The Experience of Physical Gratitude and How it Shapes Plot and Character

What makes you grateful? The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Receiving Prosperity by Louise Hay, and every one of Abraham-Hicks' teachings are about creating a successful and happy life by focussing on what makes you grateful.

One of the main reasons we often have physical hobbies is because they make us feel good. They put us into a happy little state and some of us even hum or sing while we are doing our hobbies. It gives us a precious place to think our thoughts or just get in a happy, healthy mental zone of gratitude.

There is the reward, of course, of a new outfit or a toque or a birdhouse when your project is done, but there is even greater value, for many hobbyists, in the doing of the activity, itself. 

I mentioned that I am building a greenhouse out of old windows from a house in my Nova Scotia neighbourhood. 

I have been very startled several times during the process by people saying "what are you growing to grow in it?" because that had not even entered my mind, and I'm so many work hours from that stage! There are so many joyful hours of calculating lumber and mitre sawing and hammering and pondering and measuring and puzzling and making things work out before the GROWING comes. In fact, it's turning out to be such a beautiful structure, that it might end up being more about drinking tea and reading books in the afternoon sun with a view of the herb garden, than about filling it up with boxes of dirt and plants. We shall see! 

In romance novels, it's often very sexy to think of the hero hammering together a house, or renovating with a particular artistic eye for beauty. I think the /reason/ that this is sexy is that the hero is following a happy, productive path during that phase.

Many books also seem to have the heroine running a shop or a cafe. There's a great deal of satisfaction in her daily activities -- counting receipts, doing inventory, dealing with customers. Or sometimes, there might be frustration! 

The point is, giving our characters actions, and a life path, helps drive the plot forward and give us a structure to shape the characters and hang the emotional development on. Many of the older romances had the heroine being kind of aimless until she became a nanny or a maid for a rich guy, though even that gave activity to shape a plot around.

Nowadays, many of us love to read about strong, happy, successful heroines who do really cool stuff. Personally, I feel like there are enough struggles in my real life. I like the fairytale world of a romance, where business is successful and girlfriends are awesome and men are sexy.

Assignment:

Either:

1. Think up an activity for a heroine, and one for a hero, to pursue throughout the plot of a new novel. It doesn't need to be their career. Maybe he's a bank clerk but loves model trains. Or maybe she's a secretary for a really dull boss, but restores antique furniture in her spare time and meets her hero through that hobby.

OR

2. Write about yourself doing a hobby or one of your favourite things. Write about that little hum of satisfaction that buzzes through your body as you do it. What physical sensations let you know that you're enjoying yourself?