C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 160

Progress Report: Week 3 November 15-21, 2015

This was the first week after university ended—a week I’d set aside for catching up with everything I knew would have to go by the wayside if I was to hit the assessments right, and went okay. I started putting in 3,000 words on my NaNo novel instead of the usual 2,000, and discovered that 2,000 was my comfort point for a day’s work on a single project, even with an outline. I caught up on housework, but there’s still a ways to go, and I kicked off my walking program… again. Honestly, who’da thunk it would be so hard to just go for a half hour walk in the morning and evening of every day? It’s like trying to write a poem and a piece of flash each day—not as easy as it sounds. I also started in on the garden, although forgot to take pictures, and I even continued with attempting to develop a sleep pattern, which is not easy when your partner is a shift-worker. All in all, a good week, and a good way to start working on that whole life-balance thing I keep hearing about.
And speaking of life-balance, I took a good, hard look at what I’d learnt about what I could and couldn’t do, this year, and I made a few adjustments—yes, I changed the publishing schedule again. You’ll see more pre-releases, and at least one release every second month up to June. I’m aiming at a release every second month through to January 2017, and then on slowly filling up the months in between, while maintaining the twelve-month lead time. This will give me more time to study next year, and hopefully mean less worry about, and more consistency with, releases. We’ll see how it goes.Overview
New words produced: 16,659Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 618Works completed: 8 (for inclusion in two other works)Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 2,246University Prep and Assignments: 0
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:
Annual25A—C.M. Simpson: Short Stories and Poems from 2014, Vol. 1: changed publication date to January 2016; it was December 2015.Annual25B—C.M. Simpson: Short Stories and Poems from 2014, Vol. 2: changed publication date to March 2016; it was December 2015.Annual25C—C.M. Simpson: Short Stories and Poems from 2014, Vol. 3: changed publication date to May 2016, was December 2015SciFanNovel1A—Freeman’s Choice: changed publication date to July 2015; it was November 2015
Finish
Annual27—366 Days of Poetry: changed the publication date to September 2017, was January 2016Annual28—366 Days of Flash Fiction: changed the publication date to November 2016. was January 2016

New Writing
Nil
Publishing Tasks
Created 6 blog posts for this blog;Created 1 blog post for the C.M. Simpson Art and Photography blog;
New ArrivalsThe following pieces arrived last week and were completed:

Poem651—My Shoes are On: a short horror poem about shoes, feet and faces;Poem652—Parking Lot Shades: a horror poem about the shadows in the parking lot;Poem653—In the Silence, In the Dark: an urban horror poem about being stalked in the dark;ShortStory611—Obedience: a piece of flash fiction about obedience;ShortStory612—To a Candle: a piece of speculative flash fiction about hunters and the hunted;ShortStory613—Shadows of Glass: a piece of speculative horror flash fiction about the threat of shadows);ShortStory614—Uninvited: a piece of horror flash fiction about vampires.

Catch-Up - Progress Report: Week 2, November 8-14, 2015

Last week, exams happened. No writing happened from the 8th through the 11th, but a ton of study and exam sitting did. Results are still not in, but I find myself wondering why I couldn’t get all this to click earlier. I also caught myself suppressing stories in order to be ‘disciplined’ and ‘focus on one thing at a time’. This is a bad idea for me, as I could write much more effectively on the focus project once I had the interest projects out of my head. A point to note for another day, but one I already do when I study.

Overview
New words produced: 569Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 543Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: 3,204 plus uncharted hand-written notes, lecture watching, and rereading.
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:
Nil
Finish
Nil
New Writing
Nil
Publishing Tasks
Nil
New ArrivalsThe following pieces arrived last week and are awaiting completion:
Novella21B

Catch-Up - Progress Report: Week 1, November 1-7, 2015

Exams were happening in the next week. This week I had one assignment to do. I got a little admin done and tried to do some writing. I knew the next week was going to be a total wipeout, as I had three exams in three days.

