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PORTLAND WRITING: WHAT TO SAY AFTER IT’S ALL BEEN SAID

January 13, 2022 by

Portland writing classes made it seem like everyone in town was a writer. Publish a book and that’s good enough to fill a teacher’s role? Yes it is. Word of mouth got around, a friend offers space, and people pay to show up and listen. And learn. But what do you learn?

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SPORTS WRITING FOR THE WIN WITH HORSHACK

January 11, 2022 by

Sports writing is more than sports stories and sporty personalities. Sports betting is another story. Those guys care about sports and personalities, winning and losing, but care more about the point spread. We’ll stick to sports writing in regard to sports and personalities, about the underdogs, not the underbelly.

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CLIMATE WRITING: IS IT HOT IN HERE OR JUST ME?

January 10, 2022 by

Climate writing, climate change writing, global warming writing, are all stories to tell. The problem is those telling aren’t doing a very good job. Could I do better? Me? Hell, no. But maybe you could. Maybe you could tell it so it gets under the thick skin of big decision makers? I have ideas to […]

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DIE WRITING, OR DIE TRYING?

January 9, 2022 by

Who wants to die writing? A yes answer means one thing: Death is a metaphor. Unless it’s s sudden death and they keel over on their keyboard, no writer dies writing. But something does die in a writer who does everything they can to succeed before giving up. Who’s ever done that? One comes to […]

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WRITER LIFE CHRISTMAS WHEN IT’S NOT ABOUT WRITING OR LIFE

December 24, 2021 by

Does ‘writer life’ mean writing about life, or the experience of someone who writes? Answer silently while you write about a life of writing. Writer’s Life? Mine began as a small child at my Grandma’s house. She handed me a book.

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SPORTS LITERACY FOR BOOMERS: KNOW WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

November 19, 2021 by

Sports literacy runs through all sports, not just your favorite team, or my favorite team, though that would make things so much easier. It’s more than the Yankees, the Cowboys, or the Celtics; more than the Mariners, Seahawks, and your Portland Trail Blazers. On Friday nights it’s more than the high school football playoffs, more […]

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MACARTHUR FOUNDATION GENIUS GRANT FOR BLOGGER

October 2, 2021 by

The MacArthur Foundation takes it upon themselves to find people to give money to. Tagging the recipients of a $625,000 grant as genius is just icing on the cake. If getting the grant requires a genius level IQ, I’ll just stop right here. On the other hand, I think an extra, unexpected, $625K would make […]

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BREAKING POINT REACHED. THEN WHAT?

September 24, 2021 by

Everyone has a breaking point, so let’s get past the tough guy act. Even if you have to fish around to find a break, you will find it. Or someone else will find it. You should want to find it sooner than later. A good example of a breaking point is mumps and measles: as […]

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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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FEELING BAD? THINK OF OTHERS WHILE YOU SUFFER

August 11, 2021 by

Feeling bad, as if it’s not enough, comes with extras, like those trying to help you feel better. Think of them while you’re in the throes of misery. Whether you know it or not, your suffering is their suffering. They feel better when you feel better. This came up at a recent gathering of some […]

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