Have you ever noticed how Stephen King has dozens of characters in most of his novels? That guy has more characters in him than just about any author I know. In the first couple of chapters I wonder if I’ll ever be able to keep track of who’s who. I get frustrated when he starts giving them nicknames, in addition to their proper names, and I tell myself I’m going to quit if it doesn’t get easier by the next chapter. Yet I keep reading. Mr. King has that effect on me. And halfway through, I’m amazed at how I know that Dylan (aka Mr. D) is the canine office mascot, Orville is the guy who takes ole D home on weekends, Sandy Dearborn (Gramma Sandy) isn’t a girl, and Carl and his son Ned both hit their foreheads with the heels of their hands when they figure out something.
Maybe one of the reasons I feel overwhelmed by the huge ensemble casts in Stephen King’s novels is that I’m an introvert. Not exactly a loner, just someone who needs long periods of time to figure things out in private, before I’m ready to start brainstorming with the human race. But without both, I’d go crazy.
Whoever said “there’s no I in TEAM” never met my team–and that’s his loss. I wouldn’t want to work with him. In my experience, being a good team member is all about my “I” co-existing with the other “I”s I meet at work every day. Sometimes my “I” doesn’t behave as I’d like her to, but if I wasn’t allowed to be “I” on my team, I’d be unhappy. And if any of my other teammates decided not to bring part of their “I” to the table, I’d feel bereft. Like most of Stephen King’s stories, if any one of the characters was eliminated, the story wouldn’t be the rich and many-layered confection that most of his stories are.
Next time I have to face a big, scary monster (aka project), I sure hope I don’t have to do it without a full cast.
