Recently, two Washington state pharmacists wrote an article for a local newspaper regarding the medication therapy management contributions pharmacists can make. Don Downing and Peggy Odegard wrote an opinion piece published in the Bellingham Herald paper that we think does a phenomenal job of telling our MTM story and explaining how pharmacists are the crucial element in addressing our nation's medication-use crisis. Here's a tip of the hat to them for their efforts.

Many pharmacists don't consider themselves writers. Obviously, these two folks do an excellent job. And you can too! Writing letters and short opinion articles such as this one is an excellent way for us to tell our story. Consider writing your own and submitting it to the local media in your area.

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a writing consultant as part of a group workshop. The pearls I took from that included rules I try to live by today:

• Rule 1 - Never write a sentence longer than three lines.
• Rule 2 - Never write a paragraph longer than nine lines.
• Rule 3 - Perhaps the most important -- write as you speak.

I guarantee that if you follow these rules, you'll do an excellent job of telling your story too.