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PAIN WRITERS: GUIDELINES FOR A PAINFUL STORY

January 12, 2022 by

Pain writers draw inspiration from two sources: Their own pain. Someone else’s pain. The source of pain is a standard feature. Pain writers want you to feel it. For example:

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AMERICAN WRITERS FROM THERE TO HERE AND BACK AGAIN

July 3, 2021 by

Why do American writers, or any writer for that matter, bother putting words down? The easy answer is, “Because they have something to say.” Which brings up another question: What if no one is listening, or reading, or shows even the slightest interest? Is that the writer’s problem? They’re doing the work and it shows. […]

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WHY WRITERS BELIEVE IN READERS? IT TAKES BOTH

March 21, 2021 by

Writers believe the time they spend on their work is worthwhile. Opinions from others vary. Of course writers believe, but is their opinion the one that matters? After days and years of focus on a project, they’d better believe in their work. One sage said to choose a writing topic you love, because you’ll eventually […]

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WRITERS WORK TO EXPLAIN WITHOUT BEING A JERK

May 29, 2020 by

Writers work, readers read, and somewhere between the two an agreement happens. Sometimes the agreement includes a reader who stops reading while the writer keeps writing. That’s what writers do. Readers look for the next story, something more worthy of their time. Then this happened:

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WRITING LIFE LOOKS FOR SMOKING WRITERS

May 5, 2020 by

Do people in the writing life smoke to show they’d rather die than change bad habits? Or maybe they secretly want to lose a few pounds, although Joan Didion may disagree. The writing life? Please. I hear that and think of droopy people sitting around typewriters with a pipe or cigarette stuck in their face. […]

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SYLVIA PLATH JOINS WILLAMETTE WRITERS WITH KATE GRAY

February 5, 2020 by

Kate Gray explained Sylvia Plath in the best way possible: she wants the world to know ‘the girl’ Plath was before her junior year in college. I sat in the full-house crowd at Willamette Writers monthly meeting in downtown Portland, marveling that anyone could give such a thorough breakdown of a real person; that anyone […]

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BLOG READERS, BOTS, AND WRITERS

July 10, 2019 by

Google analytics on blog readers is either the biggest tattletale in history, or an effective research tool. It shows and tells where blog readers like you find boomerpdx. Apparently I’m a big hit in Chicago, at least that’s what the bots say. Bot? What else hits a blogger page fifty times for an average of […]

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WRITERS GRIND THEIR GUTS OVER THEIR WORK

April 30, 2019 by

The ads say, “Work from home. Set your own hours. Be your own boss. Writers have the best of all worlds.” Travel the world, soak up the sun, and write about it seems like the message sent. That’s the chair for those writers at the top. Clear sky, blue water, what else would you want? […]

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PORTLAND STORY THEATER TELLS THE TALE AT WILLAMETTE WRITERS

January 3, 2018 by

  Lawrence Howard and Lynne Duddy ran the first Willamette Writers meeting of 2018. For all the wishes for a Happy New Year still echoing, their presentation confirmed the idea.   I came in right as they started and found a seat in the back, the last seat open. I start every meeting with high […]

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GREAT WRITERS ON GREAT LAKE TAHOE FIND THEIR VOICE

May 9, 2017 by

  “To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe” -Mark Twain Emerald Bay, CA side   That’s how it feels on the wild side in the time of Twain. Readers will have a much deeper appreciation for Mark Twain and the Lake Tahoe region, a place where he found his […]

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