OverviewNew words produced: 10,314Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 2,018Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 4Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: 3,204 plus much uncharted reading and hand-written notes
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:
Nil
Finish
Nil
New Writing
Nil
Publishing Tasks
Nil
New ArrivalsThe following pieces arrived last week and were completed:
Poem650— Best to Shun the Mermaid’s Tail : a poem about the curse of pursuing mermaids;ShortStory608—Stepping Lightly: a flash fiction piece about having to move fast;ShortStory609—Brannigan’s Bounty: a piece of flash science fiction about a bounty earned;ShortStory610—The Death of Mermaids: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about mermaids and their demise
The following pieces arrived last week and are awaiting completion:
DarkFantasy16A (NaNo2015): a journey fantasy that looks like it will be a cross-over between young adult-adult. 50k to be completed in November and the remaining 40 in December for a possible February or May 2016 release date.

Catch-Up - Progress Report: Week 5, October 25-31, 2015

This week consisted of one exam, and the start of one final essay, as well as the last round of classes. It was busy. I had exams coming a fortnight later.
 
Overview
New words produced: 985Old words revised: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: 4,937 plus a lot of uncharted study
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:
Nil
Finish
Nil
New Writing
Nil
Publishing Tasks
Nil
New Arrivals
The following pieces arrived last week and were completed:
ShortStory605—Public Life: a piece of flash fiction about living in the spotlight;ShortStory606—The Invisible Refugees: a piece of flash fiction about refugees;ShortStory607—Snake Treasure: a piece of flash fiction about snakes and what they treasure

Catch-Up - Progress Report: Week 4, October 18-24, 2015

The second-last week of October was an odd one. To be honest, I can’t remember exactly what it was about, except that it was busy.
OverviewNew words produced: 1,098Old words revised: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: lots of untracked study
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:
Nil
Finish
Nil
New Writing
Chapbook5B—Rocky and the Great Teddybear Rescue: Added 1,000 words
Publishing Tasks
Nil
New ArrivalsThe following pieces arrived last week and were completed:
Poem646—The Rise of Dragons: a poem about dragons;Poem647— Draconic Emergence and Education : a science fiction post-apocalyptic poem about the rise of dragons;Poem648— Dragons and Mankind : a poem about what happens when dragons and mankind meet;Poem649—The Zombie Diamante: a diamante poem about zombies;ShortStory593—Damaged Goods: a piece of flash fiction;ShortStory594—A Successful Hunt: a piece of flash fiction;ShortStory595—Ghostly Greeting: a piece of flash fiction;ShortStory596—The Trouble with Tenderloin: a piece of speculative flash fiction;ShortStory597—Troll-Bridge Specialist: a piece of urban horror flash about trolls;ShortStory598—The Hobgoblin’s Mistake: a piece of fantasy flash fiction;ShortStory599—Ghouls by Moonlight: a piece of urban horror fantasy flash fiction;ShortStory600—Trick or Treating with Vampires: a piece of urban horror fantasy flash fiction;ShortStory601—Mountain Troll Mischief: a piece of fantasy flash fiction;ShortStory602—Of Scorpions and Sand: a piece of flash science fiction;ShortStory603—The Zombie Complication: a piece of post-apocalyptic flash fiction;ShortStory604—Fighting for Survival: a piece of flash fiction about surviving The following pieces arrived last week and are awaiting completion:
Education1A: a literature text;NonFiction9A-C: literature texts;NonFiction10A: a non-fiction text;Novella18B-D;Novella29A;Novella30A; SciFiNovel12A: science fiction about sports in the future

Catch-Up - Progress Report: Week 3, October 11-17, 2015

It's been a while since I did one of these. I've had them prepped and ready to go, but I underestimated the end of the year, so this is what I got up to in the third-last week of October, 2015.

Here's what I was thinking as I wrote this way back then:


