About this blog

Me and a friend at the
Trees of Mystery along
the Northern California
coast

I’m not sure what a writer’s blog should be, but I’m thinking it should be entertaining and informative—for both the blogger and anyone who happens to stumble across its posts and pages. I take fiction writing seriously, and when I write about writing I take that seriously too. And this blog will undoubtedly include some of that “serious” stuff, although probably not in the form of writing tips. There is already enough writing advice out there in the digital universe to explode the head of any would-be writer. More likely, I’ll talk about the writing process and my own experiences in the hope that someone will find that informative.

But I want this blog to be about much more than writing. If it isn’t, then I suspect it will die a not-so-slow death—because I will lose interest in it, as will anyone who happens upon it.

Several years ago, I was asked by the city editor of our local newspaper to write a monthly column for a magazine insert called Encore. Encore’s audience was baby boomers, a generation I happen to be a member of. I was reluctant because, frankly, I thought writing such a column would be a drudge. I asked the city editor what I would be expected to write about. Her response was, “Anything you want.” I knew she meant “anything I want that would ‘inform and entertain’ the readers.” I wrote a couple of sample columns based on my own boomer experiences, putting in just enough data to inform while concentrating on the goal of entertaining. The column was approved by the paper’s editor, and for the remaining life of the magazine insert, I wrote my monthly column entitled “Now That I Think About It”—which I am happy to say was well received.

In thinking about this blog, I am reminded of my experience writing that newspaper column. I wrote it and enjoyed doing so because I had the freedom to write about anything I wanted to.

So, this blog will be about . . . anything and everything—whatever I’m thinking about at the moment I sit down to write a post (except religion and politics, which I will leave to the pious and the pundits). And always I will keep in mind my goal to entertain and inform. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Questions or comments: Feel free to contact me at bkmayo.comment@gmail.com.