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A pleasure to meet you, writers! <3 My name is Karissa Chmil, a young writer, dreamer, and believer who’s enjoyed the wealth of knowledge in the articles here on StoryEmbers for some time now.
I’m the girl who spins fantastic tales of worlds beyond our own and connects them to my own by the scars I weave through my characters. A writer of four years (and counting), I’m in love with the speculative fiction genre and spend hours crafting worlds and characters to breathe life into my stories.
You’ll always be able to excite me by talking about books, discussing various parts of the writing process, or daydreaming about where we want our words to go someday. I love wind and stars and the sound that quivers in the air as the sound of a piano dies away, and I thrive on whimsical fancies and the lingers of dreams as I fall asleep.
Slipping into stories is one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve been a reader even longer than I’ve been a writer. You’ll often find me curled up with a book and a mug of tea, and my list of favorite books is always growing and is far too long to recall without checking.
Thrilled to meet and grow with you, and I wish you all the very best with your writing! ♥️✨
The tale is a lie; what it tells is the truth. - Traditional folk tale ending
Karissa!!! Hello!!!
I didn’t know you liked stars… ✨ I love them very much.
Do you have a favourite tea?
Cathy! This is Karissa, a dear friend of mine. <3
Karissa, this is Cathy- funny, vibrant, a writer of deep characters and fantasy. (:
Jominkreesa
'Forth now! And fear no darkness!'
Aw, I didn’t know you were here, Kimberly! <3
I do indeed like stars, very much.
Hm. . . chai tea is certainly towards the top. What about you?
Hey, Cathy! Pleased to meet you! Do you have a current WIP?
The tale is a lie; what it tells is the truth. - Traditional folk tale ending
@karissa-chmil Hello! You sound like “my kind” of person! Tea and books! Who wouldn’t love them? What are your favorites of each? And then you’re a writer to boot, so yay!
I like this certain watermelon mint tea, but I’m treasuring it, so I don’t have it often, lol. And A Tale of Two Cities is my (current) favorite book!
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"
https://silverpenstrokes.wordpress.comI’M ALIVE!!!!!!!!
(I’ve taken to randomly using that to replace hello…for no reason whatsoever…XD)
HIIIIIIII *bowls over with a hug* I’m so excited I get to meet one of Kimmi’s friends (Kim’s so cool 🥰)!!!!
Do you have a current WIP?
Well, two actually.
I’m scripting and doing the art of a webtoon I’m co-writing with my brother @rustedknight. It’s a Prohibition steampunk series, Steam and Legends, following to main POVs from two different provinces at war; an ADHD kleptomaniac, Ehud, caught in political secrets and espionage and an amnesic ace fight-pilot, Eleazer, socially outcast but sent on a mission to transport the princess, Esther, to safety. It explores trust and secrets in high stakes situations and especially relationships in all forms and the mutual trust and respect against betrayals and lies.
My second WIP, a high-fantasy, thriller miniseries (*bangs head on head* IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST ONE BOOK TO GET THE FEEL FOR HOW TO WRITE A BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Edge of Fire, is about Alessio, a fugitive prince with C-PTSD following a puzzle-trait of tales and legends to find the mysterious Temple Ruins for reasons undisclosed as the clash of world powers delve into his mysterious past. *is trying very very very hard to hold back a long rant explaining all these different plots and subplots and worldbuilding…*
The themes address trauma and abuse and raise questions defining love against manipulation, obsession, physical and psychological abuse and explores exactly how much does duress and circumstances defend.
Hbu? Any current WIPs you’d rant about? 🙂
I love wind and stars and the sound that quivers in the air as the sound of a piano dies away,
AHHHHHHHH LAST NOTES OF PIANO I LOVE THAT SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the wind, the way it caresses you like it’s Papa’s Hand and His Breath and stars, I like moonlight and starlight pouring over leaves and rivers like pure magical light!!
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
@emily-waldorf Hello! And precisely – they fit together perfectly, too. 😉 Favorite tea. . . chai, spice, peppermint, apple cinnamon. . . really depends on my mood and the weather. As far as favorite books go, that’s an impossible question to answer – far too many good books.
Ooh, that sounds interesting. . . and nice! I haven’t technically read that book yet, though it might be the book I tackle this summer (I generally try to work through one longer/classical book over the summer like Oliver Twist or Uncle Tom’s Cabin).
SHE’S ALIVE!!!!!!
(I mean, that sounds like a fantastic tradition. XD)
*hugs back* Me too! (Yessss, she really is. <3)
Ooh. Those sound awesome. How far are you into the second one?
