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Welcome to the Ranch

Published by Don on March 8, 2022

We were wonderin’ where you were… It is so good to see you. One of our jobs here on the ranch is to bring stories into this world. They multiply, and we try to raise them right. We study the art of writing and sometimes the art of writing for Medium. We always have time to study how to make money with our writing. Or more money than we’re making now. Having as many acres…

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My New Year Resolutions

My New Year Resolutions

Published by Don on January 13, 2022

Well, it’s the second week of 2022. Holidays, family visits, and snow have left the first week in shambles. My perennial first resolution of each year has become to forgive myself. OK, moving on. You guys who know me understand what a huge proponent I am of taking things one step at a time. Baby steps. A bite at a time. Incrementalism. The way I am coming to deal with both my new resolutions and…

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Four Mistakes I Used to Make as a Writer Wannabe and how I corrected them

Four Mistakes I Used to Make as a Writer Wannabe and how I corrected them

Published by Don on December 19, 2021

I wanted to be a writer, but I had more bad habits than stories to tell. I whittled the number down to four and found answers to each one. Mistake One — no particular time or place to write. When I wanted to write, I would do just that. Want to write. I would think about it and imagine being a writer. But there was school work, and then there was actual work. When I got married, my…

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Are You a Creator?

Are You a Creator?

Published by Don on December 3, 2021

Then what? A creator has ideas. Ideas are like a couple of chickens you may have in your backyard. They may provide some eggs for the family, but what happens if someone leaves the gate open? There goes tomorrow’s breakfast. Creators come in different types. Some are big picture types. Some detail types. Some are problem-solvers, and some are storytellers. But if you depend to any extent on your ideas, you need to be sure…

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Writing My FIRST BOOK

Writing My FIRST BOOK

Published by Don on November 22, 2021

Almost everyone wants to write a book. It’s on the old bucket list. Very few know how to go about making that happen. It is becoming my purpose lately to introduce people to some concepts and possibilities that might be used to make it happen, if you are one of those people who want that. Any instructional piece should be available all along the way of its continuing development because knowledge is rarely finite. The…

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True Language Crimes

True Language Crimes

Published by Don on October 29, 2021

“Mr. Martin, have you stopped splitting your infinitives yet?” Mrs. Hitchcock stood in front of my second period English class and asked me that question. It was about the only “wife-beating” sort of question appropriate to ask a ninth grader, and I was frozen. I was mortified. All heads turned toward me. I had been brought up to understand that it was rude to give clever answers to adults’ questions, because adults would probably not…

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Breathe in, breathe out…

Breathe in, breathe out…

Published by Don on October 27, 2021

I am a writer. I like to write. Sometimes I just write about writing. I am a reader, too, reading, of course, a good bit about writing. I have facorite authors which I follow, but, also I have favorite writers who write articles and sometimes have websites that are enjoyable to me. There is only a handful that I truly enjoy, and feel I benefit from. I look forward to reading their next post and…

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Oh Grampster, my Grampster!

Part writer, part rodent - "The Grampster!"

Oh Grampster, my Grampster!

Published by Don on October 15, 2021

Life is like a Rubik’s Cube. If you have time to work with it enough, people will eventually look at you and say, “Wow! Good job!” If you don’t have it, it will be obvious you are a loser. Part writer, part rodent, the youngsters call me “the Grampster!” I practice writing and philosophy. Once, I even carved a pony out of a sweet potato. While we’re being serious, since I have spent much of…

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FACEBOOK & Notebook Organizational Skills

FACEBOOK & Notebook Organizational Skills

Published by Don on August 3, 2021

#Amazon – You know I was a self-employed business person before I did any writing. My organization has evolved (painfully) to a two-notebook system, including a small “power notebook” I carry with me all the time, and a larger notebook like this one that I like for a “business notebook.” Now that I try to write as well, I use a third journal, also like this one for my “writing notebook.” My “power book” is with…

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World-class Travel Writer

World-class Travel Writer

Published by Don on July 16, 2021

It just came to me. New ride. World-renown author. Bored and looking for new directions. World, meet Don Martin, World-class Travel Writer. Don Martin, World Class Travel Writer, meet World. My life and career finally have direction! All that being said, let’s go on our first travel adventure! The exotic and far-away land of Walmart on Nolensville Rd!Ample forms of transportation await us. Boy, THAT was a close one!…

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