Creative Pep Talks, Podcast Interview, and Working Titles
Hello, readers!
It's almost mid-March already!
A lot happened right at the beginning of the month, from being featured in a podcast to finishing some writing projects sooner than later. Let's dive right into it!
Podcast Time!
I'm happy to share that I was interviewed back in February for Magnificent Mommas' author podcast. The episode was published back on March 4th, 2024! Thanks to Heather, the host, for having me take part - it was a lot of fun!
We got to chat about the Harlow Mystery series and my writing process. I also revealed a few fun facts about writing the whole series and the upcoming third book in the series, "Bloody Fantasia!"
Click here to check out the interview!
What Have I Been Writing Lately?
I mentioned this in my March 2024 writing progress blog post earlier this month but I wanted to share it here: I wrote Draft 1 of both books in a cozy urban fantasy duology!
But also...remember how I mentioned, in that same writing blog post, that I wanted to finish writing/editing Draft 2 of my King's Quest-inspired novel?
I accomplished this right at the beginning of the month.
To explain, I started working on this goal about a week before March actually began. I honestly thought, at the time of writing and posting the March writing progress post, that it would take me longer than it would to edit the book.
After finishing Draft 2 of that novel, I then thought: Great! I'll just write Draft 1 of Book 3 of that other fantasy trilogy I wanted to write afterward. That should take me a while!
...I finished writing the whole first draft of Book 3 six days later.
"What!?" You might be staring at me either in shock, horror, awe, or all three. "How do you do it!? How did you finish these projects so fast!?"
One reason I get writing done fast is because I type very quickly. I played with computer programs when I was younger to learn to type. Some of these included Mavis Beacon and a Spongebob Squarepants-themed typing game. This translated well into me drafting new work quickly.
Another reason is: Well, I enjoyed writing them. And enjoying the process makes me finish writing projects faster. Drafting has always been fast for me, but editing takes longer.
What will I work on the rest of the month/next two weeks?
Given the massive amount of book editing and/or drafting, I'd like to spend the next two weeks drafting short stories and poetry. This way, I can take a break from working on larger projects. I definitely plan to come back to editing my current WIPs, but I think taking time to create shorter works will be fun.
Hello, Instagram!
For those that missed the announcement, I just launched my author Instagram last Friday!
If you've always wanted to follow me there, you can do that now! Thanks in advance for your support!
What Have I Heard Lately?
For my audiobook and/or podcast rec this time around, I recommend listening to Andy J. Pizza's podcast "Creative Pep Talk."
This weekly podcast discusses strategies and stories for building a thriving creative practice. I haven't listened to every episode, but I found some great actionable advice for growing your creative work and sustaining it from the episodes I've listened to.
Episodes I recommend include:
"How Pain Points Can Point To New Possibilities with Amy Devers"
"9 Ways To Get Creative With Your Time When You Have No Time To Be Creative"
What Have I Been Reading Lately?
I noticed lately that I've been reading many books on productivity, time management, and the writing craft. I always enjoy figuring out ways to optimize my time so I can get more done. However, I also tried my best to balance out my recent reads with fiction as well!
Other recent reads include:
"Dungeoneer Adventures: Lost In The Mushroom Maze" by Ben Costa & James Parks
"Dungeoneer Adventures: Wrath Of The Exiles" by Ben Costa & James Parks
"Time To Write" by Kelly L. Stone
"Everything Is Figureoutable" by Marie Forleo
Thank you for following my writing journey!
I hope you look forward to seeing more of my writing process and work. I also look forward to giving all of you more frequent updates as well, so stay tuned for more!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at clarislamauthor@gmail.com! I’ll respond within 48 hours (except on weekends and holidays).
Access the Freebie Library! (Password is "Buttondown")
Thank you for following my writing journey!
I hope you look forward to seeing more of my writing process and work. I also look forward to giving all of you more frequent updates as well, so stay tuned for more!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at clarislamauthor@gmail.com! I’ll respond within 48 hours (except on weekends and holidays).