This is my entry in the writers contest. I didn’t win but it was fun to write. The winner’s story blew me away. Bob Writer’s Digest Contest # 17 Prompt: A 20 something man sits in a taxi in front if his parents’ house, trying to find the strength to tell them that he _______.…

The importance of the opening line in a story is well known but how about the closing line? No one has ever said a word to me about how to agonize over the last line in a story so I thumbed through a few books in my library and found a whole new world, the…

As an apprentice writer I’m very conscious of the importance of the first line in a story. I work and rework my opening lines to show that I’m practicing what I’ve been taught and, if I were honest, to show my brilliance. Here are some of my favorite opening lines chosen from my modest library:…

President Obama’s unyielding commitment to change our government, reprioritize our spending, and to clean up the economic mess Bush left behind is inspiring. So inspiring that I’ve fantasized about what I would do if I were ever in charge. Here’s my plan for a better America. You know, deep down in you heart, that I’m…

Ring “Hello.” “Hi, how are you this morning?” “Great, how about you?” “I feel super. I slept like a rock after you left.” “Thanks again for last night. I had a great time.” “It was good, wasn’t it?” “It was wonderful.” “What are you doing today?” “I don’t know, maybe I’ll go to the gym…

Introduction There is no end to the things you can rant about if you put your mind to it. The list of stuff that pisses me off is endless. Here are my latest rants on life’s little irritants and inconveniences: Transformers, AC Adapters, Chargers, and Other Such Junk Have you taken inventory of the electronic…

Test your knowledge of geezer-dom with the following quiz. A high score indicates that you are well on your way to senility; while a lower score is a sure sign that you should spend more time at rest homes watching old people drool. Oh by the way, your answers don’t really matter because no one…

Introduction I thought I had all of my pet peeves on paper with my first two rants. Nope, more things continue to piss me off. Here is some more stuff that is getting under my skin: Boom-Box Cars I can’t think of anything more irritating than those idiots that boom their high-wattage stereos through huge…

In an old novel Sherlock Holmes says something about the sun going around the earth. Dr. Watson corrects Holmes only to hear Sherlock reply that he would try to forget that as soon as possible. Holmes immediately knew that this information was immaterial to his life. Unlike Sherlock, here’s some of the stuff clogging up…

An Open Letter to John McCain Dear John, I listened with interest to your first interview since the election; your guest spot on The Tonight Show. An interview by a comedian rather than a hard-hitting journalist gave you a rare opportunity to discuss what you have learned in a non-defensive, open fashion. There often is…