Retired from what, Marty? And never make any money at my writing? As has been said of you many times, wrong again!!

I've worked at a variety of jobs, including as an announcer and news director at a radio station, where I wrote both news copy and commercial copy (and produced newscasts and taped commercials) for which I got paid. The job I officially retired from was as a technical writer for the Bonneville Power Administration, and they paid me quite well, thank you very much. As far as free-lance writing is concerned, I have one article published in Sing Out! (in the "Last Chorus" column, actually) for which I got paid (I didn't expect that), and I have fourteen articles published in a local music magazine. In addition, there is The Book (over 100,000 words so far, but not quite finished yet), for which I have been assured that I have a market. I have copies of all the magazines, so I can supply proof of what I say, unlike you, who, when you claimed to be a published writer, had to back off because, when questioned, you showed an abysmal ignorance of the publishing field and demonstrated an inability not just to spell common words correctly, but to write a grammatically correct sentence. Back in the days of Max Perkins, editors used to work with writers, but times and the publishing business have changed. They don't do that anymore, and they won't bother with a sloppy manuscript. They just send it back with a rejection slip.

I write this not because I give a rancid rip for your opinion, Marty but because you provide an excuse for my morning's five-fiinger (ten finger, actually) exercise to warm up for a day's writing,

By the way -- inside Marty's rough-hewn, acne-bespecked, one-eyebrowed Shrek-like exterior, you will find a kind, gentle, polite, considerate, soft-spoken, gentleman.

That's because he ate one a day or so ago and he hasn't passed him yet.

Have a nice day.

Don Firth