Annie | Annie Daylon

My Goodreads Giveaway Experience

by Annie

by @ AnnieDaylon

CASTLES-IN-THE-SAND (2) brag medallion

Indie authors have a lot of work to do in terms of marketing. If you are considering a paperback giveaway (as I did for Castles in the Sand), consider doing it through Goodreads. Here’s my experience:

In July, I
- Checked the details on Goodreads:
- Contacted Goodreads with minor questions (got quick response)
- Chose the dates (August 1-31).
- Elected to give away 10 books.
- Filled in, submitted the Form. Goodreads published the Giveaway almost immediately. (Super efficient!)
During August, I
- promoted through Twitter, Linked In and Email List.
- set aside a box labeled “Goodreads Giveaway. Into it, I put 10 books, each with a bookmark, 10 mailing envelopes, 10 handwritten notes which congratulated winners and asked if they would rate/review the book on Goodreads.
  - Note: I left space for individual name on each note.
On August 31st , I
- checked Goodreads and discovered that there were 428 entries in the Giveaway.
- checked my email. The list of winners was there, 5 in Canada, 5 in the USA. (Did I mention that Goodreads is efficient?)
- made address labels for the winners
- packaged the books
  - Note: If possible, keep size within post office limits. (In earlier attempts at mailing, I slipped books into corrugated covers. Mistake! Way too expensive! Use paper!) Each of my books fit through the standard postal slots so regular mail fees applied. Fortunately, I live very close to the U.S. border, so I mailed books bound for the United States in the United States. Mailing costs? In Canada, $3.75/book. In the U.S., $2.53/book.
In September, I
- Read a wonderful email from an excited winner.
- Received (to date) three reviews on Goodreads, one of which also appears on that reviewer’s website Book Reads and Reviews. (Many thanks to all who took time to rate/review the book!)
- Emailed Goodreads to thank them for their support and efficiency.

Goodreads: Author’s Guide to Giveaways

For me the Goodreads Giveaway was an excellent marketing experience, one that I wish I had known about sooner. That’s the thing with going indie; so much to do! As I wrote to a helpful staff member at Goodreads, ‘I wish that I could assemble the minions! Alas, there is only me.’

But, then again, there is Goodreads!

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Newfoundland Dialect: Derivation and Appreciation

by Annie

by @AnnieDaylon

How’s she goin’, b‘ys?
I have just published a novel set on the island of Newfoundland–OF SEA AND SEED— and am often asked about the dialect of that part of Canada. The language is no doubt unique. A while back, I wrote this post about its source. If you have nare click nor clue about it, here (speaking strictly from me own neck of the woods which is Placentia), is the rights of it:

The dialect is owing to early settlers who hailed from Ireland, England and France. Groups arrived and settled together. Hemmed in by sea, no roads on land, they didn’t shift much.

Placentia, NL, about 135 km (85 miles) west of St. John’s.

Over the years, dialect evolved, due to:
1) World War II: An influx of American military personnel slowed the lilt of the language and added words such as ‘dime’ and ‘boyfriend’;
2) Resettlement: As fishing declined, people shifted from outports to larger areas;
3) Emigration: People moved away; some came back, talking large.
4) Immigration: People brought in new accents; and
5) Technology: The world is online and satellite TV is all over da place, b’y. Everyone watches the same shows and movies and, subsequently, speaks similar language.

Despite all of the changes, despite the fact that I now live in British Columbia, I cherish opportunities to hear Newfoundland dialect; those occur thanks to CBC shows such as Land and Sea, The Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and Republic of Doyle. But nothing replaces the real thing, b’y, and every year or two, when I make the twelve-hour trip from Abbotsford, BC to St. John’s, NL, I look forward to the sound that is distinctly Newfoundland.

On such a trip couple of years back, I dashed from the St. John’s airport, filled my lungs with fresh air, hopped into the first available cab and leaned back, ears at the ready. When the driver opened his mouth, his accent fell out and my heart fell to me boots. He was Eastern European. What the heck? Holy Lord tunderin’! Was the dialect disappearing altogether?

