I’ve been posting to the
Observer since 2008. Before that I wrote columns for the Williamson Herald in
Tennessee. To say I’ve enjoyed the process of putting ideas and thoughts on
Word documents and then sending them through cyberspace to all of you, would be
an enormous understatement.
It hasn’t always been easy to
find a suitable topic. When you try to put a humorous spin on a subject there
is always the risk of going too far or in some cases, not far enough. I have my
wife Nancy to thank for guiding me. She kept me out of hot water I’m sure. No
matter how much I liked a post, if she said, “Maybe you shouldn’t,” I went back
to the laptop and started over.
Many writers are paid for what
they write. It’s understandable why they keep writing. But writers who are not
paid continue to write anyway. Everyone has their reasons. No doubt we all hope
to write something that goes viral and opens up opportunities to find a larger
audience and yes, get paid for what we have to say.
Most writers though, write for
other reasons too. We have ideas, notions, theories just like well, everybody
else. What makes us different I suppose is we have the need to write down our
ideas and share them with others. Thanks to word processing and the Internet,
people who want to write can find an audience without having to go through
middlemen like agents, editors and publishers. (Having an editor would do wonders
for most of us.)
I can’t say I knew I would be
rewarded for writing the Observer. As it turned out I was. On average I
received 25 replies to every post. The best responses were the ones that
started with, “you reminded me of something that happened to me…” If I tapped
into a happy memory for a reader, I felt I did my job that week. I also got replies
that were much funnier than what I wrote. Many times those who wrote said
something I dearly wished they could have told me before I published.
I covered a lot of topics over
the years. I complained that paper receipts were too long. I wrote about
watermelons, the holidays and the death clock. I wrote about baby boomers more
than I intended to, defending and excoriating my generation. I poked fun at TV
shows like American Idol and the Bachelorette. I wrote about fortune cookies
too. For reasons I cannot begin to understand that post is by far my most
popular. Every week there are at least a few views recorded. Google must have a dedicated server just for fortune cookie related searches.
By now you’ve probably guessed
that I won’t be writing the Observer anymore. I want to focus on writing longer
essays and some short fiction for now. In writing the Observer, I did my best
not to tip my hand regarding my political leanings or my position on most
topics. It wasn’t my purpose. Over the years I noticed that readers often see
what they want to see. No harm done. Who knows? I may have revealed more than I
intended at times. Now I want to write about topics with the freedom to speak
my mind more freely. Yes, I could have done that when I was writing the
Observer, but gradually I came to understand that that wasn’t the premise I
offered when you invited me into your lives.
I plan to keep writing. The
fever hasn’t broken yet. And I’ll submit my words, seeking publication through
traditional sources. If I have any luck, I’ll be sure to let you know. I am
happily aware that you have had much to do with my development as a writer. You
read my stuff, encouraged me and corrected me when I needed it. Thank you.
And as always, thanks for
reading. It’s been an honor to write for you.
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