one.blue.berry* is the blog for what will eventually be an online magazine of the best true stories submitted by readers. Each month, there will be a different theme which can be used as a writing prompt. I’ve started with just one of my own experiences (which some of you may already have seen on The Complete Flake) and will continue contributing as we go along.

The original idea was to use this format to write my own experiences, but that felt kind of creepy and self-involved. I LOVE reading and hearing true stories, like NPR’s This American Life and my new fave show, Snap Judgment, and a great, true-story website from the early days of the web, Fray.com. It doesn’t post submissions any more, but it does sell collections of the true stories that people (including me) used to submit.

Then it hit me one night, just as I was about to fall asleep: I could take submissions just like Fray.com did, post them on the blog, and publish the best stories every month in a beautifully formatted and illustrated micro-magazine. I bolted upright and went straight to the computer. I haven’t had much sleep since, lol.

This is IT for me, the Thing I’ve been looking for that exactly fits my skills, experience, and passion. I’ve been an editor/journalist for over 30 years. I love the process of managing guest posts for CustomerLove – in fact, I realized I wanted to start a magazine the first months of the challenge.

But even though I love the CL experience, I still don’t feel comfortable teaching people how to market – and I could see that’s where I’d have to go if I wanted to make a living with CustomerLove. I’d rather keep the challenge going as it is – a great community of creative smartasses, having fun and working together to help each other grow – and not worry about squeezing money out of it. So I’m not abandoning CL at all, but I do need to do something that’s not about marketing.

And I think I’m not the only one who is a little burned out on all the how-to’s. A little light reading seems in order for all of us – stories that are funny, dramatic, or thought-provoking, that speak to the human experience that is so much deeper than our businesses.

Love, Hate, Fear, Sex, Fame, Crime, Comedy, Friendship, Family, Adventure, Religion, Death – and yes, Business – we all have so much to share!

I hope you will join me on this new journey, read the stories – and tell your own!

*Each story is represented by one blue berry – a surprising little burst of flavor as you bite into it.