Tag: creative writing

A Multicultural Ghost, Fio da Meada

On By taniacreationsIn booksLeave a comment

Fio da Meada is the first book I have published. It was the first time I got over the fear of putting my writing out there and self-published at Amazon in Portuguese from Brasil, my mother language.

Fio da Meada, Cover

The stories are about a ghost who finds himself following a woman in the Manly Ferry, in Sydney. This fiction is based on the stories I have collected from my grandfather’s real-life. He was unique, with many funny tales, he was someone who enriched his life — before mobile phones and even telephones — with pranks and imagination.

The strongest image I have of him is this handsome older man, poorly dressed, with shorts my grandmother had been begging to be thrown out for years; with the softest shirt with a couple of wholes. We are seated in the small fishing pier in front of our ranch, for hours in silence. I can smell fish scales and worms. He is like a statue looking at the tip of the fishing rod. When he gets tired he gets up, find a large rock and throw it in the water creating a large splash. He ruins the fishing for me and the others, father, sister, cousins; then he walks away laughing out loud while we scream at him.

vovo01  avos_0002.jpg

If you read Portuguese, note that you have to buy the book from the market where your Amazon account is registered:

You can read Kindle books in any device.

Fio da Meada, um fantasma multicultural

On By taniacreationsIn livrosLeave a comment

Fio da Meada é minha primeira publicação, um livro eletrônico disponível na Amazon.

Fio da Meada, Cover

A principal personagem desse livro é um fantasma. Um homem que viveu e morreu e se encontra em uma nova existência pós-morte. Me disseram que ele é muito interessante, com suas lembranças de velhas traquinagens, e que consegui contar sua história num livro gostoso de ler, leve e divertido.
A aventura de escrever se torna mais intensa a cada dia, com meus pequenos passinhos vou galgando essa escadaria de realizar meus sonhos.
A decisão de publicar eletronicamente veio por ser a maneira mais moderna e eficiente que encontrei. Apesar de ser uma auto-publicação me dediquei para produzir um livro de qualidade. A revisão e a capa foram feitas por profissionais e passei um mês pesquisando intensamente para fazer a melhor formatação do arquivo especialmente para Kindle, o software da Amazon.
O Kindle pode ser obtido gratuitamente na Amazon para que se possa ler livros no computador, no telefone, ou no tablet. Há uma opção de baixar uma amostra do livro, as primeiras páginas para o leitor ver se gosta. Existe também o aparelho Kindle que é um leitor de livros eletrônicos muito leve e interessante.
Estive numa série de palestras no festival de escritores de Sydney e me diverti com o comentário de uma editora: “ler não é tão importante quanto comprar os livros, comprem livros! E, melhor ainda, se vocês não gostarem, eu lhes dou minha permissão para parar a leitura no meio!”
Portanto: comprem meu livro! Se gostarem, coloquem um comentário lá na Amazon.

Amazon do Brasil: www.amazon.com.br/dp/B007XAJOFM
Amazon da Australia: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B007XAJOFM

The Structure

On By taniacreationsIn howLeave a comment

How I structure my ideas is firstly by keeping notes in any way on my reach to put down ideas. In paper, on the phone, in voice notes and written bits and pieces. Early morning, middle of the night, and during the day.

Then I expand these notes to include the details that kept coming to me with or without my authorisation. The filling of these ideas assault me in dreams, in the shower, when I go to the toiled during my working day. But they come more when I am walking.

Next I start writing what needs to be put down, the parts that if I don’t make real will keep annoying me incessantly, these are the texts that won’t go away, that will fill my thoughts and ideas until they are resting in a physical form.

Following I have to organise where it all goes and write the other bits, the ones I had only the sketches for before.

Depending on the project it doesn’t have a pre-created structure. The book I have written in Portuguese, Simplesmente Gerva, has been created in a series of emails between my co-author and myself, and we never knew what the other was going to write.

I am now writing the continuation of this book and, although I am writing on my own, I am being faithful to the proposal. I don’t know much of what is going to happen to the character, I sit down to write and let him take me wherever he wants.

