The 90.47% Vote RE: My Africa Memoir

90.47% of you voted “NO” – the no vote meaning do not take down the cards.

The chapter-title cards that danced all over my living room floor, outlining my Africa memoir, and then were arranged and rearranged countless times on my hall closet door.

For four years.

Along with your vote, several of you had creative ideas about when, if ever, to take that step.

I’ve been vacationing with family and taking a break from writing, but I promised to report back. Today’s post will be brief–a report on the vote.

As a reminder, here was my request from the previous post:

YES OR NO – YOU HAVE THE VOTE

So what about those chapter organizing cards? What is your advice? Now that I’ve actually sent the manuscript off to a proofreader, should I take the cards off the closet door? It would be done with appropriate ceremony of course.

YOUR VOTE & ADVICE

90.47% of you voted to leave the cards on the closet door. At least for now. Many said I’ll know when it’s time to take them down.

From the votes to take down the cards:

Yes, take them down because:

The documentation and the photos seem to be enough to capture the process you’ve been through.

Nothing as beautiful as a nice clean door.

A sampling of the “no” votes

Here’s a sampling of the varied and often creative ideas you offered along with your “no” vote.

Leave the chapter cards up until…:

…you feel ready to take them down. Then invite a few close friends and serve champagne.

…your book is published. Then take them down, make them into a scrapbook and take that scrapbook along to book signing events.

…you hold the book in your hands.

…you have the launch party for your book.

…your book is published. Then invite one friend per card. Each friend could take down one card. Then champagne–brought by your friends, of course.

How to know when it’s time:

…do you get a sense of joy when you open that door?? Keep ’em.

And finally:

Heck, I’d use a coat of polyurethane to make those cards permanent. Leave them as a monument to all your hard work. NO, don’t take them down.

THANK YOU FOR VOTING – THE CHAPTER CARDS STAY

As one voter said, “What else are you going to do with that door?”

Thank you for reading my blog and for participating in my journey.