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Posted in Methods, NaNoWriMo, Writing

Plans for Camp NaNoWriMo & Planning

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

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As June starts, I’ve come to realize that Camp NaNoWriMo (for July 2017) is only 25 days away. While this might seem far off, it usually gets here in a flash. This is why I have started thinking about which of the many stories in my idea notebook I’m going to flush out and write.

Instead of writing a paranormal story like I’ve done in the past, I’m going to try my hand at writing in the fantasy genre. Luckily for me, I have plenty of those ideas but I have asked myself “are any of these ideas ready to be a story?” The answer is yes. There are actually two ideas that I can develop further for a plot that makes sense (to me).

However, when I tried to develop one of those stories, it wasn’t a walk in the park. I had the idea of the world and how it worked in relation to the story. I wrote the history behind the founding of a guild that was going to be in the forerunner of the story. My characters were listed and the theme of the story was clear. Yet, when I thought about the details and how the story was going to unravel, my mind drew a blank.

Well, it wasn’t exactly a blank per say. I had the beginning chapter or so but afterwards, I don’t have any idea where the story would go from there. I know the end destination; I just don’t know how to get there.

The other story however, is more flushed out. I even wrote the story as a film once. All I’m keeping from that is the core story and theme. I did have to move some characters around and add new ones but for the most part I know what’s going to happen. I have scenes planned out and I know how to get to the end. So, there’s no competition between the stories, right?

Well, there is 25 days left until July. I do have time to plan and think about the first idea. Plus, it’s not like I can’t plan out both stories and decide which story I want to write more. Even so, the only thing I want to avoid is starting a story and having no idea what’s going to happen next. If I really think about it, I guess that’s what NaNoWriMo is all about (in a way). How well can you make up a story in a month?

Okay, no. That’s not what NaNoWriMo is all about but it is my take on it. At least for the moment it is.

For now, I’ll just welcome the time I have left until July. There’s no rush and there is only so much planning I can do before I need to write.

Posted in Methods, Writing

D&D: Writing you own Campaign

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

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What’s Dungeons and Dragons have to do with writing a story? Everything.

To those who aren’t familiar with D&D, I’ll give you a quick overview. Dungeons and Dragons is a table-top, fantasy, role-playing game set in the Forgotten Realms. Those familiar with R.A. Salvatore‘s Drizzt Do’Urden might know a little something about the world. For those who don’t know Drizzt then take a look at the popular show Stranger Things. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will played D&D in the pilot of the show and even in the last episode.

The major component about the game is storytelling and that’s where this post comes in. For starters, there is ‘a lot’ to know about playing D&D but I won’t go into too much detail. Instead, I’ll focus on how to build your own campaign for what’s called a ‘home-brew game.’ This term just means that you made a game set in the Forgotten Realms. It can also mean that you created your own world and are simply using the game mechanics of D&D like the dice rolling, the encounters, etc.

I should also mention that I went to Compicpalooza 2017 and was able to take down notes on many of the panels. The topic for this post was selected from my many notes so, in essence, it’ll be an overview of the advice and tips that I received.

  1. There’s no order in building your campaign and that holds true with writing.

You can start with your characters (in this case it can be your NPCs – the many roles you’ll take on as a DM (Dungeon Master – the one who runs the campaign)). If possible, it’s best to add as many NPCs beforehand. If needed, ‘someone’ will exist for your ‘adventures’ to come talk to and you won’t have to manifest them on the spot and remember them later.

Or your world. Or an object players (the ‘heroes’) have to find or destroy. That’s for you to decide.

Perhaps even your antagonist. This can be from anything you really want – a blood mage or a dragon.

However, for those building your own world, the terrain/ the environment is something to keep in mind. Is it mountainous? Plains? Forest? The Sea? The adventure will depend on what kind of area the players have to traverse. Plus, it would also make the encounters (the ‘enemy/beasts) plays will have to fight.

For the world building, you don’t have to know how to draw a map. There are pre-made maps and map generators available. Like donjon; RPG Tools. There are a lot of resources online to make it easier.

2. Basic Fundamentals of the World

The more details you know about your world the better. Just like writing anything, it is best to know almost everything you need to know about your world. That way, you won’t have to make things up on the spot and possibly forget about it later. I’m not saying it’s bad to make things up but I find that it disrupts the flow of the story. Plus, if you do have everything planned then it makes the world seem more real. Not only that but if you know the relationships between towns or tribes then you can use that as a source of conflict (if needed).

3. Managing your players

It’s not really a rule of thumb but your players are what makes the story. As the DM, you create the story and basically, the players help you write it. The story may go on a different path that you intended but it’s okay. Plans are subjected to change. It’s not like the story went out the window or anything. The DM is there to help guide the players through the story. There has to be some level of control but don’t force them to stay on that path only. Let them explore.

Whatever you don’t use then recycle it for another adventure. I do that in writing all the time. I can’t use something in one story but if I can use it in another story, then I will.

Like any story, there are going to character backstories. As a DM, you can use these to create a different arc or build it into the story. Just give your players something to care about. That’s what the core is for any story. Keep them invested.

Final thoughts:

Have fun. If you’re not having fun then why would your players be?Don’t get caught up in the details. They’re more like guidelines.

