Technically, Frank J. of IMAO isn't family. He falls more into the (& friends) part of the Reunion. Although he never actually TOLD me to start a blog (which means he isn't my blogfather), he was one of my earliest blog heroes. He was on the blogroll of my original Blogspot blog, and I had him bookmarked before that. In fact, most of what I know about writing humor came from studying Frank's technique. He's been a HUGE influence.

Ok, so Frank's funny. Everyone who reads IMAO knows that, so I don't need to pursue the topic any further. What I want to talk about is what it's like to meet Frank in person.

The first thing I noticed about Frank was that he seemed genuinely glad to see me.

Turned out it was just that he had a Kel-Tec .380 in his pocket.

The second thing was that, despite looking very young, and not being very physically imposing, he still had a presence about him. He carries himself with a degree of self-assurance that is rare in someone only 25 years old. Firm handshake, direct gaze, not fidgity or prone to foot-shuffling. He's comfortable with himself. His soul is older than his body.

The third thing is something that doesn't come through on his site, which he keeps devoted to his rollicking, over-the-top sense of humor.

He's a VERY serious person. He has a lot of dreams, as most young men do, but these aren't mere fantasies for him. They're PLANS. He's looking to publish some of his IMAO work. He's working on a more-or-less serious novel, in pursuit of which he's joined a writer's group in order to improve his technique. When he sets his mind to something, he goes after it.

And another thing that impressed me is just how much effort he's put into making his site what it is today. He started out with a crappy Blogspot blog and no readers, just like everyone else, but he's devoted a HUGE chunk of his life to getting his traffic up. He's constantly advertising his site, whether by e-mailing larger bloggers & begging (in an entertaining fashion, of course) for links, or holding contests on his site to increase reader interest and participation. He closely monitors his traffic, watches what works and what doesn't, and adjusts his output accordingly.

Behind the facade of jokes on the front page of IMAO lurks a man who is seriously working his ass off to create a better, more marketable product with his blog. It's not just a lark or a hobby to him, it's a passion.

Meeting him in person, I find myself even MORE inspired by his example than I was when I was just a reader.

He may have been drunk when he said it, but it's true. He really IS the Great Frank. J!

And I consider it an honor and a privilege to have met him.

Posted by: Harvey at 11:53 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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