Tag Archives: writing

In the Company of Readers

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by @AnnieDaylon

shutterstock_134073986Little did I know when I grumbled over precious time spent getting my novel onto the shelves of a local food chain that the effort would result in a magical evening in the company of avid readers. I was invited to a meeting of the Book Travellers, an octet of women whose group demeanor is a combination of the delicacy of porcelain and the strength of spider silk, women who have woven friendship into a book club that has endured two decades.

The Book Travellers are so named because each member returns from every trip with souvenir bookmarks for the group. The group chooses their books a year in advance, at a sleepover, in a cabin, on a nearby lake, each June. Through their meticulous ‘bookkeeper’, they keep track of every meeting (attendance, books read, and comments) and have done so since 1998.

They take turns hosting the event and, during my visit, they appeared to be as comfortable in their host’s home as they would be in their own. (author note: a wonderfully infectious state of ease.)

Our evening began with tea and dessert and progressed to discussion of my novel and books in general.

Elizabeth made Lemon Pavlova. Delicious!

Elizabeth made Lemon Pavlova. Delicious!

Personal details slid through book talk, information about connections made through vocation—librarian, teacher, nurse, accountant—and avocation—curling, volunteering, walking, travelling. There were snippets with giggles about surprise birthday jaunts and fragments with sighs about thoughtful memorial gifts.

Overall, a delightful evening  in the company of readers, one which served not only to deepen my fervor for reading but also to re-ignite my passion for telling stories. More importantly, I experienced a surprising gift: the joy of being in the presence of unmatched  strength and vitality. Truly Canada’s Steel Magnolias.  

And so, to: Elizabeth, Bonnie, Judy, Randi, Nancy, Magda, Leona, and Kathy, I express my heartfelt thanks.

My best to all of you, always,

Annie Signature Light Blue

 

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P. S. Dear Writers, Marketing can be a pain in the posterior: In my case, it took five trips to the store, several forms that had to be filled, trashed, replaced, filled again and edited; it also took a few emails to the wrong people before finding the right people. I was left wondering if time-consuming grunt details are worth it. They are. Do it.

 

Advice for Writers from Irish Authors

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by @AnnieDaylon

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With Irish scribes advising, sure the writers all take wing…

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, in tribute to my Irish ancestry, I offer the following tidbits of advice for writers from well-known Irish authors:

 

 

 

Frank McCourt: author of Angela’s Ashes;  ‘Tis; Teacher Man

 

Maeve Binchy: author of Tara Road; The Glass Lake; Light a Penny Candle; Circle of Friends; Nights of Rain and Stars

  • “You’re much more believable if you talk in your own voice…  I don’t say I was proceeding down a thoroughfare, I say I walked down the road.  I don’t say I passed a hallowed institute of learning, I say I passed a school.”
    (In Memory Of Maeve Binchy: Her Writing Secrets  by Jonathan Gunson)

 

Colm Tóibín: author of Brooklyn; The Master; The Testament of Mary; The Blackwater Lightship; The Empty Family

  • “Finish everything you start. Often, you don’t know where you’re going for a while; then halfway through, something comes and you know. If you abandon things, you never find that out.”
    (Colm Tóibín, Novelist – Portrait of the Artist by Laura Garnett, The Guardian, Feb, 2013)

Tana French:  author of In the Woods; Broken Harbor; Faithful Place; The Likeness

  • ” It’s OK to screw up. For me, this was the big revelation when I was writing my first book, In the Woods: I could get it wrong as many times as I needed to. I was coming from theatre, where you need to get it right every night, because this audience will probably never see the show again; it took me a while to realise that, until the book goes into print, it’s still rehearsal, where you can try whatever you need to try. If you rewrite a paragraph fifty times and forty-nine of them are terrible, that’s fine; you only need to get it right once.”
    5 Writing Tips from Tana French, Publishers Weekly, 2012

 

Frank Delaney: author of Ireland (A Novel); Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show; Tipperary; The Matchmaker of Kenmare

  • “Give similar rhythms to the opening and closing paragraphs of your entire piece. It’ll deliver an unconscious sense of completeness.”
    ( Frank Delaney’s Writing Tips,  #283)

 

Emma Donoghue:  author of Room; Frog Music; The Sealed Letter; Landing; Life Mask

