I mentioned the other day that I’m beginning a couple new projects. The one you get to read is called, “The Stranger Stories.” It dawns on me that some explanation may be helpful by way of an introduction.
I have always been a people-watcher. When I was a kid, I would often find myself wondering what the world looks like to other people. What do they notice? What’s important to them? Do they perceive colors the same way I do? As I grew up, these questions came to include others such as, “How have other people’s past experiences influenced their thought processes in such a way to make them react differently to this situation than I would?” Maybe I should have been a psych major … nah. Armchair psychology has fewer regulations.
The Stranger Stories is more than a simple writing exercise for me. It is an exercise in empathy, compassion, observation, and circumspection designed to broaden my own gaze, while hopefully encouraging you lovely readers to do likewise. After all, if we are more aware that people around us aren’t all just like us, we will grow in our capacity to care for others – even complete strangers.
These are going to be short stories I write about real people. People I don’t know. I will what information I can glean from observing them (without being creepy), and fill in the gaps to create (mostly fictional) brief narratives. Sounds like fun, right? The first installment will be published on Saturday.
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