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CAN DIFFERENCE MAKERS CHANGE OPINIONS LIKE YOURS

May 29, 2021 by

Difference makers show up at the right time and we all celebrate. They show up when you get lost, when you’re confused. When you need help, there they are. But where are they when you’re not lost, not confused? What do they do when you don’t need any help? Don’t worry, they’re still out there […]

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SIGNATURE MOVE, AND WHY YOU NEED ONE

April 26, 2021 by

A signature move is something expected, predictable. It’s an identifiable characteristic. You’ve got a signature move whether you know it or not. Ask someone. We used to watch the biggest fight in the world on free TV when Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. Once he dropped an opponent, up when his arms. That was his […]

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RUNNING MAN SETS RECORD STRAIGHT AT ROW RIVER

April 15, 2021 by

The running man in question is Nicholas Thompson. Maybe you’ve heard of him, or someone like him. Probably not, though. He’s just another runner in a running world full of speed. Oh, he just set the American record for a 50K ultra. Now you’ve heard of him. But there’s so much more, which fits in […]

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BLOG REVIEW: WHAT’S UP AND WHAT’S DOWN ON BOOMERPDX

April 13, 2021 by

Blog review day shows which topics are stronger than others. The second biggest hitter of all time here is a gym guide on how to deal with naked dudes on parade. Spoiler: Try and ignore them. Coming in at #1, with credit to Reddit, is a take on Michelangelo’s David. That David is different than […]

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HEMINGWAY LIFE STORY BEST OF ALL TIME

April 7, 2021 by

The Hemingway life story by Ken Burns is a sure sign, but of what? That he grew up in what amounts to a fundamentalist family? With a mother that logged all of her sacrifices for him? Then held it against him? Add a father with well defined ideas on how to behave. And Ernest disappointed […]

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HISTORICAL ADVICE: THIS IS WORTH SOMETHING, ISN’T IT

March 3, 2021 by

Historical advice usually comes from a book, or a class where some gray bearded funky old man in a musty suit jacket rambles on and on in a cloud of dandruff. Doing history is different than studying history. History museums Do History for everyone else. Museum visitors walk from exhibit to exhibit, floor to floor, […]

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ONE WRITER: BEGINNING, MIDDLE, END, AND THEN

January 27, 2021 by

One writer works a story out their way, another writer does it their way. Which one gets to the next step in their process; which one starts over again and again? That’s the question that drives the industry of doubt, where one writer looks for the best solution to questions they haven’t asked. And that […]

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BIG CITY DICKENS, AND FADING LOVE LIGHTS, A Short Story Of Intimacy

January 19, 2021 by

I got engaged and followed my future across the country. We met while I was an English major nursing a writer’s dream after an Army tour. She graduated and moved home with our wedding plans, so I dropped out and followed. Then she dropped me. Instead of hanging around New Jersey for a second chance, […]

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BLOG TRAFFIC: BOOMERPDX FROM NATION TO NATION

December 15, 2020 by

Blog traffic map via google analytics. The big difference between the top map and every other map of the world is that this one tracks where the hits, the readers, the bots, showing up on boomerpdx originate. It’s a blog traffic map, which isn’t very writerly since geography isn’t about plot, story structure, or how […]

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WORKING WRITER STATEMENT: MOVE THE PILE

November 15, 2020 by

T.C. Boyle is a working writer with the sort of social engagement skills that can’t be taught. He’s got instinct on his side. Instinct is essential in the work he does, which is writing books and short stories that get read. It’s a familiar instinct for those who pay attention. And I do, which is […]

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