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DISAPPOINTED WRITER? AREN’T THEY ALL

January 12, 2023 by

The disappointed writer hides their feelings in their work. If it’s not their subject, it’s their characters; if it’s not the setting, it’s the theme. The disappointed writer always falls back to their comfort zone. Instead of man vs nature, or man vs society, it’s one whiney writer vs themselves.

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WRITERS SOCIALIZING WITH WRITERS

January 10, 2023 by

My aunt warned me about writers socializing. I’d taken the train from Philadelphia to Princeton, New Jersey for a visit. She was studying at the Princeton Theological Seminary to be a preacher; I was in the Army learning to be a writer. Since she had a degree in literary criticism she had a lot to […]

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FACEBOOK WRITER, BLOGGER, OR SCROLLER?

January 8, 2023 by

You know a Facebook writer when you read them. The work seems too good for the platform, too permanent for such a temporary view. But Facebook is inviting, available, and free. So why not use it as a primary outlet?

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DRIVEN PEOPLE STAY ON TRACK

December 29, 2022 by

You know driven people the moment you meet them. How? By asking what they do? No, they’ll tell you before you ask. Something like, “My name is David and I’m good.” Convincing enough? How about:

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WRITE NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE

December 28, 2022 by

‘Write now’ is what I hear every morning at 5, or sometimes 6:30. Keeping a schedule is good; having something to say is good. Why is joining them together so hard? Some answers make sense, some don’t. Mine are . . .

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FIXING BLOG THINGS AND COMPLAINING AT THE SAME TIME

December 24, 2022 by

Fixing blog things is part of joining the blogger world circus. I update boomerpdx and lose my subscribers? Twitter takes a dump and I lose my blog traffic? Facebook is unreliable? These are examples of fixing things online AND complaining. Waaaa. But, first . . .

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HUMAN POTENTIAL: THE BURDEN OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS

December 19, 2022 by

Human potential grade from counselor: “You can do anything you want to do.” Human response: “What am I supposed to do with that?” And so begins the journey of great expectations with: “What do you want to be?” I knew what I didn’t want to be early. My dad told me.

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WORKING HARD IS HARD WORK. WHO KNEW?

December 10, 2022 by

Working hard used to be a rite of passage. “Start sooner than later and enjoy the rewards longer,” was the message. So hit the grind and go until there’s nothing left to grind, like this cartoon from the New Yorker? Then what?

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PERSONAL MEMOIR, NOT THE OTHER KIND

December 9, 2022 by

Personal memoir says, “Too few people take the time to explore themselves thoroughly.” Unless you’re married. Then it’s too little exploring, too much exploring, what’s with all this exploring, what are you, a narcissist? Funny you’d ask.

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AMATEUR CRIME LIFE WITH PEER PRESSURE

November 22, 2022 by

My life in amateur crime began in 5th grade. If you were going to hang with the cool kids, you had to show you belonged. One test was shoplifting at the local Payless. It was an anchor store at Pony Village, the biggest shopping mall on the west coast between Seattle and San Francisco right […]

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