a love note to Nora

I was in my narrative journalism class my sophomore year of college. We were given a sheet of paper, and were told we had to do a project on a famous journalist, not just any journalist but one related to narrative journalism. That told stories, that were factual, fictional and anything in between, the list had people such as Hunter S. Thompson, Julia Powell and a name I was not yet familiar with, but was to soon fall in love with, and that was one, Nora Ephron. As people had their names called in the class, they responded back with which writer they wanted. I really had no idea who to choose, and of course, all the big flashy names were chosen first. My name was called, and I just went with it, "Nora Ephron," I called out.

I don't remember the assignment to a T, but I know we had to write some sort of paper on this person, and do a powerpoint presentation for the class on their life and highlight their major works. As I began my research, I was pleasantly surprised to find she had written such cult classics like When Harry Met Sally and wrote and directed Sleepless in Seattle, Julie&Julia, among so many others. This was also upon countless essays & articles she also had to her name. Who was this woman and why have I not discovered her before now? I kept thinking to myself. She was also, by the way, hilarious, and so truthfully hilarious. And she did it in such a way that made you feel like she's been your best friend your whole life, like someone who really knows you. That, is a sign of a fantastic writer. 

Needless to say, I became a huge fan of her after this project, so I was saddened to hear of her death only a few days ago. The writing world, had really lost an icon, and women especially had lost a pioneer. She not only broadened my idea of what a writer could be, but she truly inspired me, and brought me back to my high school self, that came alive in my first journalism class at the idea that I could write, report and do it for a living. Relate and connect to all kinds of people with the simple power of words. That is something I will forever be grateful to Nora Ephron for.

I leave you with some of my favorite quotes from her:

“I don't think any day is worth living without thinking about what you're going to eat next at all times.” 

“Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.”

“So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?” 

"I try to write parts for women that are as interesting and complicated as women actually are."