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WHAT TIME IS IT? WRITING TIME

November 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment

It’s writing time, so pick up that pen, open that lap top, turn on the faucet, and let it pour. Is it pouring yet? How about now? Let it out. You’ve made a decision to write, so write. What’s the problem? I’ll go first.

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YOU WANT ME TO WANT TO?

July 17, 2024 by

In Patrick DeWitt’s novel French Exit, the mom asks her thirty-two year old son to get something for her. “Please bring me my cup.” “I will if you want me to.” “I want you to want to.” And he obeys. So I ask . . .

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SHIFT TALKERS WORK OVERTIME

January 26, 2024 by

Shift talkers like to mix it up, change things. Some do it for the better, some for the worse. They all have one thing in common: Not knowing how and when to shut up. For that we should be thankful?

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ROAD TRIPS WITH THE BOYS, PART ONE

July 25, 2023 by

Road trips with kids sounds like a duty, a hassle, a task to do and be done with. It starts with a plan, then a phone call. How you answer gives the kids an idea on how to respond when their turn comes around: “Dad, can we borrow your car and drive to a concert […]

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HOMETOWN WRITERS MISS THE BOAT?

June 22, 2023 by

Hometown writers miss the boat when they think everything’s been said about where they grew up. Then, to save their careers the turn their focus to their hometown. More like they use a sense of home to lure readers in. Like Thomas Wolfe.

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BEACH MUSIC BY PAT CONROY, A REVIEW

April 12, 2023 by

Beach Music sat in my TBR pile for years while I passed by. At over 700 pages it intimidated me. I like novels around 200-250 pages. The Great Gatsby clocks in at 208 paged; Catcher In The Rye runs 234 pages, more or less. Beach Music at 800 pages? I got a Harry Potter vibe […]

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STEPPING OUT BOOMERPDX STYLE

December 11, 2022 by

Stepping out of a comfort zone isn’t the same as throwing yourself away. Let’s get that straight. One has an air of optimism, the other not so much. How can you tell the difference before it’s too late, you ask? Let’s go.

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WRITING ADVICE FOR A BROKEN HEART HOSPITAL CAMPOUT

September 19, 2021 by

Writing advice from writers usually comes with a warning, or should: This is what works for them. It might work for you or another writer, but it definitely works for them. After a single night campout in a hospital bed, their advice carried more weight for better or worse. A week out from the event […]

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ESSENTIAL READING TO IGNORE . . . AT YOUR OWN RISK

January 18, 2020 by

One blogger’s essential reading is another’s fire-starter; that’s just how it is. Except the book in Ken Kesey’s hand won’t start any fires today, not the way it started fires in his younger days.

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