Let’s see. . . I’m plotting out two at the moment, and one of them’s called Trust the Traitor and is about twenty children handpicked by the Traitorous Ten to be trained as the highest level of spies and assassins under the king – but only ten of them will be chosen, and the other ten will be killed. Towards the end of their three years, they have one hundred days of testing to prove that they’re strong enough to fill the role. The themes focus on whether the end-justifies-the-means and how to live in a corrupt society when doing right means losing your life. . . aaaand I’m rambling. XP
Mmmmmmm, yes. Beautiful. <3
The tale is a lie; what it tells is the truth. - Traditional folk tale ending
Oh goodness! I forgot to reply XDDD I’m doing that more and more lately, feel free to yell at me any time I leave you on hold for a while I really do want to talk to you!!
(I mean, that sounds like a fantastic tradition. XD
ikr!
*hugs back* Me too! (Yessss, she really is. <3)
Yessssssssssssssss!!!
Ooh. Those sound awesome. How far are you into the second one?
Weeeeell, it depends on your perspective XDDD. Some might say I’m on draft one billion, others might say I’m on chapter 20 something or other but I’d say…chapter 1. Again.
Lol, I write really really nonlinear so it’s hard to say. Buuut I was planning to start releasing it chapter by chapter on December. I don’t really think it’ll happen that soon anymore because collage is actually super duper busy and I am so insulted by that 😂 I just recently finished revising my first chapter if ya wanna read it: This? (idk if the link works right I’ve never made a WordDoc link on SE before but I have sometimes had trouble to Word links sooo XDD, if it doesn’t work tell me)
My style tends to be cluttered and so into “showing” it doesn’t actually tell what’s happening. This is the…third or ten-thousandths rewrite, and I got some really awesome editing advice from @taylorclogston which helped me a lot in revising my style and working out a lot of plot problems and inconsistencies.
But if you could point out any places were my style gets cluttered or things get confusing or anything at all that I should fix, please do tell me if you have the time and want to.
Let’s see. . . I’m plotting out two at the moment, and one of them’s called Trust the Traitor and is about twenty children handpicked by the Traitorous Ten to be trained as the highest level of spies and assassins under the king – but only ten of them will be chosen, and the other ten will be killed. Towards the end of their three years, they have one hundred days of testing to prove that they’re strong enough to fill the role. The themes focus on whether the end-justifies-the-means and how to live in a corrupt society when doing right means losing your life. . . aaaand I’m rambling. XP
I have one question; WHEN CAN I BETA READ PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*ahem* That sounds so so cool!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
Howdy Karissa! I’m Noah, great to have you!
You’ll always be able to excite me by talking about books, discussing various parts of the writing process, or daydreaming about where we want our words to go someday. I love wind and stars and the sound that quivers in the air as the sound of a piano dies away, and I thrive on whimsical fancies and the lingers of dreams as I fall asleep.
Even your introductions are written in excellent prose. I love it. 🙂
As far as favorite books go, that’s an impossible question to answer – far too many good books.
Oh, come now Karissa, surely you can name at least a couple to appease our insatiable curiosity. 🙂
So tell me some about your writer self. What’s your other WIP? (other than the spies/assassins one–which caught my attention by the way, I mean, how could assassins not catch a writer’s attention)
What’s your writing process? Do you do much outlining? What are your desired word counts for your novels? Do you have any other hobbies or passions other than writing?
I’m a total newbie to writing (seeing that the first prose I wrote were in July of 2021). I wrote a practice novel over autumn and learned a ton. I am currently revising my first real novel that I wrote over winter, and am outlining the next book in the series. I won’t go into depth about its plot (I’m am quite terrible at book blurbs), but at its bare bones it’s a medieval action adventure novel with a healthy dose of mystery. That may or may not be the vaguest description you have ever heard. 🙃
XD No worries!
Weeeeell, it depends on your perspective XDDD. Some might say I’m on draft one billion, others might say I’m on chapter 20 something or other but I’d say…chapter 1. Again.
XD Re-writes just drag on forever sometimes. . .
Lol, I write really really nonlinear so it’s hard to say. Buuut I was planning to start releasing it chapter by chapter on December. I don’t really think it’ll happen that soon anymore because collage is actually super duper busy and I am so insulted by that I just recently finished revising my first chapter if ya wanna read it: This? (idk if the link works right I’ve never made a WordDoc link on SE before but I have sometimes had trouble to Word links sooo XDD, if it doesn’t work tell me)
How dare college be busy. XP And the link doesn’t seem to be working for me. . .
My style tends to be cluttered and so into “showing” it doesn’t actually tell what’s happening. This is the…third or ten-thousandths rewrite, and I got some really awesome editing advice from @taylorclogston which helped me a lot in revising my style and working out a lot of plot problems and inconsistencies.
But if you could point out any places were my style gets cluttered or things get confusing or anything at all that I should fix, please do tell me if you have the time and want to.
*salutes*
I have one question; WHEN CAN I BETA READ PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*ahem* That sounds so so cool!!!!!
