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WE THE PEOPLE, NOT PEE-POLE

‘We the People’ are the difference makers others count on. Maybe not you or me, but the folks out there agitating for change, for better outcomes for themselves and their loved ones. Loved ones? You know, the people you think of when you get a warm fuzzy feeling that things are going the right direction […]

FAVORITE WRITERS TO LOVE AND HATE

Favorite writers have an audience of you, and you are demanding. You know what you want and don’t want. Most of all, you don’t want to be disappointed, forced to find someone new. You don’t want someone new, and the writer doesn’t want to lose you. How does this workout? With new material.

FAMILY TREE BRANCH OF RICHARDSONS

As people age up and out they look for meaning in different places. Where some look to DNA, others shake the family tree. That’s what my Grandma did years ago. This is what dropped out:

GREAT WRITING: WHEN WORDS MATTER MORE

From Google AI on current sentence construction:   Basic Structure: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) Subject: Who/what the sentence is about (e.g., Matt). Verb: The action or state of being (e.g., eats). Object: Receives the action (e.g., pizza). Example: “Matt eats pizza.”

SENIOR WRITER FOR BOOMERPDX

Senior writer is an inside joke, senior moment not so much. That’s the moment you do something and get asked, “Why did you do that?” And you don’t have an answer. Or the answer you give doesn’t make sense. Even to you. That’s when you make up a whole universe to cover your slip, or […]

VINTAGE LEADERSHIP FROM MID-CENTURY MODERN LEADERS

Today would be a good day for vintage leadership from the 50’s and 60’s. The problem is that the reading I’ve done for the post comes across as a Nixon slam. Nixon was Vice President for Eisenhower in the 1950’s when everything was calm and serene, compared to the 1940’s. He was working during the […]

WRITER’S STORY ABOUT A WRITER

I read one writer’s story last night before turning out the lights. It was a short story, what’s called a short story, which are usually too long to finish before lights out. I’ve got an anthology of stories I scan until one hits and sticks. This one stuck until the end after three mis-starts.

SIGNALING, MESSAGING, OR JUST WRITE

“Why don’t you just write?” Instead of ‘signaling,’ write it down. Written words are part of ‘messaging.’ Instead of making readers wonder what you’re trying to mean, just write and they’ll figure it out. But you must write to the standards that have come before you. For example:

LIFE AND DEATH IN BOOMER PORTLAND

Reposted from 2013: Let’s face it, if you’re a baby boomer your life is over. Done. The problem is no one told you, but you’ve heard things. Younger smart-alecks say you’re sticking around for the big jobs and big money they deserve before bankrupting America with your anticipated retirement and health needs? “Life expectancy is […]

THE HEART OF PORTLAND

Repost from 2012 Urban life grows more imposing the closer you get to Burnside. The pretty lights you see from I-5, the beautiful reflection off the Willamette, disappear once you park your car. Trade wheels on the road for shoes on the sidewalk and the pace slows enough for a good look around. You still […]