Author: Kassandra Carrillo

Kassandra Carrillo received her B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. She enjoys writing dark paranormal fiction. However, she has dabbled in writing fantasy as well, science fiction, western, short stories, poetry, and scriptwriting, but she prefers writing novels. When she's not writing, Kassandra likes to crochet, practice her art, and stream video games.
Posted in Methods, NaNoWriMo, Writing

Preparation for NaNoWriMo

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I haven’t mentioned this before, or maybe you got the idea but, I have a lot of projects I work on so I’m always busy with something. This also means that I never lack any ideas for stories/novels which is why this year, I already have the story I’ll be working on in mind. A little background on this story is in order.

The story is titled Phantom Blade. I posted it on wattpad a few years ago but somehow, it just wasn’t coming out right and it started to drag. I called it quits before I started hating it. Over the years, however, I have reworked the world and the characters and reworked the plot. Sure I don’t have everything set in stone but I have an idea of what’s going to happen and how it is going to end (more on endings later).

This also means that I have most of the characters already set and so I don’t have to start from scratch. I think that’s one of the benefits of having so many projects. You’re always working on something and, when you finally start writing, there’s not a whole lot that you have to worry about. Just like this story, all I have to do is write. Editing comes later.

Sure I’ll keep planning before NaNoWriMo 2016 starts but for now, I’ve started outlining my novel. For me, this is sort of like writing a synopsis. I basically type of the plot, scenes, and/or details of what I want to write for the story. These aren’t always concrete but sometimes I do write out dialogue or character development moments. It all depends. My outline isn’t always complete. I don’t write out the entire story because a. there would be no creativity left and b. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

The one thing I make sure to do is to be flexible. I know I have an outline but I use it more like a guideline. I allow the story to change because, otherwise, I would feel like writing would become a chore. I like writing and I don’t like being forced to write (like college essays for example *cough*). Not to mention that having an outline helps me keep writing without hitting a wall so soon.

Has anyone else started preparing for NaNoWriMo 2016? What tips or advice would you share? Thanks for reading.

Posted in NaNoWriMo

Update 9/2

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

This week is just an update on what will be coming next. As we all know, National Novel Writing Month is less than two months away. As such, I will start to plan my novel and all that good stuff so expect a lot of posts about that. I started creating a new blog for NaNoWriMo 2016 so I can have everything organized. However, I’m unsure if I’ll be linking the posts between both sites or just using one. I haven’t decided yet.

 I’m also planning on sending out a second batch of query letters for my novel, Clan of Ash. Hopefully, this time around I get a response. If not then, I’ll just keep trying or work on another project. 

For right now, those are the two major things in my life. Well, that and tiday half price books has a 20% sale going on that’ll I’ll be checking out. I’ll still be writing and editing my other project but for right now my nanowrimo novel and Clan of Ash take priority. 

Posted in Uncategorized

Random thoughts on Chapter Titles 

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

As a wattpad member, I like to name my chapters no matter what story I write. It’s a way for me to basically summarize what the chapter is about and to give the reader a hint about what they are getting into. It adds mystery and the ‘theme’, in a essence, of the chapter. At least, that is the plan. Sometimes I hit the nail on the head and sometimes, I miss completely. Personally, this is something that I like to do.

In my novel, Clan of Ash, I don’t have any chapter titles which is totally fine by me. There’s pros and cons whether or not to name chapters. Say for example, you stop reading (online) and for some reason, you last page wasn’t saved (I’m speaking hypothetically here). You come back to reading and then there’s a problem. What was the last chapter you were on? Who knows. All the chapters are named but there’s no number. Okay, so I’m exaggerating a bit. All of this can easily be fixed with: 1. Bunny. You got a number and a name. Everything is fine.

However, whether to name your chapter is ultimately up to you. But what do you call a chapter if you have a lot of juice things happening? Do you make the chapter shorter? With Wattpad, cutting chapters into two parts or having small chapters work. Personally, while reading chapters in novels, I’d like for them to be average. Not to long, not too short. Heck, I like reading books that make me keeping reading without making me worry about what chapter I’m on.