Heheh, thanks! Glad my feeble attempts at an on-the-fly blurb worked. XD
Even your introductions are written in excellent prose. I love it.
Merci!
Oh, come now Karissa, surely you can name at least a couple to appease our insatiable curiosity.
Heheh, that depends on how much time you have.
So tell me some about your writer self. What’s your other WIP? (other than the spies/assassins one–which caught my attention by the way, I mean, how could assassins not catch a writer’s attention)
My other WIP (unnamed at this point) is a cross between Robin Hood and Little Red Riding Hood set as a sci-fi. It features questions about trust, a crazy lot of parallel between those two stories, and maybe an exploding ship or two. 😜
What’s your writing process? Do you do much outlining? What are your desired word counts for your novels? Do you have any other hobbies or passions other than writing?
Writing process. . . as far as novels go, it’s definitely an outlining way. I’m a plotter who hates plotting (and, to be frank, I’m not great at it – my writing skills are much stronger than my storytelling skills at this point), so I’ll get input from friends at each step of the Three Act Structure, and then I’ll sketch out the chapters for myself before plunging into the first draft (I can generally finish a first draft in two months if I work steadily; last WIP I had to pause for a while so it was more like four or five months).
Desired word count is usually around 80,000, 90,000 words, depending on the project.
Other passions. . . most certainly! I enjoy music (I play the piano), walks with friends, graphic design, drawing (when I’m bored XD), rambling about little in particular. . .
I’m a total newbie to writing (seeing that the first prose I wrote were in July of 2021). I wrote a practice novel over autumn and learned a ton. I am currently revising my first real novel that I wrote over winter, and am outlining the next book in the series. I won’t go into depth about its plot (I’m am quite terrible at book blurbs), but at its bare bones it’s a medieval action adventure novel with a healthy dose of mystery. That may or may not be the vaguest description you have ever heard.
Ooh, awesome! And you might just have won the award for vaguest book description. 😜 How many books do you expect to have in the series?
Do you have any quotes from any of your former works that you especially like?
The tale is a lie; what it tells is the truth. - Traditional folk tale ending
Pleased to meet you! Tea and books are my favourite too, personally I love English and ginger and lemon tea.
Trust the Traitor sounds exactly like something i would love to read!!! And your other story sounds awesome, I do love retellings. Do you have any favourite characters you created?
Merci!
Oui! Tu parles francais!
My other WIP (unnamed at this point) is a cross between Robin Hood and Little Red Riding Hood set as a sci-fi. It features questions about trust, a crazy lot of parallel between those two stories, and maybe an exploding ship or two.
Robin Hood vs the big bad wolf in space? I love it. 🙃
Writing process. . . as far as novels go, it’s definitely an outlining way. I’m a plotter who hates plotting (and, to be frank, I’m not great at it – my writing skills are much stronger than my storytelling skills at this point), so I’ll get input from friends at each step of the Three Act Structure, and then I’ll sketch out the chapters for myself before plunging into the first draft (I can generally finish a first draft in two months if I work steadily; last WIP I had to pause for a while so it was more like four or five months).
It sounds like we are quite similar in this area. I love thinking about new ideas, but putting them into is tedious and drags out so much sometimes that my brain wants to go on strike. Do you use a chapter by chapter outline?
A first draft in two months is pretty good. I finished the first draft of my current WIP in a little less than three months, so I’m right there with ya. 🙂
Other passions. . . most certainly! I enjoy music (I play the piano), walks with friends, graphic design, drawing (when I’m bored XD), rambling about little in particular. . .
I love music as well. Singing and wind instruments are more down my alley, but I’m sorta attempting to learn the guitar. What programs do you use for graphic design?
I can ramble about nothing in particular with the best of them. 🙃
Ooh, awesome! And you might just have won the award for vaguest book description. 😜 How many books do you expect to have in the series?
*gives a bow
I did my best. Alright, here is a slightly better description: The series is called The Purging, and it follows a motley group of people attempting unravel and stop a conspiracy of sorts in medieval Europe.
I plan on there being five books in the series, with each being around 200k each. The first one clocked in at a little over 190k. What about you?
Do you have any quotes from any of your former works that you especially like?
That’s an interesting question. My first (practice) work is more of a thing of the past (i.e, I’ve forgotten like every line in the entire thing xD), but let me think…
Nope. I got nothin’. I mean, there are plenty of lines I like, for instance: “And Jothwyn of Hardain, I sense an anger in you much more dangerous than any flaw of mine.” (dialogue quote)
But nothing quote like. There are a couple quote like things in my book, but I can’t remember where I put them, and there’s no way I’m looking. xD What about you?
Pleased to meet you! <3 Ooh, lemon tea is delicious.
Yay for retellings! I can’t say exactly. . . I love all my characters. 😁 What about you?
