About My Blog…

 

What to say here without embarking on a personal Odyssey?

On my blog, the reader will find a cross-section of my writings: short stories, flash fiction, the occasional article and some satire, and lots and lots of book reviews. I’m sure I share many of the reasons why other people blog, be it aspiring and established writers showcasing their prose, photographers to share their pictures, entrepreneurs promoting their businesses, and a host of others. For some it will be an enjoyable hobby and an outlet for their creativity. For others, it might be the first tentative steps of a dreamed-of life-long career. But behind those commonly held reasons I imagine there to be many other, less obvious and personal reasons

For as long as can I remember, I’ve enjoyed writing of all kinds, anything from a short story to express an idea to something as mundane as writing an email to praise or complain about some product or service. But it’s only since August 2013 since I resurrected the blog I started back in February of 2012 that I’ve wanted to do more with my writing.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently decided to take early retirement to enjoy my many outdoor pursuits whilst still fit and healthy enough to enjoy them, and to pursue my writing ambitions, unhindered by the constraints and obligations of full-time employment. So what of this blog? How does this fit into my retirement and writing in general?

In this day and age, people are living longer and healthier more active lives. The time following retirement is no longer just a short interlude before the final curtain that draws a close on us all. And whilst I’m looking forward to long lazy country walks, mountain biking through the Welsh valleys, weekends of wild camping in Scotland, and climbing my favourite mountains, and I daresay, quite a bit of baby-sitting the grandkids, I want my life to mean more than just the usual self-indulged recreational pleasures in the years to come. I want my writing to be a more permanent reflection of my life and interests; to hopefully bring an occasional moment of pleasure, not just to family and friends, but strangers who I may never meet, just as the many other bloggers and aspiring writers have brought me.

 

In the short time I’ve been taking my blog more seriously, I’ve exchanged advice and comments with many other writers, both published and unpublished, and learned so much. Not only has my writing much improved, but also my reading; by way of the books I’ve reviewed and the many posts I’ve read, I’ve discovered and enjoyed genres I might otherwise never have given a second thought.

As we’ve seen from the many talent shows that grace our television screens, there’s a wealth of undiscovered talent out there, as good and often better than many of the established ‘artists’. From what I’ve seen here on ‘WordPress’, and the self-published books I’ve reviewed, I think much the same can be said of the world of writing and literature, that here lies a literary goldmine, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed – something I definitely want to be a part of…