I allow I was disappointed, and I had a like to forget about the whole thing. But I didn’t. I headed to the DownHome Shop and O’Brien’s Music Store. I listened to VOCM radio in the mornings. I heard smatterings of dialect but, by the last day of my ten-day trip, I resigned myself to the fact that the accent was dissipating. What was the world coming to at all?

A sense of loss pervaded as I rang up a taxi service to schedule my trip to the airport.

Eastern Canada’s island of Newfoundland, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

“Where are ye at, me love?” asked the dispatcher.

With my heart fluttering to beat the band, I told him.

“Sure, me darlin’, ’tis not us you wants now at all.”

I was some flummoxed (and right delighted.) “Excuse me?”

“Well, it’s like this. We’re way too far across town. Call buddy over at City Wide. He’ll get you there, guaranteed.”

So I thanked him profusely and called ‘buddy’.

The next morning, the driver arrived early. When I complimented him on his promptness, he said, “Ducky, when I has to be some place, I shows up like a bullet!”

I smiled the rest of the way to the airport. I was still smiling when the jet pitched in British Columbia half a day later. What a wicked time I had! 🙂

My best to you and long may your big jib draw!

Annie Signature Light Blue

“Word Vancouver” is Coming!

by Annie

by @Annie Daylon

Word Vancouver (formerly known as The Word on the Street Vancouver) is Western Canada’s largest celebration of literacy and reading. It has free events taking place over five days (September 25- 29) in Vancouver at: Carnegie Community Centre, Banyen Books & Sound, Historic Joy Kogawa House, and Library Square.
Last year I participated as a volunteer at the Federation of BC Writers table and took in all the sights and sounds of the main festival day on Sunday. This year? I’m attending on Saturday and presenting a workshop: Honing the Craft of Writing through Story Contests.

WORKSHOP DETAILS:
Where: Vancouver Public Library
350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver
Alma Van Dusen Room
When:
Saturday, September 28, 2013
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Synopsis: What is it like to compete in a story contest? In her Power Point presentation, Honing the Craft of Writing through Story Contests, award-winning author, Annie Daylon, talks about the story contest experience and how it can help to sharpen writing skills. Topics include: reasons for entering, availability of contests, types of contests (24-hour, themed, no theme), meeting deadlines, and giving the editors, publishers and judges what they are looking for. Information on contests in Canada and the U.S. is provided.

My workshop is one of six Word Vancouver workshops taking place at the Vancouver library on Saturday, September 28th. The others are:

An Introduction to Story with Nancy Lee
Poetry and Relevance with Heather Duff
Creating Content for Social Sharing with Lisa Manfield
Finding Work: First Steps-Next Steps A Workshop for Freelance Writers with Colin Moorhouse
A Literary Agent’s Take on Book Publishing Today from an Author’s Perspective with Robert Mackwood.

Learn more about this five-day literary festival at Word Vancouver.

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Pick of the Twitter: August, 2013

by Annie

Looking for writing tips? Here are my Top Ten Twitter picks for August:

1) 5 Ways Writing Short Stories Can Boost Your Career by Joanna Penn @thecreativepenn via @EricStoffle

2) Tackling the Short Story: Writing in Miniature by Juliet Marillier @WriterUnboxed via @EricStoffle

3) How to Build a Short Story Anthology @GalleyCat

4) Writing Short Stories – Worth the Time? @h_mccoubrey via @elizabethscraig

5) 50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases @writing_tips

6) Handling the Passage of Time in Fiction by Harvey Chapman

7) Why Watching TV Can Actually Be Good For a Writer @ZacharyPetit RT @elizabethscraig @WritersDigest

8) 23 Literary Agent Query Letters That Worked RT @carlywatters

9) Networking Tips for Shy Authors @chrisrobley @BookBaby bit.ly/1dnHLhh

10) Fifty-Three Books Later: 10 Things I’ve Learned as a Writer by @Bob_Mayer

Many thanks to Tweeters and Bloggers alike!

From Poetry Line to Headline: 7 Stellar Titles and their Origins

by Annie

by @Annie Daylon

Ever wondered how an author came up with a stunning title? Many have come from poetry.

In an earlier post, What’s in a Pen Name, I mentioned Annie Murphy, my grade eight teacher from whom I learned to appreciate poetry. My love of poetry continues and, over time, I have discovered many phrases which have made their way from poetry line to headline. Here are seven stellar examples:

1) Novel: No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.
Poem: Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats
That is no country for old men. The young
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
—Those dying generations—at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.

