Right now I’m working on a new proposal for another young adult.  As I start this process, I begin by fleshing out my character.  And one of the first things I ask a character-in-the-making is:  What’s your thing?  In This Heart of Mine, Leah, who thinks she’s dying in the first part of the novel, is a book geek.  On her bucket list is to read a hundred books.  In Two Feet Under, Riley is into art.  This is very important to her, because she learns her mother was an artist, too.  In fact, the book video shows Riley painting.  And I love how the video shows it as if it’s important to her.  And it is.

https://youtu.be/H9Oddhvw3GI 

And while creating my new character that I’m calling Andi,
it got me thinking about having a thing. 
About how important it is to identify our interests.  

You see, when I was growing up, I was in awe of my peers who
had a thing, or in some case, things. 
Girls who loved volley ball.  Girls
who joined debate clubs.  Girls in
gymnastics and girls into cheerleading. 
There were the band lovers and the book clubbers.  I envied those girls who knew their “things.”These
girls seemed happier.  They seemed to
have more self-confidence.  It appeared
as if most them had tribes.  Because the
people who liked the same things as they did, bonded together.

Me?  I felt thingless.  And in a lot of ways, I suppose I lacked in
the confidence arena.

I think if I hadn’t been dyslexic, I’d have been a book
clubber and even a writer.  Yes, I loved a
story.  But with my learning disability,
I never felt I could even attempt writing and reading was more of a chore than
enjoyment. So I just made up my own stories in my head.  Frankly, it didn’t feel like a thing.  In fact, I didn’t tell anyone that I spent so
much time living in my head.  I didn’t have
a clue that what I was doing all those years was building my storytelling and
plotting skills.

When I finally admitted I wanted to be a writer and I jumped
into the that I’m-an-author lifestyle, when I let myself feel the passion, I
can’t even begin to tell you how rewarding it was.  I finally had a thing.  Shortly after joining a writing organization,
I found a tribe.   I’m lucky my thing, my
passion, ended up being my career.  But
that’s not always the case.  In fact, I
think we need more than one thing, especially if one of those is a career.

As I’ve matured, I’ve discovered other interests as
well.  I love wine and enjoy doing
tastings and joining wine clubs.  I love
cooking and looking for new recipes and spending time in the kitchen creating
dishes.  I love reading and discussing
books. I love going to casinos every five or six months and gambling with small
set sum that I can afford.

Have you ever been talking to someone you didn’t know that
well and the conversation hits on their passion, and they just light up and
that person just takes on a whole new dimension? I love hearing people talk
about their “things.”  I believe we all
need to have these interests no matter what our age. 

It doesn’t matter what it is.  People are passionate about Elvis, Star Wars, ballet or Broadway plays.  It can be crocheting or square dancing.  Football or going to yard sales.  It can be finding potatoes that look like celebrities.  It can be anything, as long as it gets you excited and offers you a sense of self and of accomplishment.

When I meet people who aren’t what I’d call depressed, but
they aren’t completely content or maybe they are just bored, I often realize
that these people are like I was as a teen. 
They are thingless.  They don’t have
passions or hobbies.  They don’t have a
tribe. 

So as I ask and try to help my
soon-to-be-character discover what her thing is, I’m going to ask you as
well:  What’s your thing?  I thought it would be fun to tell each other about
our hobbies and passions. 

Do you not have one?  If not, I encourage you to find one. 

Giveaway!

This week, I’m giving away a newly designed C.C. Hunter T-shirt to one person who shares their “thing or things.”