Why…

The Classic Quill?

Well, for some of you, this name is more than a bit familiar.

For others, it’s just a name.

For me — it’s the comfortable pair of shoes that even though I’ve had them for YEARS I could never bare to part with.

The Classic Quill was my very first writing name.  I created it on AOL in 1997. The screenname is a few years younger than my kids, outlasted my marriage and has endured through my countless stops and starts at this thing I call a writing career.

So, it only seemed fitting that, since my career seems to have finally taken root and is starting to grow, I pay homage to the one constant throughout the years.

When I was trying to think of a screenname for AOL, I knew I wanted it to be writing-related, but was drawing a blank. As I was sitting at my desk, killing myself trying to come up with something, I noticed a box on the hutch. At the time,  one of my hobbies was calligraphy, and I had recently received a quill pen and inkwell as a gift.  What caught my eye was the blurb on the box:

“A classic calligraphy set. Quill pen, ink, and parchment paper included.”

Hmmm…Classic…Quill…

Thus The Classic Quill was created.

I’ve had several writing-related names since then, but no matter how many new names I create, I’ve never even considered deleting TCQ from the list. It’s part of my history. I received my first article acceptance at an email addy with that name. I met a LOT of people, some of whom are still in my life right now with that screenname. The Classic Quill is a part of me and I don’t imagine a time when it will not be.

I am The Classic Quill. Welcome to my world.