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, Writing

Tick Tock

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Recently, I have been reading a lot of short stories by my peers for my creative writing classes. While some have been great with their ups and downs, others are a bit lacking. As per one of my previous posts, I like to sit back and think about what I can steal and what I can avoid. The conclusion that I came to was very simple.

The stories that were a bit lacking had one thing in common: there was no clock. By this I mean that there was no urgency in the story. There was no deadline and the characters didn’t really have a motivation to do anything. So, this got me thinking about my own writing and without realizing, my novel already had a clock. Subconsciously, I must have made this decision knowing that my characters needed a deadline. Of course, the situation that I presented in the first chapter called for a deadline.

However, I looked at my other ideas I plan to write into novels and I noticed that they didn’t have a clock yet. Usually, I’m able to create a bare skeleton plot for my ideas and sometimes I am good at having it all planned out.Yet, I found a few that I was stuck on. I didn’t know what was going to happen or what was at stake. This is where the deadline came in.

The deadline gave the plot(s) a sense of urgency. Not only that but it prompted my characters to move forward. This only helped my character’s motivation appear on the page because readers want to know why someone is doing something. There’s always a reason.

The clock can be metaphorically or physically, like a bomb about to go off on a plane. Either way, it shows that something has to happen. This event will propel readers to turn to the next page eager to find out what happens. So, if you’re struggling with your writing, sit back and think for a moment. Is there a deadline? What is at stake? Would the story stay the same if the deadline isn’t met?

Thanks for joining me this week.

Until next time,

Kassandra C.

Posted in Methods, Writing

Media Muse

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Recently, I have been doing research . . . of watching television shows. While everyone has different view on shows and different opinions of them, we can’t deny that there is something about a particular show that draws you in. As a writer, I wanted to explore that and to used it in my writing. Writing scripts, I believe, is just as difficult as writing anything else.

There’s less room to explain and each scene and piece of dialogue have to contribute to the story. It’s the same as writing but there’s the time frame to think about. Saying that, I recently watched MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles and I was in awe. Usually with fantasy, it can be difficult to picture how the world looks and the characters. I have a lot of respect for fantasy authors because I know how difficult it can be to write for the genre. I’m trying to work on my own fantasy novel and I’m stuck in the planning phase.

This show, like films, nudged my brain into thinking visual again. I started to play out scenes in my head instead of concentrating on all the details. Sure the details are important but I let myself become overwhelmed and the planning made my muse give up. So, watching the first episode I started to twist up the scenes and molding them to fit my characters. Not only that but I wanted my idea and story to compete with the show. How could I get my characters to jump off the screen (pages in this case)? What made this show so interesting to watch? Of course, they have Terry Brooks books to go off of but in its own right, I liked what I was seeing.

It’s not only shows that put a fire in me that makes me pick up a pen and start writing. Films, novels and video games all put a spark in me when they’re well written, made, etc.
So, next time you’re watching your favorite show, watching a movie, reading, playing a gsme, stop and think about why you like it. What makes you go back to it time and time again?

What shows get your creative minds going? What do you steal from them? Until next time, Kassandra.

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Announcements

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Lately, I have been posting twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Starting this week, I will be posting on Fridays only because I’ll be forced to publish a post in the evening. It just so happ…

Source: Announcements

Posted in Methods, Writing

Knowing When to Quit

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

When writing, I don’t normally think of the ending. As a matter of fact, I don’t always know the ending. The end doesn’t pop into my head until I’m in the middle of my story. Until then, writing becomes more about discovering what the story is about. For some, that might not be the case. You might already know the ending from the beginning but most often than not, the ending doesn’t turn out the way we envisioned it and that’s okay. The story is always changing.

So, what if the ending doesn’t ever show up? The story grags on and on. The piece becomes longer and longer. A longer piece isn’t so scary but it gets to the point where the drive and motivation to continue evaporates. A few tips I learned along the way are as follow:
1. Plan
You don’t have to have an outline per say but it’s a good idea to know what your character(s) want. Will they achieve this goal at the end? Will they fail? Or maybe they realize that goal isn’t what they wanted. Know your character and the story can write itself and the ending won’t be too far away.
2. Write the ending first.
You might have an idea for a story but you’re having trouble starting. A little exercise I learned is to write the ending. Picture how you want the story to end. That way, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and you won’t be bogged down with the details of a started story.
3. Just stop writing.
While this is probably the most obvious, it also doesn’t make sense completely. Sometimes you just have to put down your pen or stop typing and sit back. Take a break. More often than not, you’re just word vomiting. The content might not be related or necessary to the story. Read over what you wrote and figure out where the story stops making sense.
4. Quit.
This is probably the last thing you want to hear. Writing is as important as breathing and eating. It’s a part of who we are. However, saying that, it’s important to know that sometimes a story won’t work out. It doesn’t mean you can’t come back to it but it does mean that you need to close that document or put it in a drawer and forget about it for a few months or years. A story is not always ready to be written and that’s okay.

Do you ever have trouble knowing where your story is going to end? How do you plan the ending? Do you know it first? Don’t forget to share your thoughts and opinions
Until next time, Kassandra.

Posted in Methods, Writing

Plot and Subplot

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Just recently, I have started working on my second book in a five part series I plan to write. My beta readers are busy reading through the first book and so it’s a good opportunity to start writing the second. Unlike most people, I don’t exactly outline the entire book. I like to let the story breathe on its own and expand toward places I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise. So, I faced a dilemma.

I knew the effects I wanted to write about; the ripples of the events that happened in the first book. I made an entire list of those effects and I thought I was ready. I was on the second notebook page when I realized that I had no idea what this story was going to be about. My list of effects was beside me but it wasn’t a story. There wasn’t anything connecting these points. They were just scenes and without a connector, it wasn’t a story.

I went back to the writing board. What was my story about? I wanted to follow the themes of revenge and family but how could I incorporate this into a story? Somewhere online I read that books in a serious should more or less be a stand alone book. While they might be part of a series, it has to have its own story despite having the same cast. Thinking about my plot made me think about the overall plot of my series. I knew what I wanted to accomplish in the last book but I needed to build up to that point. How could I get to point A to point D?

The answer came to be while I was sitting at work. My effects list was in front of me and I knew that most of them were all character based. One way or another, the characters had to face that effect and deal with it. One point in particular caught my attention. The cult in my book needed more of a presence and it was in that moment that I realized that they could be the center of the story. They were the driving force.

And so, I had my plot.

It doesn’t always work that way but what helped me was that I concentrated on one detail that I could expand and luckily it worked out. This exercise, so to speak, made me realize that subplots can’t drive the story because then, without an overall connection, there is no story. If you ever have trouble coming up with a plot, shot down a few points that must happen in the story and then ask yourself: how does my character (s) get from this moment to that moment? They you fill out the details.

Take from other readings and writings that you might have done over the course of your life. The what-if game is also very helpful because it allows you freedom to think about different scenarios that you wouldn’t necessarily put into writing. Overall, it’s important to remember that each book in a series builds the plot as a whole and each piece must work together to get you to the end. But in the end, take it one chapter at a time.