An interesting article came across my news feed last week: Why do you hate your job?
What intrigued me wasn't that most of us hate our jobs, it is called work, after all. No, what got my attention was the sudden realization that I didn't know whether the characters in my latest WIP hated their jobs—or what their dream job would be for those one of those days.
If you know me, you’ve know my escape-it-all job is to wait tables in a diner in a small Southern town on the coast or in the Keys. Over the years, I've had this discussion with a number of friends, who has 'dream' jobs ranging from ghost busters or wine tasters.
But I hadn't asked my characters. So I did.
The hero of my current, if-I-every-finish-this-self-torture WIP has inherited the family’s small construction and renovation business. Yet he fantasizes about specializing in retrofitting green technology on home while living deep in a red state (most of his clients quietly ask for the retro and don’t want the neighbors to know—ha, ha)
When he wants to chuck it all, his dream job is to run river-rafting tours in Idaho.
When he wants to chuck it all, his dream job is to run river-rafting tours in Idaho.
Days later, I still don’t know how my heroine would escape. It’s driving me nuts. The job has to be borderline crazy, yet in complete keeping with her personality. She’s driven, ambitious, and likes people more in theory than in actuality. So waiting on tourists is not going to be her thing. Ha, ha.
But she’s not the type to hermit away either, even if she’s currently avoiding everyone in her home town as if she were in the witness protection program. I've come to the conclusion that she's not the type to ditch it all. She's the one who's going to dig in until it kills her.
What about you and the people in your heads? Do they dream of leaving it behind or would they dig in?
Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. She's attempting her hand at a contemporary, but it's not going so well. In fact, she's dug in and it will likely kill her.
If you want to know more about her as an author, visit her Facebook page.
What about you and the people in your heads? Do they dream of leaving it behind or would they dig in?
Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. She's attempting her hand at a contemporary, but it's not going so well. In fact, she's dug in and it will likely kill her.
If you want to know more about her as an author, visit her Facebook page.
Keena,
ReplyDeleteYou pose an interesting question. I have a gunfighter who longs for a ranch and the 'love of a good woman', so he eventually gets his wish. I also wrote about a lady gambler who wants to put her nomadic life behind her and settle down, but she's consumed with seeking vengeance on the villain. I'll have to think about this some more and get back to you. *wink*
Mmmm...it'll be interesting to see what your lady gambler does once she gets vengeance.
DeleteGood question, Keena. In a contemporary, I would say my characters follow their dreams, if they're able. In my historicals, it seems they're more driven by need than want. Mail order brides having to get out of town fast and find a new life, or a debutante with a step father who has some awfully wicked plans for her...well, now you have me thinking! That's a good thing!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Cheryl. It's easy to figure out in historicals because the options are limited ... and that can be great fodder. So much trickier in contemporaries.
DeleteI can hook your hero up with some good contacts in Idaho!
ReplyDeleteI’m down with that. :-)
DeleteGood points. Most of the time, since I write historicals, my characters are following a dream. Of course that dream isn't what they thought so necessity drives them in a different direction.
ReplyDeleteFor myself, I'm the lucky one. Most of my jobs have been what I dreamed I would do. Guess I reflect that in my characters also. Just charge in and get what you want. LOL Doris
In some ways, I think it’s easier when I write historical because their options were fewer. When everything is possible, it’s hard to pick just one.
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ReplyDeleteA really interesting question. In historicals they really are forced into a situation where their choices are limited, even when their talents lie elsewhere. It's that lack of opportunity which made a couple of my characters turn to a life of crime.
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