  • “Write a lot, write with passion. Don’t give up the day job till you have reason to believe you can live off your writing; plenty of great books have been written at weekends.  Try giving up TV, or getting up earlier; if you want it enough you’ll find the time to write.”
    (FAQ Emma Donaghue)

 

Roddy Doyle: author of The Commitments; Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha; The Barrytown Trilogy; The Guts

  • “Do change your mind. Good ideas are often murdered by better ones. I was working on a novel about a band called the Partitions. Then I decided to call them the Commitments.”
    (Ten Rules for Writing Fiction, The Guardian, Feb, 2010)

Sebastian Barry: author of A Long, Long Way; The Secret Scripture; On Canaan’s Side

  • “I do believe writing for a writer is as natural as birdsong to a robin. I do believe you can ferry back a lost heart and soul in the small boat of a novel or a play. That plays and novels are a version of the afterlife, a more likely one maybe than that extravagant notion of heaven we were reared on. That true lives can nest in the actual syntax of language. Maybe this is daft, but it does the trick for me. I write because I can’t resist the sound of the engine of a book, the adventure of beginning, and the possible glimpses of new landscapes as one goes through. Not to mention the excitement of breaking a toe in the potholes.”
    (Interview With Writer Sebastian Barry by Marissa B. Toffoli)

Marian Keyes: author of Sushi for Beginners; Anybody Out There; Rachel’s Holiday; The Mystery of Mercy Close; Saved by Cake 

 

Can’t think of a better finish than that concise and precise bit of advice from Marian Keyes!  Do you Happy St. Patrick's Dayhave any snippets of advice that I can include in this list? Would love to hear from you….

 

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My best to you,

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Short Story: A Canadian Man’s Heart

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by @ AnnieDaylon

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 I love to enter short story contests (see previous post: Why Enter Story Contests?) In my 2014 goals, I listed that I would enter a few. (One done in January… Yay!)
I enter to learn, not to win. I enter for the fun and for the feeling of accomplishment that the marathon of the novel does not provide.

Here is an example of a non-winning entry (See below for learning experience):

 

A Canadian Man’s Heart
 ©AnnieDaylon


According to my boss, Zeta Thompson, there is only one sure-fire way to a Canadian man’s heart, and it has nothing to do with his stomach.

“Believe it or not, Betty,” Zeta announced one morning after she had tolerated my litany of loneliness one too many times, “the main flaw in your dating strategy lies in your complete dismissal of this country’s national pastime. Canadian men live and die for hockey! Don’t you get that? Ever consider just buying a big-screen TV and asking a guy over to watch a game on a Saturday night?

“Forget it,” I huffed. “Gawking at a TV set and trying to keep track of a flying rubber disk is not my idea of entertainment. Hockey! It’s loud, obnoxious and violent, and I absolutely refuse to take part in anything that celebrates the idea of grown men clobbering each other with long sticks.”

Judiciously, Zeta threw her hands up in defeat, but the fates were not so easily dissuaded; they countered immediately with a loud knock at the office door. Kevin Mason, the new architect we had been expecting, flung the door wide and hovered there, filling the frame with his six-foot splendor.

Lust at first sight!

Many scenarios flitted through my mind, all of them reminiscent of the fiery pictures that grace the covers of my Harlequin romance collection. Never in my life have I been one to ignore a golden-haired, blue-eyed opportunity such as this one and I sure wasn’t going to start now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Zeta was grinning like an idiot, but she was also staying in the background, generously giving me carte blanche. Possibilities abounded as I stepped forward and extended my hand to greet the newcomer. Quick to respond, Kevin strode across the room. Relationship redemption which, just seconds ago, had seemed light years away, was now viable and I felt hope soar.

 Suddenly, time slowed down, becoming a teasing tyrant, extending milliseconds into eons. The only thing I could do was try to maintain my composure as I watched our hands inch toward each other.

Ultimately, time relented and allowed our hands to meet, but then it stood back and laughed as a huge ring jabbed my palm and punctured my dreams. Visions of victory oozed away the instant I glanced at the ring’s proven symbol of relationship demise—the blue-and-white insignia of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What the heck was I to do now?

X-rated images—all golden-haired and blue-eyed—pummeled my brain, urging me onward.

“You want to come by my place on Saturday, Kevin?” I blurted before I could stop myself. “Zeta and I were just talking about watching the Leafs game on my brand new fifty-inch, high-definition, plasma TV.”

