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Posted in Writing, Writing Prompts

Writing Prompt – Game Over

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

 

Game Over
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I took a shuddering breath. My lungs felt like they were about to cave in. What was this? I must be seeing things. There was no way this was a video game. Stuff like this didn’t happen in real life. This was real and I knew I was going to die. There was no way around that.

Somehow I managed to look away from the screen. There were figures around my bed but I couldn’t tell who they were. One of them held my hand, squeezing tightly. I felt their warmth but didn’t have the strength to squeeze back. Their voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. There were two others by the foot of the bed. I couldn’t recognize their faces either.

My memory was a bit hazy. I remember an accident and that my parents had been with me. No one had told me about them and I couldn’t manage to. Would they tell me if I asked? I couldn’t move either. My strength faded with each passing moment.

Again the screen flashed with the two options.

Maybe I was crazy for entertaining the thought. It wasn’t like I had any regrets. I got into a good college and attended school for two years, but I hadn’t enrolled for the next semester. There wasn’t anything I wanted to be. I’d thought if I took some time off, I could decide.

My parents had been okay with it. It’s why we decided to go on a family vacation . . . but then the accident happened. It was all coming back to me. And I knew, deep down, even if no one told me, that my parents were gone.

At the thought, my throat squeezed painfully. There was no point in staying then. There was nothing for me here.

Tiredly, I looked at the screen again. ‘Try again’ or ‘End Game’, huh? The decision was easy enough.

End Game.

Gradually, my vision darkened. The darkness started from the corners of my vision. It spread towards the center, darkening the blurred figures. Finally, the darkness reached the center and my vision went black.

Posted in Resources, Writing

Unnecessary Characters – Are they necessary?

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

 

unnecessary characters
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One of the things I try to look out for in my writing is unnecessary characters. Sure, as writers, we must populate the story but when is it too much? How can we identify these unnecessary characters?

I like to use the sexy lamp test. This test doesn’t apply only to the relevance of a female character, it applies to other characters as well. If you can replace a character with someone else – or a lamp in this case – they aren’t necessary. The test can also be applied to your main characters.

If, for some reason, you really want a certain character in the story because they bring something unique then, maybe the character needs more work. Flesh them out. Every character has some sort of motivation that gets them through the day and if after all that, the character still doesn’t work then, cut them. You can always recycle them for later.

 

 

Posted in Resources, Writing

Food Timeline

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

food history

Now that I’m feeling better, I can put this put. It’s a neat image that I found on Pinterest. The website gives you a timeline on Food, where specific food began, and the start recipes with certain food items. This is a great tool if, like me, gets obsessed over learning if people ate ice-cream during a certain period of time or not.

Posted in Writing

On the Road to Recovery

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I’ve been MIA for the last week. Most of that is my fault. Planning a wedding is probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I’ve narrowed it done to two venues but I have to wait and see about that pricing if you know what I’m saying.

More good news. I began writing and publishing the sequel to The Vampire Prince goes to High School on wattpad. As I mentioned, I don’t think it’s the greatest work out there and it is terrible and so cringy but my fans think it’s perfect. It’s because of them that I’m even writing a sequel. I have enough material to write a sequel and shouldn’t have trouble writing but, at the same time, I can’t help but feel that I’m going to have a tough time creating content weekly.

To top it all off, I was even told that my better written story, and also published on wattpad, (Crimson Queen) showed a lot of potential and should be edited. I don’t know how to feel about that.

But I can tell you how I feel health wise. I feel terrible. So, my finace started clinicals for nursing school and goes to a hospital for twelve hours or less. He comes home and starts hacking up a lung. Well, I breathe the same air and bang, I’m done for the count. I’m not as bad as him and he has medication but, at the same, I laid in bed and on the couch a few days because I feel terrible.

The road to recovery is slow. Hopefully, I get better soon.

Posted in Methods, Resources, Writing

Filling in the Blanks

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

post filling in the blanksRecently, I found a post on Pinterest that I found very interesting. The post goes to say that writing dialogue first makes the scene easier and longer . The author goes to say that this method worked for him/her when he/she wanted to get some work done. Overall, I think that’s some decent advice.

Personally, it hasn’t been something I’ve tried consciously. I’ve done something similar where I write the basic lines of a scene and dialogue and then go back to fill in the blanks. My method made  me feel like I was too lazy to write everything out completely but seeing this post changes that.

Like many, I’ve always tried to put my best work on the page even if that means rewriting the same sentence a few hundred times. It doesn’t help that I know that that’s not how it works but I find myself doing it anyway. I’ve been trying to work on that, and while there has been progress, there are times when I tend to slip.

I (probably) won’t be using this method consciously right off the bat but I’m not going to write if off. It kind of feels like writing an outline more than anything else but that’s just how I feel. In part I believe because I’ve always associated going back and adding things to a manuscript as rewriting or even editing, I can’t immediately jump to using this method.

Overall, I’m always on the look out for advice and tips that will help me become a better writer. I always strive to grow my skills and abilities. Plus, it’s not like I’m opposed to trying new things. If the chance presents itself, I might just end up writing the dialogue first and the filling in the blanks later.