Sometimes a whole idea is born from one thought, one example is the one I mentioned in another post: what would a writer do if they didn’t have the means to write and which situation would that be.

To surmise, I impose no rules to myself. Whatever works, works.

The Technique

On By taniacreationsIn howLeave a comment

I write using the many parts of myself. I write using both my home language, Portuguese, and my adopted language, the one of my fantasies and dreams, English. One day I may write in French, who knows. I write using the young me that lives inside and the older one. The wise and the silly. I write using my South American style, some fantastic reality, chopping off sentences (see the one just before) while writing really long paragraphs in other times.

I write with my own sense of fun, my original abilities and I have upgraded my technique with a Masters degree in Arts – Creative Writing from UTS. I am far from a literary writer, (as far as I can, actually), I aim to write in a straightforward way in plain English (or plain Portuguese, from Brazil). This was not without challenges during my studies, it was difficult to separate what was valid feedback on my style and what was my own Brazilian flavour, or what was because of the simplicity in the style. I guess I am still searching for this distinction.

I write following mostly the inspiration and the voice I found when I was seventeen, but try to give it a bit more style and maturity. I keep honing the knowledge, keep reading, listening and viewing anything that will enrich and feed my writing.

Improvising & Dancing With the Stars Appearances at SSC 2009

On By taniacreationsIn Orble Post, The Dancing BugLeave a comment

The Sydney Salsa Congress is a place so special the guests feel free and inspired to do great things on stage.

Kim, Alex, Jaime, Zoe & Dave backstage at the Sydney Salsa Congress 2009

Alex & Kim, Dave & Zoe felt inspired to improvise a show together. I thought the seriousness of performing was suddenly lifted from stage and we were seeing things that were not quite possible.

It was a game, with each couple showing off to the other, exchanging partners midair, each of the guys carrying both ladies over their shoulders as if they weighted nothing. You could see the show was more an improvisation than something rehearsed over and over and even though the tricks were ridiculously incredible, I got the feeling as if I was dreaming. 

After the shows I heard Alex saying to Jaime that it was so good, that it was great that the congress gave them the chance to have that much fun on stage, for them to meet as they would never get to meet anywhere else.

You see Dave and Zoe are not Salsa dancers and Alex and Kim are, normally they wouldn’t know about each others’ existence and here they were, showing us what “amazing” really is. 

Johnny Vasquez is always a party just by himself.

It’s a bit of a hazard to give him the Microphone, he looooves to talk. But he does well and from his hello to his singing and dancing you smile and laugh the whole time. He sang and danced on Saturday and Sunday and on the closing of the congress he made us sing my favourite salsa song, Baila Rumbero, it was the first time I saw the artists applauding the crowd.

Then he and Ramon Morales danced for a few bars with each other, and those moments are branded in my memory.

The words that came to my mind seeing them dancing were: “Puro Sangue” as in “Pure Blood” not trying to offend anyone that is not a born Latino, it’s just that those two were probably dancing in the womb.

Their genes must have been turning around each other in spins not spirals!

The sperm that made each of them was swimming and singing:

‘baila, baila, one, two, three; five, six, seven… Now on2!’ As they were swimming up towards the egg.

We have even drawn some famous TV figures to the crowd; that is because we have them on stage…

Luda Kroitor was performing with Oliver Pineda, five times Salsa World Champions so her TV partner and winner, Luke Jacobz, from Dancing With the Stars, (reality TV Show) came to watch her shine at The Sydney Salsa Congress. 

Charlie Delaney was also watching her Dancing with the Stars partner, Csaba Szirmai who was performing with Vali Damaskou. They were very graceful and smiling guests.

19 Orble Votes

Dance of Life

On By taniacreationsIn Orble Post, The Dancing Bug1 Comment

The other day my friend saved my life when she compared my job with a partnered dance.

‘Imagine your boss is your dance partner, and for the time being he is the leader. While the music is playing your best chance of enjoyment is relaxing into that leadership and following.’

It is very easy to follow a great leader.

But if the guy is a bad dancer, you may be in for a challenge.

