Category: Uncategorized

Posted in Uncategorized

Trying My Best

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

It’s been close to a few weeks since my last post and a lot has happened since then. Quite frankly, it’s been very tiring. Not to mention the end of the school year is near and everyone is feeling it. So much to do and so little time.

New things are happening going forward. Some have stayed the same. Query letters are being sent but I haven’t heard anything back (other than rejections). I decided to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo this July. It’s been a while since I participated in July but I have a novel idea that I want to get on pen and paper. More details to come closer to the start date.

I also started up my Dungeons & Dragons homebrew campaign. I can only managed every two weeks right now, but I think that works for all my players as well. That’s not all. With the new Avatar tabletop RPG game released a few months back, I was lucky to get invited to a game by a friend. So, that’s happening every other week as well.

I have definitely added more to my plate but the games have been helping me manage my stress. They offer me a break from work and let me enjoy myself with friends. I see it as a win-win situation.

Despite everything that has been going on, I’m still writing and still trying my best. Right now, that’s all that matters.

Posted in Uncategorized, updates

Overcoming Stress

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

It’s been some time since I managed to write a post. The last few weeks have been so stressful due to my work and the nature of said work.

While I won’t get into it, the situation boiled down to false accusations and that impacting my mental health and my reputation at my job. Needless to say, with support from family and friends, and my boss having my back, I was able to get through the situation.

I feel better now and hope to have a better schedule of keeping up with writing posts in general.

Posted in Uncategorized

A New Year (2023)

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

It’s been a month or so since I stopped writing on the blog. Everything got away from me this past month. I hadn’t been able to properly manage my time. However, I want to start the new year with goals. Why not a resolution?

I think of a resolution like a decision. You decide to do or not to do something. In the grand scheme of things, it’s great but it hasn’t worked for me. Maybe I didn’t put too much effort into it. Saying this, a goal is something I can work toward. They can be measured.

Some of my goals are aimed at creative writing, and some are aimed toward daily life, etc.

For Creative Writing:

  • I want to write more on the blog. If not weekly then bi-weekly at least.
  • I want to finish the first draft of my second novel (in a series)
  • Start sending out queries for the first book in a series
  • Become more active on social media e.g. more daily posts (3 or 4 a day)

For Daily Life:

  • I want to be healthier which means exercising a bit and eating healthier e.g. choosing yogurt over a donut
  • Manage household chores a little better

Creativeness:

  • Continue drawing
  • Keep learning digital art
  • Crochet and finish more projects

The best thing to remember is to break it down into manageable steps for each goal. That way, I won’t become overwhelmed with everything I want to accomplish in the new year. But, first and foremost, enjoy the little successes.

Posted in NaNoWriMo, Uncategorized, Writing

Preparation Complete

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Preparing for April has been very smooth. In part, it has to do with the fact that I’m rewriting a story I’ve already written. At this point, I have a good idea of where I want the story to go.

Even before the rewrite, I knew where the story was going. That was always present in my mind. The character development, background information, and subplots, on the other hand, need a bit more work. That is what I’m focusing on in rewriting the story.

Of course, preparing for Camp NaNoWriMo or just preparing to write a novel or even the other half of a story can be tough. You can prepare so many things but at the end of the day, you could scrape the entire thing. It’s happened to me more times than I can count.

While I can prepare for all situations of what might occur when I’m writing, I have a bit of confidence that I won’t loose my way, so to speak. IMHP (in my humble opinion), I believe that rewriting a novel might be easier than first starting out. Here are three of my reasons.

First, at least I have a basis of the story. I’ve put my thoughts and ideas down on paper. It doesn’t have to be great but at least I have something written down. I might not use everything or even anything at all but that’s okay.

Second, it’s something you can proofread/mark up. I like to print out the story and mark it up with a red pen. I write my comments on it and I have something visual to go back to whenever I need it. Personally, I’m not a big fan of editing on a screen. I have always found it more useful to me to write out corrections and comments.

Lastly, at least the story exists. It is out there and that just makes it all the better. This motivates me to work to make the story better. It’s the process that solidifies the main storyline and other aspects I want to include.

In essence, everyone has their own methods on how they do things. Finding what works for you is just another step in the process.