Sit back and set a spell...

I write the way I talk. Long, winding sentences that go on forever, interrupted by parenthetical comments, by clauses that describe--not necessarily in a charitable way--a person's character or traits, punctuated with pieces of backstory, and lots of meandering (more than likely unnecessary) details.

When we were teenagers, my brother K used to say of me, "Kathy is the only person I know who can summarize the plot of a 30-minute TV show in an hour." Yep. That's me.

Some people absolutely hate my stories. These are busy people, usually mathematically or scientifically inclined people (accountants, engineers, and the like). They are bottom-line people who want me to just cut to the chase, leave out all of the details, and just tell the end of the story. They want results, not history. They probably get more done in a day than I do in two weeks. They are not very much fun to be around. I avoid them. And they will want to avoid this blog.

Some people absolutely love my stories. These are people who have a little time on their hands, who like to sit on the porch with Mason jars of freshly made iced tea, people who majored in the humanities and liberal arts--or just as likely, didn't go to college at all, which is fine by me. They tend to be mechanics, social workers, teachers, government workers, and, occasionally, homeless. They have the time to listen to follow me down rabbit trails, to savor suspense, to listen closely, to begin to speculate about how it will all end. They would never cut me short and say, "So, are you saying that the car is totaled?" or, "Did you call the plumber about this?" No, they are people who know how to wait patiently to hear how a story unfolds, maximizing their delight at the end.  These people are detail-oriented, relational, people-focused. They just enjoy the company of others. They love animals. They are not very productive, maybe, but they're having a much better time during their visit to Planet Earth than the pinch-faced misers described previously. You know the kind I'm talking about: nice people. I am attracted to them like a magnet. Some of them have encouraged me to write my stories just the way I tell them in person. Perhaps a few people like that will like this blog.

This introductory post is the shortest post that will ever appear in this blog, I assure you. From now on, all posts will be long and involved. I guarantee it.