Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Monday, April 1, 2013
Times are a Changing
2013 is the turning point for me as it refers to the 21st century. I have been a published author for 20 years. My first published book, "The Grapevine: A Contemporary Short Story" was published in 1993.
I remember getting a quote in 1993 from the printer that the least amount that could be printed was a 1,000 copies, I had no choice but to accept the terrible offer.
When the books were printed I had to find a distributor, offer consignments to book stores and had no hope of reaching an international market. I also had to organize collections et al.
Back then I thought that "Literary Agents" were Gods. How things have changed, now Amazon publishes all my books: "The Olympian and "The Grapevine." I started publishing "The Grapevine" with Create Space, an Amazon Company, and followed it up with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP.)Now my books are available as paperbacks or Kindle to the whole world due to the internet and Amazon's distribution platform. Yes, I don't need to print a thousand copies, everything is "Print on Demand" for my paperback publications. And, with my customers shopping in the Kindle Store they can download the books in a minute from nearly anywhere in the world. My royalty cheque goes straight to the bank.
I put a price of 3.00 on the the Kindle Books first, I make up my own prices, under some restrictions, when dealing with Amazon but the actual cost of downloading a book to a customer is near zero, running the cloud does cost Amazon something, but a very small percentage of the retail price of a Kindle, so I really don't have to sell at 3.00 so now I put the books up for .99 cents and everyone is happy.
I sit in front of my computer and I swear that sometimes I feel like I am the CEO at Time Warner, I am so empowered. The 21st century is here and "Things are a changing."
To read Sean Tarquini's much loved novel "The Grapevine:A Contemporary Short Story" see:
http://www.amazon.com
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Imagination - Creating A Story
Having written two (2) books, having written synopses about the books, spending time describing what I called my style; there is however something that I can't describe: "My Imagination."
What appears in my books that readers see from sentence to sentence from period to period from comma to comma is not what the writer (me) sees.
I see the clouds I write about, I see the steps I climb, I see the kiss, the murder, the survival of my character.
My pen swirls with every action, I escape, I lie brazenly, I scheme - but what the reader sees as creativity, in my memory the words fell that way because I entered a world of mystery; what actions I put on paper was the only course for me to take; given the future of my story, with me, standing in the midst of the things twirling around me at that time.
If it appeared to me that I saw darkness I remember that it was too dark to see and my mind created darkness that no man could imagine. If it was beauty and light that I saw my mind created a rainbow so bright so beautiful that no man had seen it before.
Then what made me write the story in the first place can only be described as madness, insanity, a laughable enterprise. The things of invention today come from a secret place in the mind. Literature is not for the academic; the study of proper nouns, adjectives, verbs, and class-room analysis can only frame literature, never will it create or innovate.
The source I find my strength to write from is squarely a gift, and not the work of someone toiling for inspiration or building paragraph after paragraph following the teachings of "stock artists."
Literature is not what we see, literature is not stock material. We need to see literature as art, each piece of its own value.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. Sean's books are available at http://www.amazon.com and at http://www.mobipocket.com
What appears in my books that readers see from sentence to sentence from period to period from comma to comma is not what the writer (me) sees.
I see the clouds I write about, I see the steps I climb, I see the kiss, the murder, the survival of my character.
My pen swirls with every action, I escape, I lie brazenly, I scheme - but what the reader sees as creativity, in my memory the words fell that way because I entered a world of mystery; what actions I put on paper was the only course for me to take; given the future of my story, with me, standing in the midst of the things twirling around me at that time.
If it appeared to me that I saw darkness I remember that it was too dark to see and my mind created darkness that no man could imagine. If it was beauty and light that I saw my mind created a rainbow so bright so beautiful that no man had seen it before.
Then what made me write the story in the first place can only be described as madness, insanity, a laughable enterprise. The things of invention today come from a secret place in the mind. Literature is not for the academic; the study of proper nouns, adjectives, verbs, and class-room analysis can only frame literature, never will it create or innovate.
The source I find my strength to write from is squarely a gift, and not the work of someone toiling for inspiration or building paragraph after paragraph following the teachings of "stock artists."
Literature is not what we see, literature is not stock material. We need to see literature as art, each piece of its own value.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. Sean's books are available at http://www.amazon.com and at http://www.mobipocket.com
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Writing Your Presentation. Winning Over Your Audience.
Being invited to make a presentation to a group of people means that you are considered an expert on the subject at hand; a subject that the group you are speaking to has an interest in.
It is important you speak to the person who offered the invitation before you begin to write your speech. Find out about the individuals you will be speaking to, who do they represent? What part do they play in their organization? These tips will let you know in what context you should write your presentation; what type of power point presentation will be more applicable? What jargon to use? How to avoid speaking down to them or over their heads?
It is best if you research the history of your topic and not introduce your topic as if it was the first thing that occurred, realize that every thing comes to be because of organic growth. I would not discuss Web 2.0 social networks without touching on the telephone, e-mail, Napster, the media, and technology. Because it would be odd to start talking about Web 2.0 right away with out an easy build up. Write your presentation with the above thoughts in mind.
