Adara VS Vtubing: Writing, Emergencies & Productivity ~ May 25
Time for another blog post! To say this year has been a roller-coaster would be be an understatement. With family members being in hospital for months, my health requiring more medications to manage, and a pet rushed to an emergency out of hours hospital… I’ve had a lot on my plate!
As months went by I became desperate to get back to writing. I finally took the plunge to becoming a vtuber to write online with more accountability and focus. In the end I was too tired for my inner editor to work, so I didn’t care about my word choice. My never ending first draft flowed again, and this story is starting to wrap up.
Sales Success
Drawing Red is now available in my local library as a paperback! The ebook was also picked up by another library. I love how more people are getting the chance to read it.
Writing & Events
In writing news I’m getting closer to finishing the first draft of Drawing Red’s sequel. 2 chapters to go. Despite ill health, unwell family members and pets, I had my own anime style ‘magical girl transformation’ into a vtuber, complete with a live 2D model. I’ve been using it host productivity live streams, including a 5 hour admin sprint alongside the writing ones. They are pop-up streams due to live being so unpredictable.
I’m booked in to talk to a local YA Readers group about Drawing Red in July, and before that I’m happy to say I’m presenting a seminar about pre-debut marketing at the Authortube Writers Conference 2025.
Goals
My current goal is to continue streaming for accountability. I am almost finished a first draft - it is tantalisingly close! I am also looking forward to starting another sensitivity reading project which may or may not pop-up on stream.
Social Media Updates
My social media is directly proportional to the amount I write. The more I write, the more I can report about writing. So, my text based social media platforms have been revived along with my writing picking up steam again. I’ve also seen growth on YouTube since launching my live vtuber avatar, which I’m very pleased about.
Selling Directly
Still on the to-do list!
Vtubing
What is a vtuber? It’s a person who performs a type of virtual puppetry, usually (but not always) during live streams playing games. I focus on writing and productivity sprints, which have seen a rise in popularity outside of AuthorTube for a variety of reasons including neurodiversity and the end of NaNoWriMo. Vtubing became more mainstream during Covid in 2020.
First, I upgraded my static pngTube avatar to a cute animated chibi style form. The pngTube models use a microphone to track when to open their mouth, and often have automated blinking. I them upgraded to a Live 2D Model, which tracks and mirrors my movements too. I’ve found that people appreciate seeing someone else is on the other side of the screen.
Having had my live vtuber debut on Twitch ruined by an artist attempting to sell me work (rude on any occasion never mind a debut) I have started streaming live on YouTube.
Call for Book Reviews
If you have made it to the end of this blog entry, you deserve a gold star! Speaking of which, despite having sold over 200 copies of Drawing Red, I have a grand total of five 5 star reviews. Reviews are the lifeblood of an author. If you’ve read it, please leave a review or rating on your favourite book review platforms or shops.
Thanks for reading!
Until next time, I'm wishing you happy reading and writing.
Adara x
