Excerpt of letter from Alabama's beloved Helen Norris (1916 - 2013)
I like to think that in heaven there is a fenced-in corner where the writers work. No editors are allowed. (Most of them are in hell.) And there are lovely angels assigned to printing anything we choose. Our individual talents and tastes will have become so refined that what we choose to publish will be heavenly indeed. And since this is heaven, there will be a whole slew of the heavenly host assigned to reading & admiring whatever we produce. There will be no competitions, no miserable Flannery O'Connor Award. But occasionally God Himself will give us a smile! Because of course we are his favorite people. Next to the Virgin Mary (& maybe Mother Theresa) he likes Shakespeare best. Oh yes, & there are angels to do our typing. And there are NO SASE's. And I'm betting that sooner or later we may be invited to revise the Ten Commandments. Well, at least the Beatitudes. They could stand a little work.
I wish I could give you The Golden Key or The Magic Bullet. All I can say is don't give up. I'm not going to!
My best to you,
Helen
