HB2AMR

{thought I’d post this one early. Many folks will be doing 12 oz curls on Saturday and too inebriated to visit, which is fine. Have a Guinness for me, I’ll have one (4) for you as well…}

In 1995, I found myself on a battlefield of sorts playing a woefully inexperienced medic to parents that would get sicker by the day.
It was a dark time in my life and one that I somehow chose to chronicle.
I’m still not sure exactly when it happened but one day I picked up a legal pad and started writing and I haven’t stopped since.
But this post isn’t about my mom and dad.

The years went by and it wasn’t until December of ’99 that it occurred to me that the internet was bursting with writing opportunity and educational counsel.
Through a series of internet searches (Google being the starting point, no doubt) I came upon a free online fiction course called F2K sponsored by a site called WVU (Writer’s Village University).

If my memory serves me correctly, the course was 12-16 weeks long and touched on all the various elements of fiction writing from plot and P.O.V.,
to dialogue and the overuse of adverbs.
There was something for everyone.
The concept was quite simple: write, post, critique and be critiqued.
The hope was that the writer would come away with some new and fresh knowledge and style.
As it turned out, I didn’t learn much that I didn’t already know regarding the craft but WVU put me in touch with several unique and talented people.

There was one particular writer that really intrigued me.
She was smart, witty, a verbal powerhouse and a real straight shooter when she critiqued your writing. We connected immediately.
Her comments were always brutally honest and I admired her courage to voice the truth as she saw it, a tough thing to do at sometimes at WVU where egos were not unlike eggshells.
Her own work had a shine to it and she could make me laugh, cry and ponder the big
‘life questions’ with one single post.

Seven years later and we’re still in touch on a weekly basis.
It’s wonderful with the transient nature of cyberspace.
This post is for the chick that kept all of you entertained while I was on vacation last summer.

I’m evil, y’all.

I knew that one small taste of blogging and she would be jonesing a blog of her own.
Her post ‘Cream Boogers’ is a blogging classic and one of my favorite posts.
She’s written posts about me and I don’t believe I’ve ever returned the favor.
That stops today.

Needless to say, her words, wisdom, candor and fiction delight many folks that visit her corner of cyberspace daily.
I haven’t said why this post is for Annie, have I?

Silly me.

It’s her birthday on Saturday.
St. Paddy’s Day!
I’d love it if everyone that reads this post visited her and left one short comment.
Just one.
By my blog stats, she’d have a serious number of comments.
Can you do that for me?
Ahhh, I knew that you could…

 

 

AMR-

If reading this gave you just one wee sparkle in those Irish eyes of yours, this post will have found its way home.
I wish you peace and infinite rainbows…
Happy Birthday, Kiddo.

~m