Posted in Writing

A Slow Burn

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

It’s been a hectic week and a half with finals going on . . I guess it doesn’t also help that I work at a testing center. Even so, I managed to finish reading a book. While any writer should always read, I haven’t always followed that ‘rule.’ I still read but not as much as before. Hence, I actually feel really accomplished about this.

The book is called Montmorency by Eleanor Updale.  While I’m not going to go into a review on it and while it is a children’s novel, which I didn’t find out until recently, I enjoyed. Even though I feel like it could been so much more, what I did take from the story was the pacing. Events were mentioned and there was only a few – like two of them – that had more details but even so, the story was engaging. Despite the lack of said details, I wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

Like I mentioned, not much details and yet it was still engaging. If I really think about it, it has to be with the situation the lead character is in. Will he succeed? Will he be found out? How will he pull this off? This novel specifically, at least to me, is very character driven and it succeeds in that aspect.

On a different note,

Another of my game reviews has been posted. Since I don’t have the access to the blog, I don’t post it myself. My boss does. So the review on Dark Arcana: the Carnival is available to read here. So far, this was my favorite game because it’s a mystery game that doesn’t let the player forget the story and everything is connected in some shape or form.

 

 

 

Posted in Resources, Writing

Self-Publishing 101

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I like to thank Sara Rothman for allowing me to upload her presentation over self-publishing. I attended her panel at Anime Matsuri 2017 and found her presentation very informative and decided to share that information with everyone. Sarah Rothman has written An Otaku Abroad: The Affordable Japanese experience for Anime and Manga fans. For more information, you can visit her website here. She has a book, Suicidal Samurai, coming out in May that, if anyone is interested in, can pre-order here.

In this post, I’ll be going over some of the main points discussed in the presentation. I will also upload the entire document on my blog. You can find it here.

So, to begin with:

Self-publishing is basically where an author publishes their own book, independently, without the involvement of a third-party publisher and at their own expense. The author has a lot of control but have to do all the work themselves like marketing, PR, format, price etc. There’s also outsourcing where the author can have someone else do, for example, the marketing part of the process.

There are advantages and disadvantages to self-publishing.

Advantages:

  • Easy to do
  • Control
  • Outsourcing
  • No Gatekeepers

Disadvantages:

  • Personal costs
  • Negative stigma
  • Lots of competition
  • Dealing with bookstores

There are more advantages and disadvantages and those can be found on the presentation.

Next,

Where to start?

It’s helpful to know why you’re writing. Money? Status? Bragging rights? For fun? I think, in essence, each motivation will help with the process and how much time and effort you’re willing to put into a story.

It’s also important to write A LOT. You can publish a book if you haven’t finished it. You may have heard it plenty of times but write every day. Even if what you wrote today can’t be used at all, at least you’re staying in the habit and practice. I honestly believe that practice makes perfect.

  Editing

It’s nice to read through a story multiple times. Read it once for grammar, another for story, etc. If you try to find all the problems at once, I feel that will get complicated so focus on one thing at a time. It’s also helpful to read it out loud or use audio reading software. Another tip, have another set of eyes. I find it helpful when I have someone else read my story because they might catch something I didn’t. And remember, it’s your book so you make the decision on what to delete or keep.

(A few)  Self-Publishing Websites:

  • Amazon.com
  • Lulu.com
  • Ingram Spark
  • Smashwords (ebook only)

A bit more information:

Choose your cover design carefully. People to judge books by their covers.

The pricing for ebooks and printed books will vary. There’s also distribution costs to take into account.

The business of self0publishing is always changing.

Niche books tend to well.

Marketing is touch and requires effort. Social media and freebies help.

Build your email list.

Always keep writing. The more books you have out there, the higher the chance there is of one book hitting it big. Also, the more books you have publish, the more money you can have coming in.

Lastly,

Slow and steady. Self-publishing, and writing in general isn’t something to get rich off straight away. It takes time and effort. Don’t be discouraged. If something isn’t working then change it until it does.

Thanks for reading. Like I mentioned before, this is just a basic summary of the presentation. You can have the full document here.

Posted in Game Reviews, Writing

To Review

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Although it’s been a while, beforehand I mentioned that I was going to attend a convention. It had nothing to do with writing but it was something that was on my bucket list. I can gladly say that it’s been crossed of. This particular event was Anime Matsuri 2017. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures to share mostly because I’m still rather shy about asking people (strangers) for pictures. It’s something that I have to work on.

However, due to amazing luck, I was able to attend to panels about writing at the convention. Although it is no excuse, I finally received a power point presentation from one of the spokesperson. It was a panel for self-publishing. Sarah Rothman was the spokesperson for the panel Self-publishing 101.

I won’t go into details now but I will be posting the information (a summary, you will) of the power point and general knowledge that I have about self-publishing. I’m going to ask for permission in regards to maybe uploading her power point to the blog so that everyone here can read it. Keep your fingers crossed.

On another note, two of my reviews for ANDi have been posted. You can them here and here. Later this month, I’m told that there’s going to be a newsletter going out and I’m going to get a copy. As soon as I do, I’m posting it up here.

Thanks for the patience,

Kassandra