Open Literary Workshop: Answers to the questions of writers-to-be

by Estrella Cardona Gamio, Olga Núñez Miret (Translator)

OPEN LITERARY WORKSHOP was born out of the requests of the people who visited our web page www.cgediciones.com; the numerous letters we received asking us questions about how to write in a literary manner gave me a chance to reply, not to each individual person, but to all at the same time, because many of the questions were repeated. Now, due to the great success of the online and paper Spanish versions of this book, we’ve decided to translate it into English so it can help anybody considering a career in literature in English too. By chance, if there is such a thing as chance, we were finalizing the details of OPEN LITERARY WORKSHOP in e-book format, when a reader sent me a brief note. I think his words are fair and appropriate, and rather than add anything else, I’ll let them speak for themselves. “Greetings. My name is Manuel Pozo Gómez. I started writing years ago and while trying to find information on the internet I came across a writing course you had published. Thanks to your guidance I got off to a great start in the world of literature and I wanted to thank you for it. Following your course and its advice, I’ve managed to win some awards. Although it is a simple and straight-forward course, you should not skip a single word. I loved it. Thanks for everything.” OPEN LITERARY WORKSHOP CONTENT INTRODUCTION QUESTION ONE What do I have to do to become a writer? What steps must I follow? QUESTION TWO Which authors should I read? QUESTION THREE Should a novelist live dangerously? QUESTION FOUR What should I write about and how? QUESTION FIVE How do I know if what I write is any good and if it is worth the effort? QUESTION SIX How not to write too much; how to synthesize without being too brief? QUESTION SEVEN How do we spur our imagination? QUESTION EIGHT Which literary bad habits should we avoid? QUESTION NINE What should my first and last lines be like? QUESTION TEN And what happens when the author is so exhausted that s/he has no ideas? QUESTION ELEVEN What is, exactly, a short-story? QUESTION TWELVE Are there literatures distinctly male and female? QUESTION THIRTEEN How to write a children’s story QUESTION FOURTEEN Do writers who start late, in other words, who are no longer young, have any chance at success? TO CONCLUDE…

64 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2018

About the author

Soy Licenciada en Bellas Artes y autora de novelas, relatos y cuentos infantiles, también he sido miembro de la Asociación Española de Periodistas y Corresponsales, y he colaborado en prensa muchos años con artículos temáticos y relatos cortos. Asimismo he colaborado en radio con programas temáticos propios. Mi primera novela fue auto publicada en papel, hace años, El otro jardín. En 2006 publiqué en el mes de marzo, un libro de relatos, La dependienta con una editorial madrileña, coedición. En 1999, mi hermana María Concepción montó el sello editorial C. CARDONA GAMIO EDICIONES (que comenzó on line en noviembre de ese mismo año). A partir de 2006 hemos ido publicando en papel, impresión bajo demanda, el manual Taller libre de literatura, en 2007 Adriel B. -la novela de una alcohólica-, La trampa de ser mujer -manual para recobrar la autoestima perdida-. En 2008, El abrigo de Clark Gable y otros relatos y, el infantil, El abuelo que no sabía explicar cuentos. A finales de 2009 una novela de humor, La canción de la manzana, con prólogo de Mikel Urmeneta. En diciembre 2011, La otra vida de T. Loure. Desde el 28 de abril del 2012 estamos en Amazon Kindle ampliando horizontes.