This particular selection was done as a trial of sorts for a German motivational speaker. He was writing an autobiography, using his own experiences of overcoming some pretty major obstacles as a shining example of how to put positive thinking to work. He is a very dynamic speaker and really connects with the crowds who come to see him.

However, his enthusiasm did NOT translate well into the written word. Without actual people to bounce his ideas off of, his writing felt very stale. In fact, "translation" was part of his problem, as German was his first language and he was writing his book in English, which he was fluent enough to speak, but not enough to write with the same charisma.

My task here was to take his writing, "jazz" it up, add humor to it, and write it in what was ostensibly "his" voice. That was a challenge to start; to make things even more complicated, the passage he wanted me to jazz up and make humorous and motivational was a tale of a rather horrendous car accident that ended up changing his life.

The result? In his words: "What can I say... the master on its work. Well done... In simple words... I LOVED IT!"