Poetry Promotions And Writing Draft #2 - April 8th, 2025 Newsletter
Hello, fellow readers and writers!
I’m aware that things in the world have not been the greatest. I’ve been dealing with it by channeling my disappointment into doing more book edits and writing. At a time like this, creativity and the arts are much-needed. Also I just have a lot of books that are in the Draft #1 stage that I’d like to progress to having Draft #2s and #3s completed anyway, so I figured I’d use the energy for something more productive than doomscrolling.
I’ve also been a bit more away from social media during the past several weeks if not the past month due to focusing on writing. I expect that trend to continue.
NaNoWriMo Is Shutting Down (For Good)
I heard that NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel WRiting Month), the nonprofit organization, is officially shutting down. This isn’t an April Fool’s prank, despite the timing of when the announcement was made. An email was sent to site users notifying them of the news on March 31st, 2025.
For those who have followed me for a while, you know that I used to participate in NaNoWriMo events (and even won some). I promptly stopped participating in NaNoWriMo after hearing of several controversies that NaNo had (sometime before the AI controversy arose). I also stopped doing NaNoWriMo because I didn’t find the “write-one-novel-in-a-month” system useful anymore due to me either 1) finishing the novels way too soon and 2) it wasn’t really contributing to a sustainable writing practice for myself personally.
However, I do acknowledge that NaNoWriMo meant a lot to many people in the writing community online. I hope that maybe similar events will happen, or people will still practice it in spirit, even if it’s not run by one central organization.
I Wrote A Game!🎮
Yes, you read that correctly - I wrote a short game in late March, to help readers answer a frequently-asked question I get: Which book of mine should you read first?🤔📖
I figured that I should create this short game to help new readers figure out which book of mine to read first, and make it a little more fun. It’s written in the style of one of those fun magazine quizzes where you would answer a series of questions and then figure out which animal fit your personality, or which gem you liked best.
I also have plans to update this gave every time I publish a new book moving forwards, so feel free to check out the game again whenever new books are published!
Happy playing (and reading)!
What Am I Writing Lately?
I’m currently editing/writing Draft #2 of the entire Etheron Trilogy, an epic fantasy trilogy. For those who don’t know, the Etheron Trilogy was initially created out of my spite towards how visually dark and dull Fate: The Winx Saga (the Netflix series that got cancelled after Season 2) looked in terms of setting and wardrobe (especially for Season 1). I wanted to write something that had more colourful wardrobes and hope involved. (Of course, if you are a fan of Fate: The Winx Saga, this is solely my opinion and I do not mean to bash this particular fandom.)
Ironically, I forgot to write a lot of intriguing visuals for the Etheron Trilogy when writing Draft #1. I was more focused on writing down specific plot points and piecing them together to make a full narrative across the three books. Draft #2 has me focusing on filling in any narrative gaps I didn’t figure out back in Draft #1, writing new chapters to even out the pacing of some if not al three of the books, rewriting a few already-established chapters, and adding in much-needed visual descriptions. Some things I do have for sure are:
Multiple points of view. Each main character in the trilogy is different.
Magic fights! The funny thing about magic combat vs. writing physical combat is that somehow, I find writing the magic in combat significantly easier than physical combat. It’s probably because I don’t have to worry as much about whose hand is punching which person in the face.
Other than the above, I’ve been writing more poetry lately. Coincidentally, April is also National Poetry Month! I’ve sent some poems to literary magazines in hopes of being published, while others I might compile into a chapbook or full collection.
What Have I Done Other Than Writing Lately?
I shared my newest writing update on my main website’s blog! I covered quite a bit of information in there, so please check it out if you haven’t yet! Thanks!
I’ve also been sharing promotions about the Poetry Palooza Sale happening from April 12th-14th, to celebrate National Poetry Month!
I highly encourage you to check out the landing page and sign up to be notified when the sale is live!
Additionally, those who buy books during the sale will automatically be entered in a giveaway for a chance to win a $15 Bookshop.org gift card! Each purchase counts as an entry—the more books you buy, the better your chances to win!
Please note: This giveaway is not sponsored by Bookshop.org itself, but by Vi Walker, the Poetry Palooza Sale's main organizer.
What Have I Heard Lately?
Yes, the podcast/audiobook recs are back! This time, I’m recommending “Writer’s Routine,” hosted by Dan Simpson. Every episode, Dan interviews another writer about various aspects of the writing life, and they often discuss various elements of each author’s writing journey. It’s really cool to hear each author’s insights and how each of their paths are so different from each other.
Episodes I recommend include:
Julia Raeside, author of 'Don't Make Me Laugh' - Journalist discusses writing angry, tricking yourself to work, and telling another's story
Peyton Corinne, author of 'Unloved' - Romance author discusses becoming a BookTok bestseller, marketing yourself, and happy endings
Eowyn Ivey, author of 'Black Woods, Blue Sky' - Pulitzer Prize finalist discusses magical realism, why success isn't relevant, and being tempted to write again
What Have I Been Watching Lately?
I watch a lot of webseries, particularly Minecraft SMPs (which are basically webseries that feature multiplayer Minecraft servers, whether it’s normal gameplay or modded gameplay). Misadventures SMP, also known as Minecraft Misadventures, is a new SMP hosted by LDShadowLady that started back in late March, and features 26 players (which, honestly, is the biggest amount of people I’ve ever seen in an SMP series). Some players are more experienced in multiplayer servers than others.
Each SMP series usually has a specific theme or premise they go with. Misadventures SMP, in this case, more-heavily focuses on the players’ building efforts, since their builds can be automatically populated with NPCs and other cool elements afterward. It’s really fun so far, and great for some creative inspiration - whether it’s seeing everyone bring their Minecraft creations to life or some creators bring in their own stories to mix into the Misadventures world.
I’m also aware that the official Minecraft film A Minecraft Movie was released this past weekend. I haven’t seen it yet, but I hope to do so in the eventual future.
What Have I Read Lately?
I recently read Small Favors by Erin A. Craig.
Fun fact: I actually DNF’d (did not finish) this book late last year, but picked it up at the library again when I failed to realize that I had read it before. And, unlike most books I usually DNF, try to reread, and dislike, I enjoyed reading this book.
Small Favors has similar slow-burn horror to Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon Of The Crusted Snow despite these two books taking place in completely different settings and worlds (I believe Small Favors is meant to be more historical fiction-based with its setting). If anyone liked reading that one, you might like reading this one.
Moral of the story: If you DNF’d a book, try to read it again later. Sometimes it’s worth it.
I also got a lot of books from used bookstores recently. Many of them were books meant for children, such as books from the Thea Stilton Treasure Seekers series (which I wish wasn’t so short-lived and lasted longer than three books), the Rainbow Fairy series by Daisy Meadows. Others were manga, like Yakitate!! Japan and Fall In Love Like A Comic!
Other books I read lately include:
“Last Night At The Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo
“Into The Goblin Market” written by Vikki Vansickle and illustrated by Jensine Eckwall
“The Treasure Seekers” by Thea Stilton (Book 1 in the series of the same name)
“The Hour Of Magic’ by Geronimo Stilton
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).