Curiousity is a big part of my life. A telescopic spyglass is my personal logo (more on that in a future blog post). And if I could give you only one piece of advice for writing your stories, it’s to be curious. Just write. And when you get to a part that you think shouldn’t be in there, don’t stop. There is a reason it’s coming out. Follow it. Listen to it. And you might be surprised by what you learn.

The Blue Book

On my shelf sits a blue linen book that might look ordinary to anyone else. It’s called Memoirs: Sixty Years on the Firing Line by Arthur Krock, a Pulitzer-winning journalist. But what makes it meaningful is the handwritten note inside from Syd Cassyd, founder of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

In the early ’90s, I worked as a reporter at the Park Labrea News/Beverly Press, where Syd contributed stories. Every Tuesday, he dropped them off and stayed to chat while we laid out the paper. That year, he gave me the book with this inscription: “To Melissa, who will follow in this tradition.” I was in college, unsure of my path, and it meant everything.

I covered stories big and small: we interviewed Venus and Serena Williams when they were just kids, and once got assigned to try on rubber fashion at a Melrose boutique (which involved a lot of baby powder). I learned journalism wasn’t just about headlines, it was about people.[QUOTE]

Later, I moved into political PR, still telling stories that shaped conversations and served the public interest. Eventually, I shifted to other fields (food, wine, art supplies) where I kept telling stories through marketing. I forgot about the book that sat on my shelf, waiting to be rediscovered.

When I found it years later, I wondered if I’d veered too far from what Syd saw in me. But Heirloominary helped me realize I hadn’t. I may not be reporting news, but I’m still telling stories that matter about memory, meaning, and the objects we keep.

That blue book reminds me I didn’t leave the tradition behind. I carried it forward.