Busy week. Lots of study. Lots of writing. First exam in 3 weeks’ time, and 1 more essay to write.OverviewNew words produced: 12,928Old words revised: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Outlines: 486Bloggery: 219University Prep and Assignments: 829
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:NilFinishAnnual27—366 Days of Poetry: release date changed from December 2015 to January2016; January through March complete.Annual28—366 Days of Flash Fiction: release date changed from December 2015 to January 2016; January complete.New WritingNilPublishing TasksCreated 1 blog posts for this blog;New ArrivalsThe following pieces arrived last week and were completed:Poem642—A Caution on Mermaids: A fantasy acrostic poem warning of the dangers in seeking mermaids;Poem643—The Mermaid Taboo: A fantasy cinquain warning of the dangers in seeking out mermaid treasure;Poem644—Business in the Palace Quarter: a fantasy poem about the dealings carried out at high society gatherings;Poem645—Searching the Mist: a fantasy poem about looking for someone lost in the pre-dawn mist;ShortStory559—Back to the Delve: a piece of flash science fiction about re-emerging after an apocalypse;ShortStory560—The Coming of the Wolves: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about a wolf rescue;ShortStory561—Waiting for Mother: a piece of flash science fiction of post-apocalyptic survival;ShortStory562—The Pink Unicorn: a piece of urban flash fiction fantasy about a miniature pink unicorn;ShortStory563—That Accursed Rug: a piece of urban flash fiction fantasy about a rug;ShortStory564—When the Birds Came: a piece of urban fantasy flash fiction about birds, trolls, elves and shape-changing snakes;ShortStory565—The Prospector’s Demise: a piece of outback urban fantasy flash fiction about an enclave of pixies set in the pixie dust world;ShortStory566—True Treasure: a piece of fantasy flash about fire demons and forests;ShortStory567—The Ice Pixies and the Gardener: a piece of urban fantasy flash about some ice pixies coming to an understanding with a gardener;ShortStory568—Life in Pikar’s Deep: a piece of flash science fiction about an alien eco-system;ShortStory569—Trolls in the Sunset City: a piece of flash urban fantasy fiction about a troll incursion;ShortStory570—Midnight Tryst: a piece of zombie apocalypse flash fiction;ShortStory571—One Cub More: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about the rescue of a wolf cub – follows on from ShortStory560;ShortStory572—Salvation in the Black: a piece of flash modern fantasy fiction about mermaids facing the danger of modern seas;ShortStory573—The Swarm and the Storm: a piece of flash science fiction about the dangers of a new world;ShortStory574—Pack Business: a piece of flash science fiction about werewolves in space;ShortStory575—The Uninvited Pixie: a piece of flash urban fantasy fiction set in the pixie-dust world;ShortStory576—The Weight of Living: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about living on after a loved one has died; ShortStory577—Wrath from the Sea: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about mermaids;ShortStory578—Halfred and the Land of Ice: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about dangers in the land of ice;ShortStory579—Traderes of Terramidas: a piece of flash science fiction about traders on another world;ShortStory580—Tilly Toohey’s Pterasaurs: a piece of flash science fiction expanding on the lives of the traders of Terramidas;ShortStory581—The Prides of Kadesti: a piece of flash science fiction about feline shapeshifters of another world;ShortStory582—Raider’s Regret: a piece of flash fiction about raiders;ShortStory583—The Flowers of Rudel: a piece of flash science fiction about flowers on another world;ShortStory584—A Dolphin Asks for Help: a piece of flash speculative fiction about a dolphin and a surfer;ShortStory585—Treasure Hunt: a piece of flash fiction about a treasure hunt;ShortStory586—Spider-Born Apprenticeship: a piece of flash science fiction about spiders;ShortStory587—A Meeting of Wolves: a piece of flash fiction about werewolves;ShortStory588—Climbing Til Dawn: a piece of flash urban horror fantasy about trolls;ShortStory589—Raptor Reprisal: a piece of flash fiction about raptors;ShortStory590—Rubbish Opal: a piece of flash steampunk fiction about finding an opal;ShortStory591—Natalia’s Run: a piece of flash fiction about an escape;ShortStory592—The Ants of Helical 9: a piece of flash science fiction about ants on another world. 

Covers Created October 2015

The following covers were created or tweaked in October 2015:

EBook covers for all Platforms Print-on-Demand Cover

EBook Cover Tweak for Draft2Digital Distribution

Progress Report: Week 2, October 4-10, 2015

After last week’s success, life happened and I got sick again, so I had to prioritise my school work, so not much on the publishing front, but we’re getting there. I’m hoping for a quiet 5 weeks leading up to exams, but we will see, and we will deal. So, what got done this week? Stuff!
 
