Time with a hero

Spending time with a "hero" is a really surreal experience. I had that experience today. I got to talk with Carla.

She's one of my heroes for a number of reasons, but one of the most meaningful is that her voice resonates in my mind whenever I write.  Her advice and teaching changed the way that I think and the way that I write. She helped me to appreciate the value of a semi-colon, the beauty of a serial comma, and using more verbs than nouns in my writing.  But her most important lesson was her 5 C's in writing: 

• Clear – always aim for high level of clarity
• Concise – use sharp phrases and sentences
• Correct – follow rules of grammar, spelling, usage
• Compelling – you must say something
• Creative – always be interesting!

I might not always live up to those C's, but Carla made an impact on me, and I cherished the opportunity to reconnect with her again today...