Try to establish a beginning and an end and pay attention that your audience wants to be energised, they want to feel part of your speech, they want to learn and understand things that will add to their already sophisticated knowledge.
Talk to your audience as if you were speaking to your friends, don't shout, breathe and remember that they do not know what you know, you are the expert, this should keep you from becoming nervous.
Take time when you are writing and make an effort to communicate with the audience in a way that it is in context, politically, and with taste. Know how long you are expected to speak and time your speech to fit into the time allotted to you.
I hope this article was of help to you.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. Sean's books are available at http://www.amazon.com and at http://www.mobipocket.com
It is important you speak to the person who offered the invitation before you begin to write your speech. Find out about the individuals you will be speaking to, who do they represent? What part do they play in their organization? These tips will let you know in what context you should write your presentation; what type of power point presentation will be more applicable? What jargon to use? How to avoid speaking down to them or over their heads?
It is best if you research the history of your topic and not introduce your topic as if it was the first thing that occurred, realize that every thing comes to be because of organic growth. I would not discuss Web 2.0 social networks without touching on the telephone, e-mail, Napster, the media, and technology. Because it would be odd to start talking about Web 2.0 right away with out an easy build up. Write your presentation with the above thoughts in mind.
Try to establish a beginning and an end and pay attention that your audience wants to be energised, they want to feel part of your speech, they want to learn and understand things that will add to their already sophisticated knowledge.
Talk to your audience as if you were speaking to your friends, don't shout, breathe and remember that they do not know what you know, you are the expert, this should keep you from becoming nervous.
Take time when you are writing and make an effort to communicate with the audience in a way that it is in context, politically, and with taste. Know how long you are expected to speak and time your speech to fit into the time allotted to you.
I hope this article was of help to you.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. Sean's books are available at http://www.amazon.com and at http://www.mobipocket.com
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Being a "wordsmith" is a repected profession
If? If you follow a simple example your submission will reach the top of the table and you will be published. Is that all you write for?
Do a book to let people know how to wash their dog because someone said that is a good idea for a book; write a book for the Christmas shoppers - it is all wrong, write to express yourself or bring to the fore something important, something that requires your writing skills. Please don't write to catch a wave. Why? Because you will see your writing skills go up and down like the seasons. Once you are off the shelf your effort may become meaningless to the reading public and eventually vanish as time goes on.
The word "publisher" echoes and reverberates because that is all you are thinking about. Please write because you have something important to say. If writing is for you, and you have true talent - you will eventually become a published author, it is inevitable. It is so easy to get published in this electronic age and so easy to get known, it is a long tail and people are searching deeper to find good literature. Don't seek to be at the top of the list, simply seek to be the best in your niche. What I am saying is: it is more important to be a writer than to get your work published. It is true. A good writer can write for television documentaries, write business letters, produce newsletters at work or for their favourite association; they write letters that friends look out for, they keep friends interested in their work, by sharing their stories and work in progress.
A good writer easily catches the eye from those around him or her, they earn respect and don't be surprised they are always called upon to act as a "consultant" when their co-workers are working with the english language or other languages. A writer is respected and being a writer is no different from being a tradesman, they are a "wordsmith."
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. Sean's books are available at http://www.amazon.com and at http://www.mobipocket.com
Do a book to let people know how to wash their dog because someone said that is a good idea for a book; write a book for the Christmas shoppers - it is all wrong, write to express yourself or bring to the fore something important, something that requires your writing skills. Please don't write to catch a wave. Why? Because you will see your writing skills go up and down like the seasons. Once you are off the shelf your effort may become meaningless to the reading public and eventually vanish as time goes on.
The word "publisher" echoes and reverberates because that is all you are thinking about. Please write because you have something important to say. If writing is for you, and you have true talent - you will eventually become a published author, it is inevitable. It is so easy to get published in this electronic age and so easy to get known, it is a long tail and people are searching deeper to find good literature. Don't seek to be at the top of the list, simply seek to be the best in your niche. What I am saying is: it is more important to be a writer than to get your work published. It is true. A good writer can write for television documentaries, write business letters, produce newsletters at work or for their favourite association; they write letters that friends look out for, they keep friends interested in their work, by sharing their stories and work in progress.
A good writer easily catches the eye from those around him or her, they earn respect and don't be surprised they are always called upon to act as a "consultant" when their co-workers are working with the english language or other languages. A writer is respected and being a writer is no different from being a tradesman, they are a "wordsmith."
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. Sean's books are available at http://www.amazon.com and at http://www.mobipocket.com
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Helen Keller, Character Development and Literature
How do you define and create a character? What are the secret techniques? Do you need to work on the following?
- The environment the character lives in;
- The character's position in society;
- The character's handicaps and strengths;
- Can the character be trusted, is the character inherently bad or loving;
- The character's view of the world;
- Is the character delusional about reality and where will this lead the story;
- Is the character spiritual and full of hope and bravery, or living with nothing to fall back on.
The techniques we follow can create either a weak meaningless character or a strong character that we can compare to Joan of Arc, Citizen Cane. Characters that have morals and have the will to achieve no matter the obstacles we put in their way. Or in another case someone who is bound to fail and have a sordid end.