Overview  New words produced: 0Old words revised: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 1Works published: 1 (for release 04/12/2015)Works submitted: 6Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 822University Prep and Assignments: 3,716
Back-on-Track Challenge:
Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:Chapbook5E—Rocky and the Spacefarer’s Christmas due out 04 December 2015, and on track. As announced yesterday, the cover is complete. Final edit and format have been complete for seven platforms. Pre-order uploads are also complete, so you should soon find this younger young adult science fiction chapter book available for pre-order.
Publishing Tasks
Created 2 blog posts for this blog;Created 1 blog post for the C.M. Simpson Publishing blog;Created 1 blog post for the C.M. Simpson Art and Photography blog;Chapbook5E— Rocky and the Spacefarers’ Christmas : covered, edited, formatted and uploaded to Smashwords, DriveThruFiction, Kindle, Kobo, CreateSpace, Draft2Digital and OmniLit for pre-order.
New Arrivals
Nil

Cover for Carlie's December Release - Rocky and the Spacefarers' Christmas

Finally got the cover for Carlie Simonsen's Rocky and the Spacefarers' Christma s . This little beauty is now ready for its release day on December 4th!




Rocky is on a starship to another world, and it’s boring. He misses Earth. He misses his farm. He misses his pony. Worst of all, it looks like he’s going to miss Christmas, too. And then he meets Elita, an alien girl missing her own end-of-year celebration—Hajranath. The two of them get to talking, and decide that a party is just what everybody needs, but how are they ever going to convince the grown-ups?
Rocky and the Spacefarers’ Christmas is the second book in the Otherworld Adventures series, which is set on Rocky’s journey to the new world where his parents will farm alongside the aliens.
Keep an eye out for it on Kobo, Smashwords, Kindle and DriveThru, where it will soon be up for pre-order.

Progress Report: Week 1, September 27-October 3, 2015

A busy week, this one kicked off with a convention, demanded time for an assignment and lesson preparation, and reminded me that I need to exercise regularly in order to keep well. So, I instituted three new things this week – the minimum word goal of 2,000 words/day, the personal word goal of 4,000 publishable words a day, and two half-hour walks each day. Since instigating these on Wednesday, I haven’t missed a walk or the 2,000-word mark, but I have missed one personal goal day. That’s not too bad, and next week, I’ll do better.
 
Overview
New words produced: 11,994Old words revised: 0Works completed: 14 (for inclusion in 1 other work)Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 1,433University Prep and Assignments: 7,048
Back-on-Track Challenge:Design covers for, edit, format, and upload the following:NilFinish:Annual28—366 Days of Flash Fiction (January 2016 – moved from December 2015): Adjusted the publication date, added11,900 words.New Writing:Nil
Publishing Tasks
Created 1 blog post for this blog.
New Arrivals
The following pieces arrived last week and were completed:
ShortStory545—The People of Walloon: a piece of flash science fiction about a first contact;ShortStory546—The Werrusk and the Bellegar: a piece of flash science fiction about living in the clouds;ShortStory547—The Halfling’s Quest: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about a halfling monk;ShortStory548—Tiramar and the Druid: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about a druid, a lady and a pirate’s lies;ShortStory549—The Dragon Queen’s Emissary: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about a dragon’s conquest;ShortStory550—Abigail and the Fairy Queen: a piece of flash fantasy fiction set in the dustrunner world;ShortStory551—The Hazards of Homework: a piece of flash urban fantasy about an urban wizard and some homework that gets all too real;ShortStory552—After the War: a piece of flash post-apocalyptic fiction about a library, a war and the survivors;ShortStory553—Almost Forbidden: a piece of flash speculative fiction about some shape-shifting birds, a forbidden tryst, and true love;ShortStory554—The Ocean’s Gift: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about seashells and a father’s love;ShortStory555—Shanra and the Iskevar: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about exploration, first contact and the ethics of conservation.ShortSTory556—Spiders Under Siege: a piece of flash fantasy fiction about spiders, assassins and a siege;ShortStory557—Tania and the Weeping Dove: a piece of flash urban fantasy about a weeping dove, vampires and a boxful of photographs;ShortStory558—The Peacock’s Secret: a piece of flash urban fantasy about a peacock warrior, a vampire and an organisation with a mole.
The following pieces arrived last week and are awaiting completion:
Novella27BNovella28APictureBook30A