February 11, 2021

When your editor has your back - and says so

    GENEVA, NY - My newspaper column in the Finger Lakes Times draws mostly positive comments.

     But today the Opinion Page (where my Write On scribblings appear every Friday) carried a smoking-hot letter from a reader, taking me to task for, well, just about everything I've written recently. And he said in no uncertain terms, I should pack up my keyboard and quit writing columns.

     You can read his full screed at the Finger Lakes Times website: Reader Rants.

   The writer is someone I have heard from a few times in the 9 1/2 years I have written Write On. When he first wrote a critical email to me years ago, I did as I always do for any reader who takes the time to write. I wrote him back, thanked him for his input and tried to open a dialog. It didn't work. In fact, I think it infuriated him.

     So today's letter wasn't a real surprise. Nor was his suggestion that I retire my columnist's cap. But this editor's note at the bottom of his letter was a surprise.

     That's quite an endorsement. It looks like I might hit the 10-year-mark of 520 consecutive columns on July 9.

   And I don't expect to retire from column writing after that. Not for awhile anyway. It's waaaaay too much fun.

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