Sophie's...Choice

Our cat, Sophie, mentioned this evening that she would indeed like to win the $10k prize for this contest.  (It would buy many squeaky cat toys.)  She would appreciate your vote!  That is all.

Got Cats?

We sure do!  (Yes, this may be one of those disappearing posts in a few weeks.)

Could everyone visiting this page do me a quick favor and drop by and vote for Sophie as your favorite "wonder" cat?  It would be greatly appreciated!

About the Writer

Here is an update on...me.

Over the past two and a half decades, Karl Bjorn Erickson has written more than a hundred articles and essays. His publishing credits include America, The National Catholic Weekly, Catholic Answers' This Rock, Musica Sacra, the Statesman Journal, the Portland Tribune, Seattle Pacific University's Response, Catholic365.com, and many more. His articles explore a wide range of challenging and complex topics, but he especially enjoys writing upon the meeting of the arts and faith.
Karl is also the author of several books: Tristan's Travels, Toupee Mice, and The Blood Cries Out (not a children's book!). He's also fond of experimenting with new eBook formats — e.g., Oregon, My Oregon, A Photographic Journey: The Wallowas. (He describes this series as electronic coffee table books.)

On June 17, 2018, Karl Erickson graduated with honors from Marylhurst University with a BA in English Literature and New Media. Sadly, Marylhurst University closed at the end of 2018. This brings a sad, and arguably avoidable, end to more than a century of a rich educational legacy. More details may be found HERE. OregonLive and OPB have also written widely on the closure and its ramifications. He has also made some observations on his blog, Singing in the Wood.

While Karl is currently reducing his time investment in writing and his podcasts, he looks forward to exciting new projects on the horizon! As of late 2023, a new essay has just been completed, and Karl is looking for a good publishing home. He has also begun compiling about fifty of his best articles and opinion pieces as a Kindle compilation. Stay tuned... In other news, a new work of fiction is nearing completion. He hopes to have it completed by late 2026, which should nicely coincide with his potential retirement the following year.
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The look and feel of the website has changed. To learn more about what Karl has written, select "Publications."

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Update: I am happy to announce a photography profile page on SAALL Digital! I've been ordering prints and photo calendars from SAAL for years now, and I am delighted to be able to use them to fulfill your orders for my new photography company, PNW Photography. (This is my sole proprietorship's as-yet-unregistered DBA.) I hope you can stop by and take a look around!

If you have any questions or photo requests, don't hesitate to drop me a note.

Your Privacy and Google

 Because of its importance to all of us, I dedicated a new page on the blog to the matter of online privacy.  In addition, I would draw your attention to Google's resources for diving deeper into this thorny topic.  To learn even more about why Google collects the data it does, you may visit here.  UK residents may want to stop by the following page dedicated to the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

To read a BBC article critical of Google's "fingerprinting" technique, follow the link.

If you ever need to reach out to the blogger behind the blog, you may email me at karl@karlerickson.com .

Refining Sining in the Wood

 As I prepare this blog for years more of use, I've become a little annoyed with my consumer protection posts.  Granted, this has been the year that most of our home appliances crashed and burned, and a rental car company tried to scam us, but that doesn't make this the perfect venue for venting.  While I would like to write more about planned obsolescence and its potential relation to some environmental and sustainability regulations, that may come down the road--and in a different venue altogether.  As I try to tailor this blog for the future and maintain its theme integrity, the time has come to heave a few things off the side.

For now, the three articles below will be moved to a new Blog (Overflow) page on my website.  The Facebook article will remain up.  

The following articles can now be found now on the new page.

Hertz...Hurts

Avoid Samsung; No, Really.

Appliances Gone Wild

So, You's Wanna Be A Writer?

(a re-post from a few years ago) 

I completed a short video presentation (below) concerning the art of writing, and it occurred to me that it might be nice to have a post directed at writers, or those considering writing professionally.

British Library with Study Abroad Group

To that end, I will include the collected links and resources here for people to explore as they see fit.

 RelatedVideos

(poetry reading)

(London and Rome)

Blog Posts

Writing Quality Fiction

On Plagiarism

What I Learned from Meeting Brian Jacques

Sense of Place

Reflections on the Promotion of The Blood Cries Out

An Interview of Karl Erickson

An Analysis of The Blood Cries Out  

An Office Interview 

Don't Forget the Editor!

Staying in the "Creative Groove"

What Not to Write

Art, Music, and the Church

A Writing Tip or Two

Beginning at the Middle

Published Articles on Writing *

"Art, and the Christian Gospel"

* It looks like some of my favorite articles on writing are no longer available online.  Guess it's time to write some more!

Exploring Commonplace Books

(re-post)

My Early Modern Literature and Culture course (aka Shakespeare's Sister) at Marylhurst University introduced me to commonplace books this term.  These books have been around for centuries, and they may be a great choice for you to record important passages from books, personal reflections, or observations, or the occasional sketch or two.  Thinking back to the diaries of family members that I remember coming across as a child, I suspect I've seen these before without recognizing them for what they were.


I love the idea of the commonplace book, and I will certainly recommend the practice.  In fact, people often ask me how to become a better writer, and this may become one of the tools I talk about in the future--e.g. reading, writing, and living.  For years, I used to carry a writer's notebook.  I remember taking mental notes of characters or dialogue from public places, and these daily snapshots would usually end up in my trusty notebook.  (When I considered a law enforcement career in the late 1980s and early 1990s, pocket notebooks took on a whole different kind of purpose in recording notes on techniques and...people.)  Today, I rely on my camera to remind me of important scenes or landscapes.  Conveying a strong, sharp sense of place in my fiction is tremendously important to me, and this method works well.  When recording dialogue, I usually take notes on electronic devices, but I do occasionally use old-fashioned notebooks or journals.  The digital audio recorder can also be helpful.

For taking notes on passages of writing that are personally important, I use many different approaches daily.  Much to my mother's disappointment, I tend to highlight essential passages in traditional books.  I also enjoy using the "highlighting" feature found in eBooks.  For a writer, even published articles can be a way to remember favorite quotes, as this article is a single example.  Applications such as Evernote are also a great way to record important information along these lines.  (You can even record You Tube videos!)  In short, then, I won't be changing how I take notes insofar as this experience is concerned, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a valuable experience.  I would add that the commonplace exercise helps enhance attention to detail within works. It also offers fascinating insights into how my note-taking methods could be improved and strengthened.

So, when it comes to commonplace books, these are great tools for the present, and they have the potential of providing glimpses and insights of the "hidden transcripts" of those who lived before us.  Are they something I will personally continue?  Probably not, but the fault lies with me alone. I really can't stand my own handwriting.  If this doesn't present a challenge for you personally, go for it!  

(Here are some additional examples of commonplace books from Pinterest.)