Everybody's got a story to tell. Some more than others. The only real difference between a respected author and a "starving artist" is the fact the the author has been recognized and published. They then become a sort of employee to a publisher and produce a set number of books that meet a certain criteria that the publisher dictates.
Well, here at Coffeeswirls, I don't believe in rushing anything. I like writing when I like and about topics that I like. That's the very nature of my blog Perhaps I'll begin a fictional story sometime. Something dark and disturbing. I may ramble on about politics for a bit. I may even put in a word about the dangers of smoking and a solid way to quit. I don't plan on having any true sense of continuity in this site. Each subject will be it's own little swirl and the beauty of it all can only realized by stepping back and looking at the randomness of all the little swirls that almost seem to be coordinating their efforts into one until all you see is a creamy uniform cup. Sound a bit odd to you? Me too. And that's OK.
Now where did I leave that story...
About taking things at my own speed, I just have to mention the city of Washington, Missouri. This is a town where you can sit back and take your time with anything! I've only visited there once. My wife has alot of family there and we went for a visit in 1999 to celebrate her Grandfather's 80th birthday. We stayed about 4 days in a town that was so relaxed! There were several locally-owned establishments, that thrived there. I think even the butcher was doing fine, despite the fact that there's a "Super Wal-Mart" there. Everyplace we stopped we saw someone that recognized one of us. It may have been a stop at the bank to use an ATM, a stop in the Wal-Mart to pick up a toothbrush, or to Altemueller’s Restaurant for a nice sit-down and relax kind of a meal. Granted, my wife and in-laws were partial to visiting these places for obvious reasons, but I felt so...welcome there. Everyone I met had a smile on their faces and it wasn't that fakey pasted-on smile that most people give.
Washington, MO is a town that is little enough for the people to care and big enough that you really don't have to leave for anything. It's far enough from larger cities that it has been passed over by most of the problems that occur when people live together, but close enough to one (St. Louis) that if you wanted to catch a professional sport, you'd only drive an hour or so.
To sum up, I've only been there for 4 days of my life and I already know where I want to retire to.