2) Novel: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Poem: To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough by Robert Burns
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!

3) Novel: The Crimson Petal and the WHITE by Michel Faber.
Poem: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;
Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;
Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font;
The firefly wakens, waken thou with me.

4) Novel: Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Poem: Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats
Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays:
But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.

5) Novel: Who Has Seen the Wind by W. O. Mitchell
Poem: Who Has Seen the Wind by Christina Rosetti
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

6) Novel: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Poem: Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —
I know why the caged bird sings!

7) Novel: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Poem: Meditation XVII by John Donne.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Seeking a title for your book? Check out Public Domain Poetry, a website that allows you to search for poems by author, title, first line or latest poetry added. There is no shortage of choices: nearly thirty-nine thousand listings!

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Little Things Mean a Plot: The Quest for Details

by Annie

by @AnnieDaylon

“In the particular is contained the universal.” ~Anton Chekov

In my early days of writing, I hired an editor who (thankfully) slammed me for the amateur mistake of using generic details (eg. a magnificent staircase.) A sharp lesson, one that I devoured instantly: it is the job of the writer to individualize the object, not to tell the reader how to feel about the object. The reader navigates the story via specific details and makes up his or her own mind about them.

Since then? In first drafts, I use vague description (anything to get the story on the page). Other than that, I steer clear of generalities.

In my quest for details, I have surfed the net, used Social Media, conducted interviews, visited story settings, competed in contests, watched movies and TV series and documentaries, read similar (and different) authors, learned a skill that my character had to learn, and studied the craft of writing via webinars, courses and books.

Recently, I read How to Write a Damn Good Thriller by James N. Frey. I liked his straightforward approach in which he broke story details into five types. I examined his examples and then applied my own:

1. Generic. These details, according to Frey, are “weak because they do not individualize the … thing being described.”
Example: My aforementioned magnificent staircase.

2. Specific. These give “a better image.”
Example: sprawling oak staircase with polished banister and wrought iron balusters.

3. Telling. These “evoke a sense of characters or the situation that generic details cannot.”
Example: In my first draft of a short story, I wrote, “He looked suspicious.” My final draft: How long had he been watching her? She remembered the time she had observed a young coyote eyeing a neighbor’s unsuspecting cat.

4. Clincher. These are “emblematic of the character and help make the character unforgettable.”
Example: I have yet to write one of these. (Maybe, someday.) But here are two you will likely know: a) Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.~ Forest Gump; b) I’ll be back. ~The Terminator

5. Sensuous. These details “appeal to the senses: sights, and smells and sounds and touch and taste.”
Example: In my first draft of my upcoming novel, I wrote: An adorable little house sits fifty feet from shore. My latest draft: Fifty feet from shore, a saltbox house, proudly perched. White clapboard. Forest green shutters. Nary ribbon of paint nor chink of putty gone astray. Three clothes lines loop the front yard, each with a Johnny pole propping up the middle, each pegged with sheets, beige flannel with faded pink horizontal stripes at one end. They hang without flutter, ready to billow at a poke from the wind. Boulders flank the pebbly path to the red front door, misshapen, painted cannon balls, alternating in green and white. A plume of inky smoke lifts from the chimney. Another straight line, awaiting its cue to drift. A perfect, still life painting.

After I had read James N. Frey’s book, and used it as a measuring stick for my own work, I decided that my quest for details is leading me to better writing.

Where does your quest for details take you?

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

My ‘Write’ Space

by Annie

by @AnnieDaylon

If you live in a small place and want to work at home, you need a designated space, one that can accommodate your work without commandeering your life. Here’s a suggestion: an armoire.

We downsized a few years back and planned the move in great detail. The fact that there would be less floor space in our new home inspired us to take wall space into consideration. I sold my old computer desk which sprawled the wall at chair rail height and replaced it with an armoire.

Open, the armoire is a complete office, with space for computer, printer, paper and storage containers.It also has a file drawer and a desktop for plain old handwriting. I can open the doors to 180 degrees or angle them so that everything is at arm’s length.

