I shifted focus (for good reason) with some projects. Here's hoping that I'll be able to tackle all of my goals in 2023. Of course, that's for my January post. I hope you all had a great 2022!

2021, Way Better Than Last Year

Can we say yay that 2021 was superior to 2020? Yay!

I mean, there were still plenty of bumps, but I actually made progress with my writing, including three publications. That's a big win for me.

This post is a bit earlier than usual, but unless I get the motivation to add more words to Magic Morsel before the end of the year, I'm calling myself done. Decompression break to prepare for a productive 2022. Yes? Yes.

Here we go with the data for 2021!

2021 Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7)

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4)

❦ Dawn of Fate (Fortunes of Fate 1-6 - Collection)

After nothing released in 2020, these three publications feel amazing. If you haven't grabbed a copy of one yet that you've had your eye on, treat yourself for the holidays!

2021 Progress

So, how exactly did I fare with the goals I set out for myself at the beginning of the year? If you'd like a reminder of what I had planned, wander on over to 2021 - This Year Has To Be Better.

❦ Completed revisions and edits of Well of Solitude.

❦ Completed revisions and edits of Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies.

❦ Completed drafting Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5).

❦ I only added 1,884 words to Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1)... BUT...

❦ Due to the announcement of Kindle Vella, I started drafting Magic Morsel. I've currently written 27,037 words on that project!

❦ No blog posts in August, but at least one all other months. And the newsletters went out as needed (I've decided December isn't the best newsletter time unless I have a holiday related title releasing).

❦ The Year of Cats kind of evaporated on Instagram. I'm still posting pictures there occasionally, though. Social media can be such a time sink!

Now for the nitty gritty. The big, overarching numbers for the year. You know, what I love. XD

❦ I drafted a total of 39,232 words.

❦ I revised a total of 17,934 words.

❦ I edited a total of 71,033 words.

❦ 104.75 hours spent writing, revising, and editing.

❦ 42.08 hours creating cover art and dealing with other publication tasks.

❦ And finally, 222.08 total hours on writing and writing related tasks (per usual, up to the time of this post, and this excludes reading as well as any Haunted Unicorn Publishing work).

Wow, I hit most of my goals. How'd that happen? I mean, Magic Morsel ousted Gemini's Echo, but I wrote almost 29k words between the two projects. That puts me at 13k short of my word count goal for Echo. With some ups and downs throughout the year, that's damned good for me. And a million leagues better than 2020.

I've already planned 2022, so watch for that post in the first week of January. Even years seem to be a thorn in my paw, but I'm determined to break that cycle. But more about that in the next post.

Happy holidays, all, and try to enjoy the rest of your 2021 before it disappears!

Life, the Universe, and Writing, aka Writing Update - September 2019

I know, it hasn't even been three months since my last writing update, but this post seemed appropriate now. Would you rather I post again about Summoners War? I didn't think so.

This time, I'm just going to note a few things and try to keep it brief (this is difficult for me, of course, as I tend to ramble on if you haven't picked up on that already).

2019 Fall Updates/Notes

❦ Blogging is being dropped down to sporadic. This will allow more time for me to focus on writing! So, after this post, I'm not sure when the next post will be. Hopefully before the end of the year, unless life sweeps me away.

❦ Thorns Entwine the Blade (Trinity Torn, 2) is now planned to be released in November 2019, due to my editor's schedule (and me overestimating just how much I could get done during summer with the kids home).

❦ Though the release date for Thorns has been pushed back, I have completed both the major revision and the consistency edit. The manuscript is currently waiting at my awesome editor. Once she gets it back to me, it will be on to final edits and formatting!

❦ I'm easing into my new writing schedule with both kids in school full-time. Last week was an odds and ends week, but this week I started in on the draft for Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7). And yes, I've settled on Solitude. I wrote nearly 3,500 words in just two days. This is amazing for me, and I think I'll enjoy this new schedule once I get used to the routine! Now to figure out where I'm going in this story, especially since it seems like it wants to be longer than I originally expected...