*****

The above story was written a few years ago for an Alphabet Acrostic contest. The opening, “According to my boss,” was given. The criteria? “Complete your story in 26 sentences, each beginning with words in the sequence of the English alphabet.”

The learning? I expanded my vocabulary by reading the dictionary. (Yes, X is limiting, but there are ways around it.) The fun? Enjoyed it so much that I entered again this year! (This particular contest is available annually through The Brucedale Press. It’s a long wait until the next one but the fee is only $5/entry!)

My questions for you: Did you notice as you read the story that I was progressing through the alphabet? If not, did you go back to check? 🙂

 

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My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

 

 

Reflections on Writers’ Retreat

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by @AnnieDaylon

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This past weekend, I took part in the 2nd Annual Federation of British Columbia Writers’ Retreat at the Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre in South Surrey, BC . Such a welcoming venue! The staff was friendly and accommodating and the food was delicious and nutritious. Each attendee had a single room with ensuite bath. The wing assigned to the group had a meeting room, a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen.  In addition, there were quiet places (both inside and out) for reflection.

So what did I do there?

I wrote. I chose the tactile approach this weekend, meaning that I printed out my three-hundred-page manuscript and took it with me. I read through it, looking for plot holes and character blips, liberally marking it up as I went along.

I attended workshops. There were three excellent presenters (Lois Peterson, Ben Nuttall-Smith, and George Opacic) and a smorgasbord of workshops: Character, Point of View, Voice, Show vs Tell, Oral Reading, Query Letters, Writing to View, and Digital Publishing.

I had a Blue Pencil Session.  I greatly appreciated seeing my manuscript through the eyes of another author: strengths glowed; weaknesses glared. (These insightful sessions were available daily. Thank you, Ben and Lois!)

I met other writers. In between sessions and at meals, we shared life experiences, suggested great reads, and tossed around writing ideas.

I reflected. I abandoned the grid in favor of a time free of distraction, a time to focus, a time to create ‘white space’ in my overworked brain. I frequented the chapel to meditate, found space to do Tai Chi, and wandered the wood path  (nothing like nature— a symphony of chickadees, the scent of pine and cedar, the sponge of mossy carpet, the vibrant green of ferns, the rustle of autumn leaves—to  bring stillness to the soul.)

This was my first writers’ retreat. I returned home with a better handle on my manuscript and new avenues to improve it.  Oh, yes. And inner peace.

Overall, a fabulous experience, one that I highly recommend!

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Which Point of View?

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by @AnnieDaylon

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Recently, after I had presented a workshop, a participant approached me with a question about Point of View. He was writing a memoir about himself and his father, and was struggling with the fairness of writing from only his own perspective. My suggestion? Something I learned from an online course: Pick a scene and write it twice, the first time from his POV, the second from his father’s.

Consider the example below, the same scene written from two points of view. In this scene, the main character of Castles in the Sand, Justin, returns to his former home, after his parents have died. He ends up visiting their long-time neighbor, Mr. Cormier.

 

 

 

Justin’s POV:

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Mr. Cormier, my former neighbor, standing on his porch, leaning on his cane. An unexpected warmth surges through me and I raise my arm in a wave. But he doesn’t notice.  “Mr. Cormier!”

He veers toward me, almost losing his balance. “Mon Dieu! Justin?”

 “Yeah!” Smiling, I race to his steps and bound up. “Sorry if I startled you. It’s really good to see you. Comment ca va?”

          “Bien, merci. I am fine,” Mr. Cormier says in a trembling voice. He shifts his cane to his left side, and extends his right hand. His eyes meet mine and then plummet to the doorstep. Puzzled, I look down at the doormat. Bien­venue, it says. Huh. I don’t feel welcome.

          Regardless, I reach out and grasp his hand firmly, like my dad taught me. He flinches. I slacken my grip. Damn. I know I surprised him, but he’s shaking like a scared puppy, and sweat is sluicing off his forehead. Is he going to pass out or something? “Are you okay, Mr. Cormier?”

… “Bien. I’m fine,” he says as he exhales. Abruptly, he tilts his head to one side and glances toward my old house. “It is the memories that bring you back, oui?”

Sidetracked, disarmed, I nod. Tears flood my eyes and heat rushes my face. I blink, turn my head, and gulp. Damn it all. A man of twenty can’t cry.

          “Such a sad thing. Difficile, non?”