Closed, the armoire is an attractive, unassuming piece of furniture, six feet high and three-and-a-half feet wide. Not only does it fit almost any small space scenario, it also masks the detritus of the workaday world.

Anyone working from home needs to ‘get away from the office’ occasionally. What better way than to use an armoire? One of my favorite things about my ‘Write’ Space is that I can lock the doors and hang my Closed sign. This is my reminder to disconnect. Later, I can return, refreshed and ready to create.

My armoire has proven to be an ideal writing space for me. What is your ideal ‘Write’ Space?

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My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

What’s in a Pen Name?

by Annie

by @AnnieDaylon

My legal name is Angela Day. A perfectly good name but, as I discovered in my quest for a domain name, a ubiquitous one. Chefs, writers, real-estate agents, doctoral candidates… so many Angela Days. I even located and angel-a-day website: all angels, all the time.
My choice then? A nom de plume.
I opted for the surname Daylon (a combination of my maiden name and married name) and chose Annie in lieu of Angela/Angie. Why Annie? My middle name is Ann, the middle of my surname contains the name Ann, and, years ago, I was influenced by three extraordinary women named Annie:

Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s lifelong teacher, a.k.a. The Miracle Worker. I admired her dedication and perseverance.

“Keep on beginning and failing… you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose.” ~Annie Sullivan
Annie Oakley, sharpshooter, star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, egalitarian. I admired her confidence, her belief in the equality of women, and above all, her persistence.

“Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second, and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.” ~ Annie Oakley
Annie Murphy, my eighth-grade teacher, lover of poetry and prose. I admired her dogged determination and over-the-top optimism.

Today we are starting ‘The Rime of the ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and… you will memorize it. ~ Annie Murphy (paraphrased)

All of the above quotes relate to setting high goals and hammering away at them. I’m working on mine. Did I ever memorize Coleridge’s classic? Not a chance. My teen-rebellion years kicked in as soon as I realized that The Rime of the Ancient Mariner contained more than one hundred verses. However, I did memorize a lot of poetry in grade eight; to this day, I can recite Magee’s High Flight and McCrae’s Flanders Fields. And I will be forever grateful to Annie Murphy because it is she who taught me to love literature.

So, there it is. The Annie Daylon story. I have had no second thoughts about the choice of surname but I have, on occasion, questioned the choice of the first name simply because there are instances when people are at odds over whether to call me Angie or Annie. (Annie will do just fine, by the way.) Other than that, no regrets: the use of a pen name works well for me. With regard to submissions, I sign Annie Daylon (ndp) and beneath that Angela Day (legal name). As for copyright? Legal name only.

Do you have a pen name? If so, what’s your story?

I invite you to join my author journey: subscribe to blog or newsletter or both! The newsletter contains news about books, links to some blogs, and occasional fun facts about my beloved island of Newfoundland. To sign up, simply place the required information in the spaces provided on the right. Rest assured your email address will not be shared for any reason.

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Dads: Tell Your Stories

by Annie

by @AnnieDaylon

My father never sat still for a second. When he wasn’t at work, he was working around the house: building, painting, repairing. Now, although remarkably healthy for a man of ninety-two, he is physically incapable of creating the things he once could, such as the chaise longue in the picture below.

Dad built this when he was in his seventies. A beautiful piece, which I, as custodian, have given an honored place in my home.

A while back, I was trying to come up with an idea for a flash fiction contest. The premise? Write a complete, untitled story in fifty words or fewer without using the letter ‘e’. I pondered it for a day or two. Then, as I was driving along a country road, I spotted a man on a ladder, re-painting the tired green trim on his two-story house. That triggered a memory: something my brother had told me, something that my dad had told him. Dad’s words? “Last night I built a whole house in my head. Getting old is tough. Body can’t do the work.”

There it was, my story idea! But I couldn’t use the words house or head (no e’s allowed.) I also did not want to use the phrase last night because of word count limitations. I came up with a story and submitted it to an On the Premises mini contest; I edited the result slightly before including it in my short story collection, Passages. Here’s the final cut:

Today, I built a mansion, foundation to rooftop.
Laid floors, hung doors, put in windows.
Alas, no triumph.
Today, I built a mansion, but only in my mind.
My body is old, sagging. My hands? Arthritic claws.
I’m stuck, longing for past skills, biding my days…
waiting for God.

