-No more pork, I promise. And that goes for you, too, Washington.-

If you're anything like me, I urge you stop everything and get your brain checked by three or four trained professionals.

Even so:

Are you tired of reading books by authors for which writing is a day job, but still want quality literature?

You need to tap the mind of a first person journalist.

This is not to imply that our storytellers are practicing news mavens; in all likelihood they are not. What makes their stories so compelling is there deep allegiance to the subject matter. As long as they are able to look at what they love critically, and craft loving (and gramatically correct) prose about the matter, no MFA or magazine stints are required.

Like Dishwashwer Pete.
Or 'Hellish Gargoyle' Hollis Speer Gillespie, author of "Bleachy-Haired Honky Bitch : Tales from a Bad Neighborhood"

Does this mean there is no place for professional wordsmiths? Of course not. A well-written piece is, as a friend once told me, a turn on.

But tread carefully, and never become so enamored of your technique that you fail to pay homage to the inspiration that is ultimately greater than you.