Dracula has his environment and it works to build the type of person that is Dracula. In "The Lord of the Flies" the environment is an uninhabited island where the boys are forced to live in a certain way, in this case like savages. "Hercules" is tied to the Gods and his character revolves around his spirituality.
Creating a character takes great skill and one needs to develop and work on some of the above points. "Helen Keller" has been written about many times, to develop her character writers have concentrated their pen on her handicaps and strengths to project her character.
It is a fact that there is the rich and the poor and others somewhere in between. You need to define where your character fits in for the readers to know where your character is going and what risks the character can take? Where does the character fit into society? Is it survival for the fittest?
Characters in most cases let the reader reflect on the socio-economic, psychological, and the moral that is set, how to carry on in life in a world that is constantly challenging them. How we develop our characters makes for a good read or you can see your book make it back to the book shelf where it will be lost forever.
I have recommended these techniques and hope it helps you with your next big project.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Ontario, Canada. He writes books and for audio/visual presentations. His books are are available on http://www.amazon.com and http://www.mobipocket.com
- The environment the character lives in;
- The character's position in society;
- The character's handicaps and strengths;
- Can the character be trusted, is the character inherently bad or loving;
- The character's view of the world;
- Is the character delusional about reality and where will this lead the story;
- Is the character spiritual and full of hope and bravery, or living with nothing to fall back on.
The techniques we follow can create either a weak meaningless character or a strong character that we can compare to Joan of Arc, Citizen Cane. Characters that have morals and have the will to achieve no matter the obstacles we put in their way. Or in another case someone who is bound to fail and have a sordid end.
Dracula has his environment and it works to build the type of person that is Dracula. In "The Lord of the Flies" the environment is an uninhabited island where the boys are forced to live in a certain way, in this case like savages. "Hercules" is tied to the Gods and his character revolves around his spirituality.
Creating a character takes great skill and one needs to develop and work on some of the above points. "Helen Keller" has been written about many times, to develop her character writers have concentrated their pen on her handicaps and strengths to project her character.
It is a fact that there is the rich and the poor and others somewhere in between. You need to define where your character fits in for the readers to know where your character is going and what risks the character can take? Where does the character fit into society? Is it survival for the fittest?
Characters in most cases let the reader reflect on the socio-economic, psychological, and the moral that is set, how to carry on in life in a world that is constantly challenging them. How we develop our characters makes for a good read or you can see your book make it back to the book shelf where it will be lost forever.
I have recommended these techniques and hope it helps you with your next big project.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Ontario, Canada. He writes books and for audio/visual presentations. His books are are available on http://www.amazon.com and http://www.mobipocket.com
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Dracula, Batman and Dark Literature
Dark literature presents us with two characters - Dracula and Batman - supernatural beings that came from humble beginnings.
These characters are able to make their greatest foes bow to their demands, they are fuelled by an abnormal cause which draws our sympathy, both guilty of murder and mayhem. As we look at the two we begin to see their madness at the worst and paranoia at its best.
They love strong and are independently wealthy, they control their worlds, we want to be like them but their intelligence separates us. They are the spirit inside us that we hide from the people around us.
These "dark knights" are Gods to themselves and their decisions are final, they are the most powerful beings, and we thirst to be like them - we feel their weaknesses and wonder how come these knights could have weaknesses. These traits that these dark beings possess attracts us and pulls our spirits to their cause, evil or good.
Dark literature has survived thousands of years from Oedipus to Batman because it reflects what is in our sub-conscious deep down inside and buried within. Dark literature is in fact a true reflection of the dark side of man, our hunger for power, wealth and love. We envy these "dark knights" because they got it easily. The suffering both mental and physical that they endure is the price they pay. The price we will pay to get that much power will no doubt be more severe and our suffering will be more painful; that is the moral of the story.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. His books are available at http://www.amazon.com and http://www.mobipocket.com
These characters are able to make their greatest foes bow to their demands, they are fuelled by an abnormal cause which draws our sympathy, both guilty of murder and mayhem. As we look at the two we begin to see their madness at the worst and paranoia at its best.
They love strong and are independently wealthy, they control their worlds, we want to be like them but their intelligence separates us. They are the spirit inside us that we hide from the people around us.
These "dark knights" are Gods to themselves and their decisions are final, they are the most powerful beings, and we thirst to be like them - we feel their weaknesses and wonder how come these knights could have weaknesses. These traits that these dark beings possess attracts us and pulls our spirits to their cause, evil or good.
Dark literature has survived thousands of years from Oedipus to Batman because it reflects what is in our sub-conscious deep down inside and buried within. Dark literature is in fact a true reflection of the dark side of man, our hunger for power, wealth and love. We envy these "dark knights" because they got it easily. The suffering both mental and physical that they endure is the price they pay. The price we will pay to get that much power will no doubt be more severe and our suffering will be more painful; that is the moral of the story.
Sean Tarquini received a liberal education at York University, Canada and other sources in general and has been writing for 14 years, he works on literature and audio/visual presentations. His books are available at http://www.amazon.com and http://www.mobipocket.com
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