❦ I've added a new Mantra for myself, as I didn't want to wait to add it until next year: Embrace My Process. This is to help remind myself that I shouldn't feel like I'm "doing things the wrong way". I have to ignore the "you should do it this way" voices that are all over the internet, particularly in writing groups/forums. I need to do what works for me because I'm not everyone else, I'm me, and if I try to do what works for everyone else, I'll just struggle and waste time. I know, this seems like a simple realization, but it really only sunk in when I started watching Becca Syme's The Quitcast. So, I'm trying to allow myself to embrace my strengths as far as my process goes (no, I haven't taken the test to determine my strengths, but she's gone over a couple already that I know I align with).

I think that's it, finally! Pretty short, right? For me at least.

Oh, one more thing. I watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Why did it take so long for me to watch it? It was amazing! Not going to do a whole blog post on it because I'd probably just be gushing. But I hope they make a sequel!

Until the next blog post... Happy reading!

Haunted Unicorn Publishing - Beta Reading and Developmental Editing

Back in February I started offering Ebook Formatting via Haunted Unicorn Publishing. Well, at the beginning of July I also added Beta Reading and Developmental Editing to my services. Aside from posting on Kboards and the Haunted Unicorn Facebook Page, it was a pretty quiet addition, so I figured it was about time to announce it officially on my blog!

I've always found it easier to see and focus on the bigger picture items when looking at a piece of fiction, instead of the nit-picky line editing and proofreading that many others are better at. So, offering Beta Reading and Developmental Editing make the most sense. And I'm happy to help other writers improve their stories, if they feel like they need another pair of eyes. With my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction and well over a decade of critiquing under my belt (and a need to make sure I'm thorough), anyone who decides to hire me will hopefully be pleased with the feedback.

Details? Of course! If you want the full run down, please visit the Beta Reading page and the Developmental Editing page. But I'll list some brief details here. =)

For both services I'll read any fiction genre except for erotica. The services don't include copy editing, line editing, proofreading, or fact checking. I also won't do rush requests.

Beta reading involves me reading once through a manuscript, adding reader reaction notes as I read and then summarizing my bigger points at the end. Though I'm happy to clarify any notes that confuse you, this service doesn't include a back and forth at the end to work through things.

Developmental editing includes at least two passes of a manuscript, internal notes added during both passes. Then at the end I'll write up a detailed analysis of a long list of story elements (they are listed on the Developmental Editing page). This service also includes a chat or back and forth in emails at the end discussing further and exploring the comments I made.

I'm also offering a free sample edit of the first 3,000 words of a manuscript! It's the best way to discover if my style of editing works well for people. Just fill out the Sample Edit Request Form if you're interested and currently have something you want looked at.

Any questions about my services can be directed to haunted@hauntedunicorn.com (if you contact me via my Alexa Grave form or email, I'll reply from one of the Haunted Unicorn emails).

My current prices are listed below -- watch the Haunted Unicorn Facebook Page for future discounts!

Read on! It's all about the story!

❦

Current Beta Reading & Developmental Editing Prices for Haunted Unicorn Publishing

***Please check the Beta Reading and Developmental Editing pages of the Haunted Unicorn Publishing website to confirm that they haven't changed.***

❦ Beta Reading --- $0.001 per word (so a 90,000-word book would cost $90)

❦ Short Stories included in Beta Reading --- Minimum $10 charge even if under 10,000 words

❦ Developmental Editing --- $0.006 per word (so a 90,000-word book would cost $540)

❦ Short Stories included in Developmental Editing --- Minimum $30 charge even if under 5,000 words

Haunted Unicorn Publishing - Ebook Formatting

Time to try more new things! What, you think I'm taking on too much? Let's hope not. ;)

Haunted Unicorn Publishing is the imprint I've been using on my titles since I started indie publishing back in 2012. I've always considered expanding it and actually publishing other writers' books. Right now, I'm not going to go quite that far. Baby steps!

