Writing Boy by Albert Anker 1908 Wikipedia Commons (public domain)

Learn, Improve, and Write

In the May/June 2024 issue of Writer’s Digest, I found Amy Jones’ interview of author Daniel Willcocks (DanielWillcocks.com) particularly inspiring.

Daniel, the author of When Winter Comes and The Self-Publishing Blueprint, shared the quote, “The key to becoming a successful writer is to embrace the path of perpetual learning, improve your craft, and keep writing.”

In one sentence, he sums up the road to success.

At 75 years old, I proudly embrace the Daniel Willcocks philosophy. I commit to learning, improving, and writing every day. You’ll find me in front of my desktop, studying the arts, reviewing how other authors approach our craft, and writing my next blog.

I truly love the process—learning, improving, writing, blogging, editing, publishing, and engaging with my audience on Facebook.

Most of all, I love being a successful writer and blogger. It brings me joy to bring tears, laughter, and knowledge to my readers, guiding them down the path of perpetual learning.

Your President in Writing,

Mort

By Jim Buie with a little help from AI

What Have You Done to My Beloved USA?

In the land of the free, the brave, the true,

A question lingers in the red, white, and blue:

“What have you done to my beloved USA?”

A land where the order of law once held sway.

Where has the belief in justice gone,

In a nation where right was distinguished from wrong?

No man above the law, we proudly would say,

Now echoes like whispers from an era gray.

Justice, once a beacon so bright and so fair,

Seems clouded, obscured by a thickening air.

The guardians of peace, in blue sworn to protect,

Now face distrust and a loss of respect.

Citizens of stars and stripes, once united and strong,

Now question the chords to which they belong.

Journalism, the lens through which truth should appear,

Blurs lines between facts and the bias we fear.

Why are eyes turned away from the danger we face,

To the democracy we cherish, the foundation, the base?

In the pursuit of freedom, in the pursuit of dreams,

Are we unraveling, it sadly seems?

Yet, hope is the anthem that forever will play,

For the beloved USA, there’s still a way.

To remember, to honor, the values we hold dear,

And to the republic, for which we stand clear.

Where this will lead us, the future’s unwritten,

But by the pen of the people, our path will be smitten.

With each stroke of courage, each act of the just,

We’ll reclaim the belief, the faith, and the trust

Live, laugh and cry—Tomorrow at 2:00

Please join me for the best free one-man show south of Broadway. I promise you will enjoy it.