Tag: planning

Posted in NaNoWriMo, updates, Writing

NaNoWriMo Approaches and a Few Updates

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

There’s only a week and a half left before NaNoWriMo and I still haven’t started planning and plotting out my story yet. Before, I wanted to write the second installation of the Half-Blood series (I’m trying to publish the first one) but now, I’m not so sure. Mostly it’s because I have another story I’m working on and continuing to work on that one through November seems like a really good idea. Then again, knowing myself, I’ll probably be working on two stories at a time.

I have a problem. I want to do too much at a time. That’s my flaw as a writer. And you know what they say, the first step is to realize you have a problem. Saying that I will focus on the second installation of the Half-Blood series. Luckily for me, I do have some part of the book planned out and I know where the book is headed. Granted, I don’t know how it’s going to end but  – actually, as I type this I just figured out how the second book is going to end – it shouldn’t be a problem. Am I going to say what it is? No. I am not. That scene can change and I don’t want to be restrained to only one possibility.

On another note, there are a few exciting things that have happened. Well, one isn’t entirely exciting. I got another response to a query I sent out . . . my manuscript was rejected. I’m not exactly discouraged but I can’t help but question my ability as a writer. I’m not the greatest and I strive to improve because that’s all I can do.

All I have to do is keep finding other agents and go back to my manuscript. Sure, I thought about the possibility that I might have to abandon this story and query something else. Yet, I want to be stubborn and continue to send out queries.

I’ve been working with Sarah Pesce and I’ve gotten really helpful comments on the first twenty pages of my manuscript. I still have those 8k words to send her and maybe I’ll even have her take a look at the entire manuscript. There are possibilities. At this point, all I have to do is keep pushing forward and hope for the best.

Posted in Methods, updates, Writing

Writing Admiration

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

While rewriting a portion of Crimson Queen, I came to a realization that the relationship between the main character and her deceased father wasn’t good enough. Sure, I had some flashback moments added before said point, but it was only at that moment when it really hit me. The relationship between the two is the reason that the main character won’t escape even though she’s on death row. She can’t abandon the people her father protected and yet, looking back at the previous chapters, I didn’t get that feeling between the two.

I might need another set of eyes on this but, for the most part, I think it is safe to say that their relationship needs work. My main character, Lucinda,  admires her father but I’m afraid I might have not shown enough. It’s one of those things that I just have to go back and add more information to but, at the same time,  I’m not sure if that will be enough.

Yesterday, I took to the web to try and find some tips about how to go about doing this but it seemed like I didn’t get anywhere. All I came across was sample letters of how to write a letter of admiration. However, it wasn’t as unfruitful as I thought it would be. One thing I notice about the letters was that they contained examples of deeds/actions.

That’s something I could take to my writing. It’ll need to be casual, has to flow well with what I want to write. Plus, the flashbacks are short so they need to be concise but informative. Of course, this is a draft so there is always room for improvement. Heck, I might receive a ray of inspiration and write a perfect flashback. I’m not counting on this but it might happen.

In the meantime, I’ll keep writing the story and move forward with my realization. At least, I notice this issue early on so I can keep that in mind while I write.

On a sidenote, the free editing services I got is turning out well. I’m waiting for Sarah to get back to me with the first 20 pages of my manuscript. She provides this service for all new, potential clients. After this, we’re going to move forward with my 8k words.

I’ll keep you guys posted. Until next time,

Kassandra

Posted in NaNoWriMo, Writing

After Camp NaNoWriMo

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

It’s been two weeks since Camp NaNoWriMo has ended.

Final Thoughts?

I was unprepared for the complexity of my story. Even from the beginning, I knew it was going to be complex but I didn’t plan enough for that. Luckily, Camp NaNoWriMo showed me that. Blue Moon is a story that needs to be planned. A beat sheet should, in retrospect, help me write the story better the second time around.

Writing a novel in a month has always taught me something. It has also shown me my limitations and what I need to improve. This time, it was planning and execution. Granted, this was the first draft. The first draft of a book that isn’t even completely written yet. Blue Moon and I have a long way to go before it is ready to shown to the world and I’m okay with that. There’s still a lot for me learn.