I treasure this short piece, not because it won any contest (not even short-listed) but because it is a candid portrayal of the inevitability of the life cycle. And, of course, because it was inspired by my father. Thanks, Dad.

To all the Dads out there: Keep talking, sharing, telling, building legacies…

A FREE SHORT STORY is yours when you subscribe to my newsletter by including your name and email address in the space provided on the upper right!

My best to you,

Garage Sales and Annie Tales

by Annie

I am a garage sale afficionado. So much so that I avoid scheduling classes or appointments or meetings on a Saturday morning, especially now, in spring when garage sales abound. Love hunting sales. Love having sales.

At garage sales, I have gotten not only incredible deals for household and gifts, but also great ideas for stories and novels. And today, after I had read Molly Greene ‘s blog post Yes, the Barn’s For Sale, I decided to share a few of each.

Garage Sale Finds 001

FURNITURE DEAL: One of my earliest, and perhaps one of my favorite, is my oak hall stand, bought years ago. My husband and I went garage saling very early that morning; my parents were visiting and my father was champing at the bit to get on the road. A good choice. Had we been two minutes later we would have missed this steal of a deal.

STORY IDEA: One came from a lady who invited me in to her house to see all her wares. I followed her as she shoved the door open and “navigated her way through a four-foot high labyrinth of cardboard boxes, newspaper stacks, and clothing mounds.” She told me how the loss of a loved one had sent her on a spending spree, one in which she rapidly “amassed four hundred thousand dollars worth of place settings, ornaments, dolls, linens, and Christmas ornaments.” Her story moved me and inspired me to write Lost Forever, which is now in my collection, Passages.

FOUR ART DEALS: When I see a painting or needlework that speaks to me, if the price is right, I grab it.

1) I love the depth of Light and Shadows, a print by F. Carmichael.

Garage Sale Finds 005 2) I love the Garage Sale Finds 004 detail of Pinkie and Blue Boy; I have done some needlework and have great respect for the patience and talent required produce this pair. It’s difficult to see in the photos, but the work is petit pointe. I may have walked by them though, had it not been for the oval matte and the octagonal frames.

3) I love my copy of The Forest Has Eyes by Bev Doolittle; every time I run into a problem with a story line, I stare at this picture and hunt for camouflaged faces. (Apparently, there are thirteen of them although I have never counted that many.) The images remind me to look at my story from different angles. Garage Sale Finds 010

Garage Sale Finds 002

4) I love this cross stitch of mother teaching child; it evokes a sense of a roadmap through generations.

ANOTHER STORY IDEA: One day, at a flea market, I noticed a woman who was wearing “knee-high, gold leather, gladiator sandals,” a black, leather mini-skirt, and had long golden hair. Her back was turned to me, but her confident strut brought to mind the image of a femme fatale: “A blonde Angela Jolie–minus the Brad Pitt connection and the eclectic collection of children.” As she turned, she shook her head slowly from side to side, and her blonde locks waved at passersby. When she faced my direction, my jaw dropped. Why? It’s in the story, Tall Letters. (Again, in Passages.)

SPA DEAL: Okay, one more household find. Simplicity here. I like the spa quality of my bathroom; in order to enhance that, I wanted a fancy towel set, you know what I mean: the ultra-fluffy kind you hang, never use, just throw into the dryer every now and then to get rid of the dust. But I didn’t want to mortgage the house to buy them. I am usually leary of buying any kind of linen or upholstered furniture at garage sales for obvious reasons, but in this case, I knew and trusted the seller. So I bought this set of towels which included 3 bath towels, 4 regular towels, 2 hand towels and 2 facecloths. A stunning deal.

‘NOVEL’ IDEA: And last, my best garage-sale-inspired writing idea to date, is one which arrived at a sale I was hosting. At the time, I was working on my novel, Castles in the Sand, and was seeking something that would represent ‘forever’ to my character, Sarah. The something wasn’t readily apparent, so I decided to throw the problem out into the universe and see what would show up. Well, into my garage strolled a lady who was wearing flip flops. I noticed that she had tiny paw prints tatooed onto the instep of her right foot. When I asked, she explained that her tiny dog had a habit of parking his front paws on her foot whenever he wanted her attention. She loved that dog and wanted to keep the memory with her always so she used an ink pad to copy his pawprints and headed off to the tattoo parlor. And there, I had it. Sarah’s forever.

