Grandpa Captain Biorhythm took his granddaughter Hannah to the San Diego Comic Con in 2007 to interview potential Heroes and Heroines. She was his third cub reporter who did a phenomenal job interviewing artists, actors and costumed characters at the Comic Convention.
Hannah asked three questions:
Who are the Heroes in your life?
How do people become Heroes?
Who are the unsung Heroes in our society that do not get the recognition they deserve?
I was born around Philadelphia, spent my formative years in Seattle, and now reside in the Midwest. I went to Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, for my undergraduate studies, majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a minor in Biomedical Ethics.
I then attended law school at the University of Wisconsin, graduated in May 2003, and was admitted to the bar a couple weeks after. I loved law school. Did not like being a lawyer. Which is why I decided to become a writer.
I’ve studied and traveled extensively through Asia, and spent some time working at the US Embassy in Beijing. I love to read, I love to write, but what I love best of all is proving to myself that dreams do come true. Oh, and I like poodles, too. And cats.”
“The thing about writing is this: everyone has a different way that works for them. There is no rule, no set-in-stone path for becoming a published author — or even just a good storyteller.
Having said that, however, I should also point out that without practice, perseverance, and pluck, you won’t get very far at all.For me, I always knew I wanted to be a writer. It was one of those nebulous dreams, the kind that sounds cool but is hard to grasp. I just knew, though.
I wanted to write books for a living. I did write poetry, short stories, and non-fiction pieces — and some of those were quite successful, but I had trouble writing fiction. Until…I graduated from law school, and I knew my time had run out. It was now or never. Do or die. So I did. The rest is history.
Now, a lot happened between the dream and the reality. Throughout high school and college and law school I practiced my storytelling with poetry, and non-fiction. And in undergrad I had an excellent English teacher who set me on the right track. That, and I had already read and written enough to have a feel for what I was doing.
The lesson behind all this babble? Follow your own path! Don’t give up! Work hard! Believe!”
“Experiment!? Make it your motto day and night.
Experiment?
And it will lead you to the light.
The apple on the top of the tree is never too high to achieve. So take an example from Eve…Experiment!
Be curious, though interfering friends may frown.
Get furious, at each attempt to hold you down. If this advice you only employ, the future can offer you infinite joy and merriment.
Experiment! And you’ll see!