Have you ever thought about this: why does everyone always ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up until about five years ago. Luckily, I still have awhile before I grow up.
As a child, I always wanted to be a princess, of course. But then I realized you couldn't just become a princess one day so I changed my dream occupation. What is the default career for a girl who can't be a princess? An interior designer, naturally. Through my early teen years, I thought for certain that would be the job for me. But when I took art in high school and got a D- on my drawing of a stick figure, I thought that career choice was out of the question. I never even considered interior design in college because I let my self-doubt consume me. Sad. I could have had my own show on HGTV. (I hear they give those shows out to any blonde who does interior design. And any handyman who has nice biceps.)
Even at college-age, I didn't know what I wanted to be. My major was "undecided." A guidance counselor should have told me "undecided" meant varied interests, which is a key trait for a writer, but I don't ever remember "author" being mentioned as a career choice. (That's probably because it's not the wisest career choice, since most authors have to keep a day job for many years into their careers.) It wasn't until after I became a stay-at-home mom that I wanted to write a book; it took me five years to complete it. But writing was an in-the-closet hobby for a long time. About five years ago, I got really serious about writing and made the transition from hobby to career (and from sane to insane).
I used the "glow" filter on this pic, because it is symbolic of how writers view the world. Writers take away the blah of daily life (the wrinkles and sun-spots). Have you ever read a book where the main character did dishes for an hour? Or spent an entire afternoon cleaning a closet? No! A good author skips the mundane and makes everything "glow." Good analogy, eh? OK, so I just used "glow" because it makes me pretty like Glamour Shots. (Yes, click on that if you need a good laugh.) However, I must disclose that I never look like that when I am writing, but you don't want to see a picture of me without my hair combed and without make-up on. (It would give you nightmares!) I also don't get dressed when I write. Wait! I didn't mean it like that. Unlike other people, I'm not entirely comfortable wearing just a paper towel. I stay in my jammies for as long as possible. That is one of the perks of the job.
It took me a really long time to know what I was going to be when I grew up. How about you? Did you know since you were kid what you would study in college? What job you would have? What hobbies would fill your time? Or have you figured things out as you go?
Also, do you have any predictions what your kids will be when they grow up? We think we will have a Coast Guard Swimmer in our family, since we have one boy who has been swimming in halfway frozen puddles since he was two. But then again: do any parents ever correctly predict what their kids will be?
What say ye? (And good thing I'm really not a pirate. Can you imagine how hard it would be to type with a hook?)