On a different note:

I am officially finishing editing and revising my story, Clan of Ash. Now, I’m working on my query letter and searching for agents before sending out queries by September. My summary has to be fixed a bit more and I have to research more agents but I’m close. I’m planning on rereading my novel once more before sending it out. I’m not sure if this is a good idea but I’ll take my chances.

Speaking of reading, I finally got around to reading the books on my kindle. I have a few paperbacks around the house that needed to be read first. Hopefully, I can stop buying books long enough for me to finish reading all the ones I have already. Then again, buying books help authors. The struggle is real.

I’m still working on revising Crimson Queen and Phantom Blade (two stories I have on Wattpad). I have also been working on another story on Wattpad as well. It’s been busy and productive. For now, that’s all I can ask for.

Posted in Game Reviews, NaNoWriMo, Writing

Camp NaNoWriMo, Day 11

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I’m happy to announce that I did manage to catch up on my word count. Thanks to careful planning and calculations on my part, I have been able to reach my word count for the day without sacrificing any other activities.

There’s been a lot going on lately. My sister and I agreed not to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo for our collaboration story. Unfortunately, there were too many things that we needed to work on and it just wasn’t the right time to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo together. Luckily for me, I had been writing my own story so I’ll continue to write that one on my own.

With the collaboration story, my sister and I still intend to write the story. That hasn’t changed. We just won’t be on a deadline per say to write it. It’s a bit disappointing but it couldn’t be helped. For next time, I’ll be fully prepared for a collaboration story if it presents itself.

A few other things going on is that I have also been working on other stories as well. Now, these aren’t other side projects for Camp NaNoWriMo. No, I’m not capable of doing something like that. Writing 50,000 words for one novel is tough enough. I’m not doing that for two. What I meant is that I’m writing weekly chapters for one of my stories on wattpad. It’s called The Vampire Prince goes to High School.

Yes, I know how it sounds. To be truthful, I don’t even like this story. It would be no issue for me if I stopped writing it. However, there are too many fans that like this story and so that is why I continue to write. I do it for the fans. They deserve closure and I’m going to give it them.

The other side project I mention is the rewrite of Crimson Queen. It’s another story that I wrote on wattpad and it’s been completed. I have been rewriting the entire story and adding more depth and side stories. The first draft was just plot and it needs to be beefed up a bit more.

These side projects keep my creative juices from drying out. Writing one story, motivates me to write another. It might explain why I am exhausted by now but I won’t stop. I will reach my goal.

Lastly, another one of my game reviews has been posted. It’s called Shapeless. You can read it here. It’s a game where you match shapes to create a different shape. The tricky part is that you have to shift the entire board to match the shapes. It took me a while to get used to this. I like it because it passes the time.

Posted in Methods, NaNoWriMo, Writing

Catching Up

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Well, I’m officially behind work count but it’s only by 300 words. I didn’t exactly plan to be behind it just that I play Dungeons and Dragons on Fridays (well most Fridays anyways) and, unfortunately, after that four hour campaign, I was too tired to finish writing. 

Overall, Blue Moon still has a lot of work on it. The beginning is going to change yet again. I don’t need to type up anything new. At this point it is all about rearrange scenes. I won’t do that as of right now because I don’t want that to me my main focus. For now, I need to be writing and not worrying about how the story is going to start.

I have typed up a brief summaries of my scenes. That way, I’ll have them “in sight” and I don’t have to go back through the document to find them. I was thinking of using note cards to jot the scenes down so I would be able to rearrange them “physically”. Or maybe if I had a program or a website where I could do that – that could also work. So if anyone knows of a good website or program for a storyboard that let’s me rearrange scenes then let me know. I’ll be looking into that sort of stuff.

The story with my sister is going well. It’s a work in progress because at this point, I’m making things up. It’s all been pull out of thin air. My sister hasn’t complained about it so that’s good. Our plot for that story is holding strong. It’s all “according to plan” so to speak.