A FEW years ago, a journalist who specializes in righteous indignation political opinion pieces asked me why I write the columns I write. This particular journalist considered such columns “fluff and stuff.” That made me chuckle.

My acquaintance is what I call an advocacy journalist. Such a person has strongly held opinions, and they draw upon the world of facts to write the stories they wish to write. In the world of journalism, this is a trend that has become fairly normal. Radio, television and the print media are full of pundits who opine indignantly about their peeve of the week. I don’t mind them. I often read them, but that’s not what I want to write about.

MY WRITING is a different approach. Political stories never really change. Oh, sure, the faces and the names change, but the storylines are as stale as a sitcom that has run too long. People get power. People misuse power. Corruption follows. Outrage follows. Throw the rascals out. Rinse and repeat.

I believe the stories that touch the lives of all of us are the stories that matter most. If I can tell a story that causes readers to detach momentarily from their day, to take a short mental vacation, and to find something to smile about — even for a moment — that is all I need to do.

I write first and foremost for my own amusement. I write about things I want to read about. When I complete a column, the first and harshest critic is me. I have over 50 columns that are under construction. Some sit idle for years, until I write a proper conclusion for them.

I write secondly for the amusement of my readers. I want people to enjoy them. I want people to be reminded of little lessons we all know we need to hear — being gracious to others, appreciating every morsel of good food we eat, loving our family members, helping the needy among us, enjoying the beautiful natural setting where we make our homes and raise our families. I want to strike a personal chord with readers, so they feel they got something from reading my column.

POLITICAL battles come and go. During the first 45 years of my life, there were times when I became deeply involved in politics. I decided in the mid 1990s I was through with my active involvement in political races, however. I wanted to reach people more directly, which led to my work with certain charities and ultimately, my writing this column. I want to leave behind a body of work that anyone can pick up and know the stories I have to tell, the messages I believe are important — the themes I find in life. I think my columns do that.

A story should have a point. Sometimes that point is only to amuse. Sometimes that point is to edify. Sometimes it is simply to remind of us the important things in life. It was once written by a wise man “I write to learn what I think.” I think that sums it up nicely.

If that’s fluff and stuff, I plead “guilty,” your Honor.

© 2009, Pappy Moore, All Rights Reserved.

Pappy Moore is a humorist, a native son of East Texas who still makes the piney woods his home.

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