Monthly Archives: February 2018

One Cent a Word?! What You Should Be Doing Instead

This recently hit Craigslist. It’s entitled “Ghost Writers Wanted.”  I thought it the bottom of the wage floor at one penny a word. But then I remembered I wrote another post which looked at 6/10ths of a cent a word. (internal … Continue reading

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Marketing Thoughts – An Argument Against Social Media

The best marketing for a writer is their own writing, showcased at an ad-free website kept current by frequent blogging. I don’t see any value in Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Maybe a LinkedIn presence if you want a social media … Continue reading

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Format Magazine Looking for Contributors

Format Magazine (external link) is an online presence which focuses on the visual arts. I find it inspiring to see photography which I can’t hope to match. Photography and art, like writing, takes practice and equipment and temperament and time. … Continue reading

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Experimenting With an E-mail Signature Line Service

I’m experimenting with an e-mail signature line service called Wisestamp (external link). Here’s what my new sig line looks like: I think a good looking e-mail signature line makes me look more professional. Wisestamp has a limited variety of templates … Continue reading

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Essays and Lazy Writing

Essays pretending to be reporting waste the reader’s time. With this style you must read several hundred words before finding out what the author is writing about. Rather than quickly defining a subject, essays disguised as reporting languidly and leisurely give out the … Continue reading

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Pimping A Favorite Video — Sci-Fi Caper

This is Sci-Fi Caper out of Mendota, California. I know it primarily as home to a wildlife refuge. Sci-Fi Caper is a power trio, reminding me of the simple punk bands of my youth. In this video everybody seems happy. … Continue reading

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Another Article on Spec

Once again I am writing an article for Rock&Gem magazine on spec. I’ve written about this approach many times. (internal link). With spec, you don’t have a writing assignment, you are on your own to create a piece that with … Continue reading

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Next Time I’ll Make Sure That The Girl Will be Much Poorer

Two of my favorite Rolling Stone’s songs are from their Aftermath album. Aftermath marked the first time that Mick and Keith wrote all original material. Brian Jones, now an often unrecognized band member, powered the group during these early years. … Continue reading

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The Only Canines That Climb Trees

I’ve been on vacation recently, visiting Phoenix, Tucson, and Parker, Arizona. Perhaps the highlight was seeing my first fox in the wild. It was the Gray Fox of the Sonoran Desert, officially known as Urocyon cinereoargenteus. DesertMuseum.org (external link) says … Continue reading

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From Rough to Refined

Gold prospectors should be open to collecting other things besides that shiny yellow metal. Are their gemstones at your feet? My second Rock&Gem article was on chalcedony. (internal link). I focused on the Gemfield Gem claims outside of Goldfield, Nevada. To … Continue reading

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