Anyways, naming chapters all have to do with preference. It’s not really a must.How discreet do you want to be? Do you like giving your readers a hint on what to expect in the next chapter? To me, chapter names allude to what the chapter is going to be about. It’s a window into the next segment of the book. Over the course of the many books that I read, I know that someone of them use quotes and other creative ways to let the reader know what they’re getting into and, as a reader, I really enjoy that.

It’s all about the hints and the mystery and, at the end of the day, it is up to you.

Posted in Writing

Stand Alone Novel

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I have talked about the second book of my half blood series and how I feel like I don’t know how to write. This time, I’m having trouble separating this novel from the first one and the rest of the series. In part, I think it’s because this novel is a continuation. Perhaps I didn’t give myself enough time away from the series. Or perhaps it’s because the characters are so fresh in my mind that it’s making difficult to separate the plots from each other.

My mentality is like a train trying to go uphill. I think I can. I think I can, right? It starts lagging (like all my pc games do). Not the story (I think) just the way that I am able to keep writing and figure out all the tiny details of the plot. I’m not much of a planner and when I do plan, I always allow the story to breathe on its own. I don’t like to limit myself to the confines of an outline. Yet, I feel like the story just keeps going without a breather. Maybe I should have waited for longer to start the second book. But I don’t want to stop now.

To put it simply, I have never done anything like this before. This is the first series that I’m actually writing and it’s scary. I’ve bought reference books and read through them for plotting, description, characters, etc. I can gladly say that the series arc has always been fresh in my head. I know where I am going with this series. It’s how to get there that’s giving me problems.

I wish I could say that I found how to separate the two novels from each other but I haven’t. It’s a learning process; one that I fear and feel excited about. The doubts are still present but I’m pushing through. When I write a scene, I just can’t stop until it’s completed. I tend to rush the scene and end up skipping some description because I want to get to the juicy part. Lazy writing. Sure there’s always editing but I think, just like before, I’m trying to get everything done right.

In general, I think I need to start looking at more articles about writing a series and second books. I know that sometimes the second book isn’t all that great but I really want mine to be decent. Maybe taking a break is all I need. We’ll see. 

Posted in Methods, Writing

Beta Reading

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Recently, I was asked by a friend, let’s call him J, to read his story for him as a Beta reader. I’ve done beta reading before – changed some minor grammar issues – commented so, I like to say that I know what I’m doing. Plus the last 60 or so hours of college was all about reading, editing, and commenting on classmates’ work. I have experience under my belt.

There are a few things I have to keep in mind when I read over someone else’s work.

1. I read through it first.

I like to take it all in before I start to analyze a story. Mostly because if I’m confused on something and I comment on it but later the information is there then, I made a mistake. I also think its nice to just read a story and think about it afterwards.

2. Use a red pen.

Normally when I print a story out then, I tend to use a red pen. There’s nothing special about a red pen, in essence, but it helps me get into the mindset of editor.y job is to look for grammacial errors, minor mispelled words, ect.

3. Be honest but don’t be mean.

There’s a fine line between disliking something and being mean. At least that’s my opinion. In my comments, I’m honest. If I think something is cliche, I say it. However, I also include suggestions on how to fix or change whatever bothers me or I think needs to be changed.

4. With a grain of salt

I always tell the author  to take my advice with a grain of salt. Ultimately, it is up to him/her to decide what theu want to change or keep. All I can do is tell him/her about my thoughts on their story. It also helps if the author has a lot if beta readers so if there’s an issue everyone notices then that issue should be worked on.

5. Track changes.

MS Word has an awesome button called track changes. I like this because the author can see what I have changed and kept. Google Docs and I believe Drive also have a feature that let’s you see changes. This way, the author can knownwhat was changed without having to compare the documents side by side.

Lastly, my opinions and advice are my own. I don’t feel offended if an author disagrees with my comments. I’m just glad that they were willing to let me read their story.