It’s not every day that you get to be called someone’s “writer hero.” (I’ve not even managed to pull down that kind of a compliment from Lauryn; though I think I am her hero whenever I resolve any kind of non-TV-working situation. Especially if there is an imminent Dino Dan or Wubbzy involved.) It happens even less frequently that you find yourself placed in the same sentence alongside Papa Hemingway. (And, perhaps more importantly, not a sentence that includes the phrases “thinly controlled alcoholic” or “mental deterioration and paranoia.” ) But that is what happened for me this past weekend. Oh, I’ll share the link with you. But not till the end. You know what they say...No Dessert Until You’ve Finished Your Mashed Potatoes! (Title of my favorite-est children’s book...)

When another writer – and in this case, an actual, real-life, edumacated and degree holding Journalist, from an accredited University IN the United States I’ll have you know! – proffers kudos of this magnitude, it’s...nice. Like being bathed in a bath of whole-milk hot cocoa filled with tiny marshmallows, whipped cream and Ghiradelli shavings.

The writer’s name is Kirsten – and be straight about that, will you. It is NOT Kristen and she is wicked-quick to correct you if you should slip and actually say Kristen especially if she has already corrected you thusly on previous occasions; this gal is all about I before R especially after K. To be safe, I call her Glasses. Through this blog I’ve managed to unknowingly amuse and entertain her, then actually meet and work alongside her (well, the actual alongside-ness was rather limited; she remained stoic and unflappable in her black leather rolling chair, enduring all manner of non-coffee drinking and self-imposed hunger strike related hardships while I, conversely, took every excuse and opportunity to abandon ship to retreat to the Expo show floor), then at some point – when I heard she was a fan and she actually bubbled, “Oh my, God! Is *that* Lady Phone?” and that in-person John didn’t offend and alienate her from on-line John – befriend her, then actually start working for her, (here’s my first blog for her pub, Systems Contractor News; please support her – and thus, me – by clicking over and at least pretending like you are reading it) then ultimately cajole, bully and actually find a way to inspire her.

To sharpen your mental image, these were my comments on Kirsten from my CEDIA Day One post:

One of the girls on the team is Kirsten Nelson, who turns out to be a big fan of the blog, so I of course instantly thought that she was brilliant and clever and witty. Between her looks, personality and “I’m not really blind at all” glasses, imagine a combo between Tina Fey and Lisa Loeb; except more snarky than Fey and less guitarey than Loeb and way better able to cleverly work in phrases like “the Harvard comma” into her speech. I told Kirsten that she is the Daily’s martyr, chaining herself to her chair – I have seriously not seen her leave it – and shouting phrases like, “I will NOT each that sandwich until I finish editing this page!” And, “Seriously. I wasn’t kidding. Get me some Starbucks!” And “I’m about to start a silent, sustained scream!” (Except throw some F-bombs in there to get a more accurate idea. And a Harvard comma reference.) I’m fully expecting her to have a massive case of deep vein thrombosis in her mostly non-functional legs by the show’s end.

So Glasses is a writer herself, along with editing the SCN site/magazine and has actually managed to complete a novel (which is NOT called “Robot Tears” by the way, though there IS a Robot and it may or may not at some point cry tears).  And after multiple laser-focused guilt messages, Glasses finally – “Oh! I can’t believe I’m doing this! I know I’m gonna regret it!” – shared the opening chapter of (not) “Robot Tears” and then, in a total moment of “OK. Here. I’m baring my soul,” sent me the link to her non-industry blog. Then, after a prefaced message of “Do you want me to be honest? Like REALLY honest?” she accepted my critique to her own writings because she found something to respect in mine. (Even though I admitted to having no knowledge of real journalism – clearly I’m the only one that counts writing for my high school’s newspaper, The Blueprint, as actual journalism) to be and am clueless when it comes to diploma-ey terms like Harvard Comma or Nut paragraph.)

After reading her blog, I told her that it made me feel, well, um, dumb. It was so high-brow and literary and complicated and “Look how smart and big wordsy I am!” that what was completely lost was her actual voice. In short, it was nothing at all like the snarky and fun and clever and glassesey *actual* Kirsten. So, my comment to her was, “Be you, just more glasseser.”

And that’s what I’d say to anyone trying to write. Be you. Be honest. Find your true voice. Put some soul into what you write and put something real on the page. It’s been my goal here from post one...

I encourage you to read Kirsten’s revelatory post, where she does indeed call me her “writer hero.” Then, go and write something real for yourself.