Category: Writing

Posted in Dungeons&Dragons, updates, Writing

A Lot on My Plate

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I’m happy to announce that I’m still breathing. It’s been a hectic week that hasn’t given me much time to post anything. The good news is that I finally started my classroom observations and that taken up so much of my time. It’s great to see teachers with Kindergartners and second graders. I’ve learned so much by just observing. Everyone has a different teaching style and there’s definitely strategies that I want to use.

Of course this was all after GateCon 2 where I spent all weekend (Wed. – Sun.) playing Dungeons & Dragons last week. This was for, uh, research purposes. Sometimes, the best dialogue is through role playing at the table. Plus, it’s so interesting to see other players role play so many different personalities. I’ve heard some of the best insults at the table too. It’s dialogue gold. Not to mention that I think I’ve had my fill of large social gatherings. This sort of excitement will keep me going for the next few months until the holidays.

Despite my busy schedule, I have had time to write. This is mostly done during work (don’t tell my boss) when I can. At this point, I probably have Google Docs open on all computers. So far, my co-workers don’t seem to mind. I’m just trying to make this all work somehow. This probably means that I have to get better at organizing and managing my time. But I think there’s hope for me yet.

Even though I’m getting my teaching certificate, I still haven’t given up on writing and I don’t think it will. Since I was a child, I’ve been interested in being a teacher. I didn’t discover my love of writing until much later. However, I realize that writing isn’t going to pay the bills anytime soon. Sure, I got a content editing job on the side and that’s super great but, in essence, it’s not enough. At least, it isn’t right now. I know that I have to do what I have to do.

My goal is still to become a published author. After that goal is accomplish, I just want to keep publishing and share my stories to whoever wants to read them. My wattpad story is coming along nicely and that’s almost finished. I’ve decided to rewrite it so that I can say that I like it as oppose to just being my fans. I’ll end up self-publishing this story I think. I won’t think about that until I’m closer to a finish product that I’m proud of.

For now, wish me luck. I have a lot of my plate.

 

 

Posted in Writing, Writing Prompts

Writing Prompt – Xel

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

house mate

The monster doesn’t answer immediately. It continues sobbing at the bottom of the stairs, curled up in fetal position. My first instinct is to help it and, before I can change my mind, I head out in the hall. On the way to the stairs, I slapped the light switch.

At the stairs, I found the monster still on the ground. It didn’t look like it had moved.

“Do you need help?” I asked. “Can you stand? Did you break a leg? Or claw? Antenna?”

“I’m okay,” came the croaky voice. “I tripped.”

I go down one step. “That’s nice to hear.”

The monster ‘sat up’. It was hard to tell. It also didn’t help that I didn’t turn on any lights and the only thing going for me was the light from the hall.

“So, what you doing here? Were you assigned this house or something? I mean, is that something you guys do?”

The monster turned around. Three large eyes occupied its ‘face’. Even with the light, I couldn’t tell much about it. How many limbs was it hiding? Was it blue or yellow? As I continued to stare at it, the darkness around the body smoothed out revealing silhouettes of other arms and legs.  And maybe I could see a hint of blue on it’s  . . . fur. Was it scales?

“I did get assigned to this house,” the monster replied in that same low voice.

“Huh uh. Why though? My parents are the only ones who live here. I moved out a long time ago. I’m just house sitting for them.”

The monster . . . shrugged. There was a movement in its shoulders so I guess it was a shrug.

“There’s a child here,” was all it said.

I frowned. It felt a bit insulted. “And you have to stay here?”

“I won’t get in the way. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Right.”

Confused, I crossed my arms. “How long have you been here?”

“Two days.”

The monster had moved in the same time as I had. My parents left for their tenth honeymoon only two days ago.

“Well, alright. I guess you’re not bothering anyone.”

“You don’t even know I’m here.”

I shrugged. “I don’t mind company just don’t talk to the neighbors or show yourself to anybody.”

“I didn’t plan to.”

“I’m Ali by the way. What’s your name?”

The monster looked at me unblinkingly. “Name?”

“Yeah, what are you called?”

It didn’t answer. A pang of guilt twisted my stomach. Way to be insensitive.

“No matter,” I quickly said. “From now on, your name is Z . . . Xel.”

“Then, I’m Xel.”

 

Posted in Gamernation News, Writing

The Supporting Fans

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

As my pre-service training comes to an end for my teaching certification, it’s starting to get a bit rough. A lot of things aren’t lining up the way I thought they would. This also means that my writing has been effected more than I would like to admit.

However saying this, there is a bright side. I have done some article writing for Gamer Nation News. It’s a website created by gamers for gamers. We play and reviews games. My articles deal with Dungeons & Dragons and you can find my latest article here.

I am also close to finishing a story I have on wattpad. For those who might not know, I don’t like it. It’s not my best work and half the plot was made up week to week. Even the name is terrible. *cough* The Vampire Prince goes to High School *cough* The title says it all. It really is about a vampire prince going to high school.

Anyways . . .

Despite all of this, the story has fans and they seem to really enjoy. They’re the reason why I have been able to keep going with it. Without them, I would have quit a long time ago. Unfortunately, I have yet thought of a way to thank them for their support.

As a writer, I believe that what it all comes down to. It’s all about the support. Support can come from anywhere and anyone, even yourself. For me specifically, it comes from the story’s fans. They make me feel guilty for not posting on time because they’ve shown so much love for the story. The least I can do is post every week for them.

Even though I don’t like this particular story, I’ve learned a lot from writing week to week. I have made the plot up on the spot and I think, that’s going to help me in the long run. I have pushed through so many writer’s block because of said plot and that’s something that I can transfer over to my other writing. Even if I have no ideas what’s going to happen, I’m going to keep writing.

Sure, my other writing might not have the same support but then I think about the support it will have in the future. I think about the potential of that support and that keeps me going. While the lack of support would never make me quit writing, it’s nice to have someone appreciate your work.

 

Posted in Writing, Writing Prompts

Writing Prompt – Superhero?

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

superhero

I grabbed a fistful of her blouse and pulled her back.

“I did not just spend four hours touring the entire city looking for the perfect bakery for you to get squashed by a car.”

Sheepishly, she looked up at me, her phone still in both hands. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Posted in Resources, Writing

Resources -Writing A Scene

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

It was a very busy weekend as school is starting soon. I finally got my background cleared so I can observe classrooms. All in all, life has been progressing well. Here’s a post for writing a scene. You can find the original here.

scene