You may have to step with him rather than with the rhythm of the music, endure his silly pa‐pa‐pa singing completely out of tune with the song; stop when you should move, turn to the other side, be kind to yourself when you make many mistakes and step on other peoples’ feet and, most of all, understand you will have your limits and sometimes you will say ‘NO, I won’t dip as you want because I feel that I am going to fall’.

Sometimes working is exactly like that. The best thing to do is relax as much as you can, follow the leader while the music is on, or until you reach your limit, find something to enjoy about that moment, and try not to get stuck in the sense that you should be doing something else (like sticking to the rhythm of the music).

Thinking about this, I have come to the realisation that this advice is valid for life in general.

You won’t have amazing dance partners every day, actually most of the time you will be thrown into the strange dances of the day to day life, with the girl who is preparing your coffee, the life partner, the children, the employers and the employees, and if you relax into the leadership of fate or reality, you will have a better time than resisting the movements of life.

When you resist the bad dancer, you end up in a war… it’s not worth it.

18 Orble Votes

Do Orble para o WordPress – Delírios Australianos para Aventuras Diárias

On By taniacreationsIn aventuras diárias, Orble - Delírios AustralianosLeave a comment

Em 2008 eu criei um blog no site Orble ao qual dei o nome de Delírios Australianos no qual escrevia artigos sobre diferenças culturais e assuntos de interesse.

O website desapareceu subitamente levando com ele anos de textos e conteúdo sem aviso.

Resolvi republicar os textos aqui no WordPress.

Eu consegui transferir os textos e achei as imagens, o mais próximo que encontrei das originais, tomei nota dos votos que acumulei no Orble, e mantive a data original de publicação. Quis manter os dados históricos o mais próximo possível do original.

Estou mantendo o arquivo aqui no meu site, na nova categoria “Delírios Australianos”.

Aqui está o registro da estatística de fechamento do site original do Orble logo antes dele desaparecer:

17 Posts + 9 Comments +. 1,931 Votes

Directly from the Bachata-Me Dancefloor

On By taniacreationsIn Orble Post, The Dancing BugLeave a comment

It has been a while, since I danced and even longer since I posted a Dancing Bug piece.

I’m excited about both. I’m here at City Tattersals waiting for the Bachata Month to start.

With the first party to mark the official countdown to the Sydney International Bachata Festival. 

The deliciously tacky bachata music is one-two-three-fouring louder and louder.

“Te aaaamooo” sings the song.

The first couples are venturing onto the dance floor and I’m on the sideline typing as quickly as I too, can be free to Bachata the night away.

There is some excitement, the feeling that reminds me of a time when I was starting to venture into the Latin dancing world. Finding my dancing feet, my heels’ balance, recovering my life’s passion for dancing. And for the first time learning that dance can encompass sensuality too. Discovering the perfection of moving in unison with a partner…

I hope this is a special night. I’ll will pray to the Goddess of Dance & Fun that a lot of guys ask me to dance, and at least one dance tonight is one of those that go into my own personal hall of fame, those that fill your mind and you keep dancing for years hoping for another one like that.

27 Orble Votes

Bachateros’ Happiness

On By taniacreationsIn Orble Post, The Dancing BugLeave a comment

It is with great pleasure that announce to all bachateros that don’t know yet: we will have a Bachata room at the Parties of the Sydney Latin Festival 2012!

I’m already dreaming of getting into a room and not waiting for the next Bachata, of knowing everyone there has only one thing in their minds.

For the non‐dancers it will be as if I’ve gone mad and I’m talking exaggerations and non‐sense. To the ones who, like me, are frequently in the Salsa rooms, with their eyes closed, hands together, and murmuring a prayer every time a music is ending: we are saved!

Our prayers of “bachata, bachata, bachata” will be answered without fail on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights!

The Brazilian room (Zouk and Samba) and Salsa rooms will be faithfully there, but the novelty is making me go wild!
To complete our happiness Tony Lara is back! 

To all Latin Dancers, The Sydney Latin Festival is an experience that should not be missed.

From 2 to 5 Feb 2012, at the State Sports Centre, Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia

I’ll see you there!

18 Orble Votes