At this time I'm offering Ebook Formatting Services. Well, my alter ego is the one headlining it all -- I figured using my real name in correspondences for that part of my business would be a good idea, since it's not like I'm trying to hide who I really am as Alexa Grave. Alexa Grave can keep the writing hat, so my alter ego can have the business hat (way to compartmentalize - hehe).

Anyhow, I'm offering simple, but clean, Ebook Formatting. This means no bells and whistles. No fancy embedded fonts, drop caps, or images (aside from the book cover). Sometimes I think all of that gets in the way of the story, which writers and readers alike know, that's the most important thing in a book!

I've used trial and error in the last year to come up with an ebook formatting process that works for me. One that when I look at it looks nice and streamlined. No added flourishes (I admit, though, I like a little flourish on the paperbacks).

Sticking to simple also helps with the varying different ereaders out there. If you keep it basic, you're less likely to run into errors on say a Nook reader even if it's flawless on a Kindle. You can find Epub and Mobi samples on the Formatting page of the Haunted Unicorn Publishing site (made with my bent sense of humor, of course).

All of the details and the Ebook Formatting Request Form link are on the Haunted Unicorn Publishing website, but I'll list the basic pricing structure below. Also, now through March 31, 2017, you can get a 33% discount off of the word count prices (not the extra fees list)! Head on over to the Haunted Unicorn Publishing Facebook Page to find out the discount code. You need the code for the discount! Please consider Liking the Facebook Page while you're there. =)

Oh, and I also hope to start offering Developmental Editing by the end of the year or beginning of next year! It depends on the toddler and if she's ready for some form or preschool in fall (we're getting there).

I'll leave you with the Haunted Unicorn Publishing motto (and of course the formatting prices)!

Read on! It’s all about the story!

❦

Current Ebook Formatting Prices for Haunted Unicorn Publishing

***Please check the Formatting page of the Haunted Unicorn Publishing website to confirm that they haven't changed and for other fees.***

❦ 9,000 or less words — $9
❦ 9,001 – 45,000 words — $18
❦ 45,001 – 75,000 words — $27
❦ 75,001 – 105,000 words — $36
❦ 105,001 – 135,000 words — $45
❦ 135,001 – 165,000 words — $54
❦ 165,001 + words — Please fill out the form and Haunted Unicorn Publishing will send you a quote.

No Pranks For Me...Just On Me

I had it all planned to post a fun little April Fools' Day thing yesterday. Just something silly, like I've given up writing (hahaha - anyone who would fall for that would learn quickly I can't give up writing EVER...I'd die). But instead, the Universe decided to play a trick on me instead.

My toddler came down with some type of tummy bug. Tuesday was filled with lots of barfing and piling up of laundry that still hasn't all been washed. And Wednesday she had a fever and was super clingy. Today, she's still a bit clingy, but the fever seems to be gone, and she's at least starting to eat some solids again. So I have time to write up my post. It's sadly not April Fools' Day anymore, so no fun pranks for me.

How about a brief update instead?

2015 has been rough so far for writing. Last month I did complete some content editing work for Dingbat Publishing, but I haven't made much progress on my own writing. It seems one type of sickness or another keeps waylaying me. And not only me getting sick, but my husband and both daughters. I am ready for winter and germ season to just go away!

This month my goal is to work on several short stories. Some just need to be sent back out into slush piles, others need a quick edit first, then there's the ones that need a full revision and another critique, and of course the ones where I still have to finish the rough draft. A lot of stories in a lot of stages! I'd really like to get to the point where I can publish a few more singles and then eventually combine some together for an anthology.

Hopefully by the end of the month, I'll have made some progress. My word count meter is just a guesstimate right now. I'll be chanting "No more sickness. No more sickness," for the entire month of April.

What kind of short stories would you like to see me publish?

NEXT UP: Lavender Legacy - Ch. 5