19 April 2016

Passion

**My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is THE REVISION PROJECT. Topics I come across while I write the third draft of my novel, Uneven Lines.**

In fact, there was something sort of beautiful about Eric and his guitar. I couldn’t quite figure it out. It was sort of like when I watched Tom cook. It was a happiness that went beyond the fact that he enjoyed what he was doing. Like it was meant to be or something.

There are a few different kinds of passion. Today's post isn't about the romantic kind (because we already kinda sorta talked about that!). There's another kind of passion that comes up a lot in UL, and it's about a passion for what you do, or really, just a passion for life.

Most people have a thing. For a lot of you, it's probably writing. I'm not talking about something you just do for fun or as a hobby. This thing is your passion. You feel like you were meant to do it. You get a certain thrill when you do it, and when you're not doing it, you're probably thinking about it, just waiting for the next moment when you can get back to it.

Why would this be important to a story? Well, it may not be. But it is something that comes up a lot in UL. And it's not just about this idea of fulfilling your dreams. Are you really being true to yourself? Are you even being yourself at all, or are you shoving that passion down?

I have one character whose passion is cooking. He does it a lot, and quite well, but mostly on his own. It's not something he usually shares with other people. It's definitely not a big part of his life, even though it should be (like, say, as a career). It sort of coincides with who he is as a person. He hides most of himself from the world, only making connections with a select few. He can't fully give in to his passion, just like he can never fully be himself.

On the other side of the spectrum, I have a character who doesn't know what his passion is. He doesn't really know what he's looking for in life, just moving from one cheap thrill to the next. There's nothing with any significant meaning to him. So over the course of the book, he is able to find his passion (which happens to be music), but what he's really finding is himself.

Whatever your characters are passionate about could say a lot about them. It may go beyond just a simply hobby or even a career goal. It could speak about who they are as a person, and reveal things that maybe they (or you) didn't even realize.

What are your characters passionate about? Does it reveal something about them?

10 comments:

  1. I've had characters passionate about Minecraft, soccer, keeping promises to dead mother, overcoming a fear of heights, and so on. Yeah, a passion is a great thing to build a narrative.

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  2. Your post about passion hits home for artists of all types. I like you hitting on all those little voices we all hear that try to hold us back. I'm the character in my own story, my art speaks for me & tells the stories. Keep looking deeper in all those psyches! paperandpigment.blogspot.com

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  3. I have a character in one story who's a high school theater geek. She makes a lot of Monty Python references. And in general, my characters also tend to be members of Red Sox and Patriots Nation. I think it reveals more about me than them...

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  4. I'd feel sorry for people who don't have a passion for something in their lives.

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  5. All people need to find their passion. I can't imagine not having something I do that I love. And I think it's also important for people to realize the money doesn't matter if you are loving what you do. I was ready to hang up the writing thing after my first book didn't hit the best seller list (I was naive), and my husband pointed out that even if writing was just a hobby, it was something that brought me joy, so why would I ever quit? He enjoys hunting and doesn't plan to quit if he can't get his own hunting show (he doesn't actually want a show, but was using that as an example, LOL).

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  6. My current WIP has a main character seeking redemption and another seeking justice. They're both passionate about the ways they're seeking their goals.

    Susan Says

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  7. passion is so key to our individuality.

    The Birthday Girl At The Joyous Living

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  8. I have a few passions in my life. My mind's drawing a blank about any passions my characters have though. Long day today.

    ~Ninja Minion Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

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  9. Still working on this... I find it hard to separate my characters' passions from my own.

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  10. One of my characters had a passion for becoming a solider when the rest of her family were scholars. The conflict eventually was diminished, because she's a side-character, but I like being able to still show a little of that tension.

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