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    Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day
    Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day
    Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day
    Ebook95 pages1 hour

    Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day

    By Chelle Cordero

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    About this ebook

    A complete month of lessons about the craft of writing and being a writer, from time management to social networking, organizing queries to publication, and more. In the Bonus Section of this book you’ll find more than 50 brain-starting exercises to help you get those words on paper.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChelle Cordero
    Release dateOct 28, 2010
    ISBN9781452432946
    Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day

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      Book preview

      Living, Breathing, Writing - Chelle Cordero

      Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson a Day

      By Chelle Cordero

      Copyright 2010 Chelle Cordero

      Published by: Vanilla Heart Publishing on Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

      Dedicated to the talented writers of Vanilla Heart Publishing

      Introduction

      Welcome to a complete month of lessons about the craft of writing and being a writer. In the BONUS Section of this book you’ll find more than 50 brain-starting exercises to help you get those words on paper.

      Table of Contents

      Day 1: Method Character Writing

      Day 2: Getting The First Byline

      Day 3: Abandon Your Excuses

      Day 4: Social Networking

      Day 5: Overcoming Writer’s Block

      Day 6: Blogging

      Day 7: Insults And Rejections

      Day 8: Market Yourself - Sell Your Writing

      Day 9: Are You A Novel Or A Short Story Writer?

      Day 10: A Dirty Five Letter Word – Promo

      Day 11: What Do You Want To Be?

      Day 12: Professional… Always

      Day 13: Don’t Sabotage Yourself

      Day 14: The Road To Publishing Your Book

      Day 15: Show, Don't Tell

      Day 16: A Team-Work Approach

      Day 17: Finding The Time To Write

      Day 18: A Never Ending Story

      Day 19: Come Out Swinging

      Day 20: Know Your Audience

      Day 21: Writing And Being A Writer

      Day 22: Giving Birth To Your Characters

      Day 23: Look Who’s Talking Now…

      Day 24: Letting Your Characters Write The Story

      Day 25: Start Building Your Writer’s Platform

      Day 26: Promoting Yourself With A Virtual Tour

      Day 27: Polishing Your Work

      Day 28: Accenting Your Characters

      Day 29: The Business Of Being A Writer

      Day 30: Legal-Ese

      Day 31: Failure Is Not An Option

      Bonus Writing Exercises And Prompts

      Day 1: Method Character Writing

      The first time I ever tried to write a fiction story, my characters seemed flat and one-dimensional. So I quickly added emotions. I added a temper tantrum here and there, a prank, a bad joke. And I successfully created cardboard robots who laughed on cue, cried on cue and got angry with no apparent reasoning.

      Like all writers, I wanted to create real people that my readers could empathize with, people who were believable. The first time that a friend/pseudo critic asked me Why did so and so do that? I had a huge epiphany. I hadn’t spent seven years as a theater and drama student for nothing. I began to use the same philosophies I had learned under the guise of method acting in creating my characters.

      The actor who stands on stage and nearly crumbles when a firecracker goes off knows why even if it isn’t part of the script; he knows that as a child he witnessed the gunfire at a jewelry store holdup that killed the friendly shop owner and the loud and unexpected noise is now making him replay that scene and causing a severe meltdown. The actress who bursts into real tears as she is given the news of another character’s demise is remembering the funeral of a loved one, maybe her sweet old granddad, and the finality of knowing she would never see him again.

      When I envision my characters I build a dossier on them. Okay, not really a dossier, but enough to fill an index card. I know their education, what kind of relationships they had with their parents and siblings. I list a few of the vacations they took as a child and their most memorable experiences. I may include the outcome of their first serious love affair. Even their food allergies are included; it doesn’t matter if that information is never known in the story.

      When I develop my story, I decide on the main characters, the basic conflict and the eventual outcome. I think of a few events that might be interesting along the way. Otherwise how I get from point A (the beginning) to point B (the ending) is totally up to my characters. I have stated in interviews that my characters write their own story and they do because their reactions and actions are all based upon their past experiences.

      In one of my novels a supporting character took on such a life of his own that I had to write a story about him. In the first novel (Forgotten) the hero asked why Tom could give so much good relationship advice. The response was a mere six sentences which told of a tragic ending to a high school romance. But I knew more details and the impact it had on Tom. Tom became so real because of that paragraph and the poignant story behind it, that I had to write a story about him (Within the Law) and, in the romance genre I write, I had to give him a happy ever after ending as well.

      When the character is more than just a name on paper and has a history, likes and dislikes, they can begin to live. That’s when the story becomes real.

      Day 2: Getting the First Byline

      So you’ve made up your mind to write for publication. Before you romanticize your newest career choice and imagine yourself rolling in royalties, let’s have a reality check.

      #1- Most editors, even those who are looking for a bargain, want someone with published credits to his name. #2- And even more dismaying, many publications tell you up front that byline credit and/or a free publication copy is considered payment. While #2 doesn’t help pay the rent, it does help you build those credits to satisfy #1.

      If you have never been published before, here are a few things you can do to start building your publishing credits:

      Check out your local publications, particularly the ones dealing with your specific community; do they have columns about community clubs, personal achievements, local schools, history and

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