Author Bio:
Alberto Corral was born in 1979 in the Canary Islands, Spain.
At an early age he knew he wanted to work in films somehow. He fell in love with movies, acting, directing and animation, after teaching himself to animate at home, moved to Madrid for further study.
After the animation school in Madrid he got his first job in Derby, England in 2001. That would be his first stop in many cities such as New York, London, or Barcelona. He settled down in Los Angeles working for DreamWorks Animation Studio in 2009, where he collaborated on the “Shrek”, “Kung Fu Panda” , “Madagascar” and “How to train your dragon” sagas.
His IMDB page can be found at www.imdb.com/name/nm3208207/
Living in Los Angeles allowed him to explore storytelling, his biggest passion. Since 2009, Alberto Corral has shot 5 short films as director, wrote “My Monster Burrufu”, a book has received great reviews and he also wrote its adapation to screenplay. http://www.mymonsterburrufu.com/
What inspires you to write?
Actually, I don’t see myself as a writer, per se. I like to think I’m more as a storymaker. I like telling stories in any way I can. I feel inspired when I have a small idea that makes me feel something. That feeling hooks me up.
I like when I feel something because it makes me feel more alive and I want to share that with everyone.
I love when I can make people care with my stories. I think that makes us more human.
Also I love the process. It’s like having a child and you have the privilege to see him/her growing. It’s amazing how a a tiny thought can thrive to a great story, and you were there to witness it. That’s amazing.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process is very simple, I believe.
First I got that small idea that makes me care about the characters. It can be just a small scene, something that I feel it’s worth looking into. Maybe it’s not worth telling….yet. But strong enough to make think about it.
Then, I don’t write anything. I just think. How do I get to that scene? how do I follow that scene? Who are those characters? Why are they in that scene?, etc…
Once I got the story very roughly, I write down the beats, the outline. I just use a word processor, nothing fancy. Also, I don’t limit myself on how many beats I need to hit. It could be 20 or 50. I’m trying to be free and explore the world. There will be time to rewrite and cut things off.
Once I have all the story planned out. I start writing down the proper novel without adding all the details. I like finishing the book first , even if it’s just 40 pages long. Then, I start over from the very beginning, but this time, once I know that the story works, I rewrite sentences, dialogs, and add a lot of details.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Of course I listen and talk to them. For me, they do exist. They have been in my mind, therefore, in my life for a very long time 🙂
So, many times, when I write dialogs, I just listen to their voices. They speak to me and I don’t try to force them say things that are not in line with who they are.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write.
It’s that simple. Write, write, write. It’s cheap and easy, everyone can write. Use the computer, or paper. You don’t need nothing else, no fancy software, nothing. Just write in a napkin if you have to.
That’s the easy part. The hard part is writing good. And for that, my only advice is to keep writing and learning. The more you write, the better you’ll become. And the more you read and study whatever your field is, the wiser you’ll become.
I should even write more myself. There is never “too much”. You can always improve by doing it.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to publish it because I wanted to share this story with the world. I felt that I have a great story that people can enjoy and connect the way I did.
I tried big publishers, but they didn’t like me. I was rejected more than 100’s times. But that didn’t stop me. I believed in my story. So, I decided to build my own publishing company. Now I’m happier that way. I love having total control on my product. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.
And people have responded very well. It’s still 5 stars out of 5 on Amazon with 107 reviews, which is amazing.
So, if you have a great story and nobody wants to publish it. Do it yourself. It’s a lot of work, but the rewards are bigger as well, because you know that everything good that happens to you, it’s because you made it possible.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I don’t know how the future will be. I just hope that physical books don’t disappear. I love ebooks. It’s good and comfortable and very green (which is a huge thing for me), but I also love the pages, the touch, the smell. So, I’m not sure.
What do you use?
Professional Editor
What genres do you write?
children’s book, fantasy, sci-fi, action and adventure.
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Alberto Corral Home Page Link
Link To Alberto Corral Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12671144-my-monster-burrufu?from_search=true
https://www.facebook.com/mymonsterburrufu
https://twitter.com/pgidee
http://www.pinterest.com/pgidee/