Gotta love garage sales!

Wait… you want to know the costs, don’t you?
Oak Hallstand: $30; Light and Shadows: $10; Pinkie and Blue Boy: $15/pair; The Forest Has Eyes: $20; Mother and Daughter Cross Stitch: $10; Towels: $7/set. (Note: All art/needlepoint came with the frames seen here.)

Can’t wait ’til Saturday so I can treasure hunt again!

by @ AnnieDaylon

In July, I

During August, I

On August 31st , I

In September, I

by @AnnieDaylon

The dialect is owing to early settlers who hailed from Ireland, England and France. Groups arrived and settled together. Hemmed in by sea, no roads on land, they didn’t shift much.

A sense of loss pervaded as I rang up a taxi service to schedule my trip to the airport.

“Where are ye at, me love?” asked the dispatcher.

With my heart fluttering to beat the band, I told him.

“Sure, me darlin’, ’tis not us you wants now at all.”

I was some flummoxed (and right delighted.) “Excuse me?”

“Well, it’s like this. We’re way too far across town. Call buddy over at City Wide. He’ll get you there, guaranteed.”

So I thanked him profusely and called ‘buddy’.

The next morning, the driver arrived early. When I complimented him on his promptness, he said, “Ducky, when I has to be some place, I shows up like a bullet!”

I smiled the rest of the way to the airport. I was still smiling when the jet pitched in British Columbia half a day later. What a wicked time I had! 🙂

My best to you and long may your big jib draw!

“In the particular is contained the universal.” ~Anton Chekov

by @AnnieDaylon

If you live in a small place and want to work at home, you need a designated space, one that can accommodate your work without commandeering your life. Here’s a suggestion: an armoire.

We downsized a few years back and planned the move in great detail. The fact that there would be less floor space in our new home inspired us to take wall space into consideration. I sold my old computer desk which sprawled the wall at chair rail height and replaced it with an armoire.

Open, the armoire is a complete office, with space for computer, printer, paper and storage containers.It also has a file drawer and a desktop for plain old handwriting. I can open the doors to 180 degrees or angle them so that everything is at arm’s length.

Closed, the armoire is an attractive, unassuming piece of furniture, six feet high and three-and-a-half feet wide. Not only does it fit almost any small space scenario, it also masks the detritus of the workaday world.

My armoire has proven to be an ideal writing space for me. What is your ideal ‘Write’ Space?

My best to you,

by @AnnieDaylon

Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s lifelong teacher, a.k.a. The Miracle Worker. I admired her dedication and perseverance.

“Keep on beginning and failing… you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose.” ~Annie Sullivan

Annie Oakley, sharpshooter, star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, egalitarian. I admired her confidence, her belief in the equality of women, and above all, her persistence.

“Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second, and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.” ~ Annie Oakley

Annie Murphy, my eighth-grade teacher, lover of poetry and prose. I admired her dogged determination and over-the-top optimism.

Today we are starting ‘The Rime of the ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and… you will memorize it. ~ Annie Murphy (paraphrased)

Do you have a pen name? If so, what’s your story?

My best to you,

by @AnnieDaylon

Today, I built a mansion, foundation to rooftop. Laid floors, hung doors, put in windows. Alas, no triumph. Today, I built a mansion, but only in my mind. My body is old, sagging. My hands? Arthritic claws. I’m stuck, longing for past skills, biding my days… waiting for God.

I treasure this short piece, not because it won any contest (not even short-listed) but because it is a candid portrayal of the inevitability of the life cycle. And, of course, because it was inspired by my father. Thanks, Dad.

To all the Dads out there: Keep talking, sharing, telling, building legacies…

My best to you,

Today, I built a mansion, foundation to rooftop.
Laid floors, hung doors, put in windows.
Alas, no triumph.
Today, I built a mansion, but only in my mind.
My body is old, sagging. My hands? Arthritic claws.
I’m stuck, longing for past skills, biding my days…
waiting for God.