          I nod again.

          “Oui, oui. Très difficile. I can see that.” We linger, silent.

          On the street behind me a car zooms by, horn blaring. Mr. Cormier jumps into action like a cartoon character, vehemently shaking a fist in the direction of the vehicle. “What are they thinking, these young drivers? Stu­pide!”

          “Yeah, I guess so,” I mutter, not caring at all, just grateful for the dis­traction.

Mr. Cormier turns back to me and heaves a lengthy sigh. “Two years al­ready.” He shakes his head. “You come into my house, Justin. We will have the coffee and we will talk. D’accord?”

 

*****

 

Mr. Cormier’s POV:

I lean on my cane and stare out my window. The days, they are long.  Mes enfants, they grow up and leave. Et ma femme… I sigh and make the sign of the cross.

Suddenly, I see the young man—again. On the sidewalk, staring at the house next door. I step back, and spy through lace curtains. He looks lost, like at the funeral two years ago. Such a sad thing, losing his parents. I watched him then, too, wondered how he would survive.

He starts to walk away now. I hobble to the door, open it and stick my head out. “Justin!”

He turns around and smiles. “Mr. Cormier! Comment ca va?”

I shuffle down the steps. Bien, merci, bien. Et toi?”  Shifting shift my cane to my left side, I reach out my right hand.

“Bien, aussi.” He grasps my hand firmly. Always the good manners. Always the charming smile. In these things, his parents, they teach him well.

Justin glances at his former home.

My heart is heavy for him. “You have the memories, yes?”

He nods, wipes his eyes with the back of his free hand, and I see that the young man is still a boy.

          “These things are difficile, no?”

          He nods again.

          “Yes, yes. Tres difficile.  I see that.” We stand, silent. Do I want to invite him in? Some things need to be told. Some things are better left alone.

A car zooms by, horn blaring.  I jump and shake a fist in the direction of the vehicle. “What are they thinking, these young drivers? Stu­pide!”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Justin mutters. So lost. So alone.

I let out a long sigh. “Two years al­ready. You come into my house, Justin. We will have the coffee and we will talk. D’accord?”

***

Writing the scene from both points of view enabled me to determine that my chosen POV for the entire novel (Justin’s) was the correct one. It also supplied me with surprising insight about Mr. Cormier; I instantly knew what his role would be in the story. (Note: Due to length and spoilers, I have not included the entire scene here.)

You may be hesitant to try this activity. I was. In fact, initially, when this idea was presented by Gloria Kempton in a great online workshop called Voice and Viewpoint, I balked at it.  I had spent so much time writing it one way; did I really want to waste time doing it again? But, by this point in my writing career, I had abandoned the ‘romantic’ concept of being a writer in favor of the practical; writing is about passion, yes, but it is also about discipline and routine and practice. Writing is re-writing. So I rewrote an entire chapter from a different POV. And I discovered that this activity was no time-waster; it was an amazing time-saver. My story had ceased meandering;  its path, and mine, were clear.

Struggling with POV? Give this a shot.  Would love to hear any other POV ideas/solutions you may have!

 

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Pick of the Twitter: August, 2013

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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!  Castles in the Sand Thumbnail

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Little Things Mean a Plot: The Quest for Details

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by @AnnieDaylon

 

Castles in the Sand Thumbnail“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.shutterstock_119202028

 

Where does your quest for details take you?

 

 

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

 

My ‘Write’ Space

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by @AnnieDaylon

office 001If 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.Office (2)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.

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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,

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What’s in a Pen Name?

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by @AnnieDaylon

shutterstock_163039295My 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, eNovel-Round-Logo

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Inspiration

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shutterstock_132108815Who or What Inspires You?

Who inspires you to face the blank page? What makes you do it?

Whenever the daily routine of facing the page grinds on me, I park myself at the computer anyway. I let the words stutter and stumble. I trust that the rust and sputter will eventually give way to clarity and flow. I know that the time to do get started is now, because now, I can.

I was always going to write… someday. That someday became today after my husband was diagnosed with, and treated for cancer… twice. In 2005, he had an autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant with a 50% chance of survival and a 10% chance the treatment alone would kill him. He survived. He smiles. He thrives. And, he inspires.

There is no someday. There is only today. And today, I am gifted with health, time, and opportunity. Today, I write, because today I can.

Who or what inspires you?

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