Oui! Tu parles francais!
Oui! En faite, j’ai fait mes études de sixième et de cinqième en Savoie. 😀
It sounds like we are quite similar in this area. I love thinking about new ideas, but putting them into is tedious and drags out so much sometimes that my brain wants to go on strike. Do you use a chapter by chapter outline?
Aha, yes. Honestly, I’m more tempted to give up in the outlining process than in any other stage (with the possible exception of editing).
A first draft in two months is pretty good. I finished the first draft of my current WIP in a little less than three months, so I’m right there with ya.
Ooh, nice.
I love music as well. Singing and wind instruments are more down my alley, but I’m sorta attempting to learn the guitar. What programs do you use for graphic design?
Mmmmmm, I love wind instruments. <3 And as for graphic design programs, it depends. . . sometimes I’ll play around on Canva, but most of the time I just use Pages and Keynote and play around with their different tools.
I can ramble about nothing in particular with the best of them.
*tips hat*
I did my best. Alright, here is a slightly better description: The series is called The Purging, and it follows a motley group of people attempting unravel and stop a conspiracy of sorts in medieval Europe.
I plan on there being five books in the series, with each being around 200k each. The first one clocked in at a little over 190k. What about you?
Ooh, that’s awesome. What countries are they based in most of the time?
Aha, that’s awesome. Definitely beyond my capacity, but I applaud your courage. 😜 Trust the Traitor is actually the first of a duology, but beyond that, I don’t have too many plans for series at this point.
That’s an interesting question. My first (practice) work is more of a thing of the past (i.e, I’ve forgotten like every line in the entire thing xD), but let me think…
Nope. I got nothin’. I mean, there are plenty of lines I like, for instance: “And Jothwyn of Hardain, I sense an anger in you much more dangerous than any flaw of mine.” (dialogue quote)
I mean, that’s an awesome quote. XD
But nothing quote like. There are a couple quote like things in my book, but I can’t remember where I put them, and there’s no way I’m looking. xD What about you?
Heheh, fair. Mm, depends. . . mostly ones that have more significance with context, but I am a bit partial to the “Maybe it takes being dragged to your knees to really get a good look at the stars” one (Flame’s Dust).
Or “Doom is impatient. And, in this story, doom came in the form of a gooey ghost.” (Don’t ask.)
The tale is a lie; what it tells is the truth. - Traditional folk tale ending
Oui! En faite, j’ai fait mes études de sixième et de cinqième en Savoie.
Okay, okay, I’m actually extremely new to French, so go easy on me. I just started learning it over the past month. How long have you spoken it?
Aha, yes.
Same. I find them extremely useful–though, yes, very hard to create.
Ooh, that’s awesome. What countries are they based in most of the time?
The beginning is set in France. I love medieval history and have studied France and England quite extensively, but France worked better for my purposes. They do travel to Constantinople in the Eastern Roman Empire (often called the Byzantine empire).
Aha, that’s awesome. Definitely beyond my capacity, but I applaud your courage. 😜
Eh, it’s really not that hard–though I am looking forward to writing a series whose books are a more modest 100k.
Heheh, fair. Mm, depends. . . mostly ones that have more significance with context, but I am a bit partial to the “Maybe it takes being dragged to your knees to really get a good look at the stars” one (Flame’s Dust).
I love that one so much. Like, that’s the kind of quote that’s actually an awesome quote. Excellent.
Or “Doom is impatient. And, in this story, doom came in the form of a gooey ghost.” (Don’t ask.)
What in the…
xD
Yeah its delicious and super healthy too XD
Retellings are the best, The Lunar Chronicles are my favourite retellings! What about you?
I love all my characters too, though I have a soft spot for one of my characters, Lorcan. He’s an assassin, and is know for being this dark, snide, cold-hearted person, but on the inside he is a real gentleman lol
Okay, okay, I’m actually extremely new to French, so go easy on me. I just started learning it over the past month. How long have you spoken it?
XD Whoops. Noted. I’ve spoken it for. . . three years? Four? Something along those lines.
The beginning is set in France. I love medieval history and have studied France and England quite extensively, but France worked better for my purposes. They do travel to Constantinople in the Eastern Roman Empire (often called the Byzantine empire).
Aw, that sounds lovely. <3 I spent a few years in France at one point, so I always have a special spot in my heart for the country.
I love that one so much. Like, that’s the kind of quote that’s actually an awesome quote. Excellent.
Thank you!
What in the…
xD
Definitely not my normal writing style. 😜
Heheh, wonderful duo.
Ooh, fun! I technically haven’t read those yet, but I’d like to at some point. <3 And as for me. . . I don’t know. Robin McKinley’s Outlaws of Sherwood and Beauty are really good.
Aha, he sounds awesome.
The tale is a lie; what it tells is the truth. - Traditional folk tale ending
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