Today I spoke to a lovely friend, Eden Riley, who blogs at Edenland. When I first read her blog, I was blown over. Eden writes just as she talks. Funny, irreverent, quirky, smart. With shit-loads (as she would say) of heart and soul. No wonder she was invited to speak at the BlogHer convention last week in San Diego.

Then I read some of the (many) comments by her followers and discovered how deeply her honesty touches people. How humbling!

It made me think about “voice” in writing. And courage, honesty, integrity. As an aspiring writer, I’ve often heard about editors and publishers looking for the next new “voice”. For me, hearing and reading Eden, it’s suddenly no mystery. It’s like Somerset Maugham said (paraphrasing): If you want to be an amazing writer, try being an amazing person first. The rest will follow.

Eden’s an amazing person and her writing reflects that. Way to go, Eden! You’re a fantastic example of having the courage to be true to yourself. And thanks for being the inspiration for my first blog. Finally.