A former youth minister, Kirsten Vienneau always heard the same thing from high school students when she asked what they did over the weekend.
The most common responses: “I watched TV” or “I played on the computer.”
“They just didn’t do much of anything,” said Vienneau, a Sammamish resident. “I had so much fun in high school and college and I would tell them these ideas and they were just like, ‘That sounds like so much fun, let’s do that.’”
Inspired to share her experiences with a larger audience, Vienneau acted on an impulse.
“I was in Japan with nothing to do,” said Vienneau, whose husband Steve was ordered overseas shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. “I literally was sitting in bed one night and it just popped into my head — I should write a book.”
Eight years later — after five moves and the birth of three children — Vienneau self-published “I Don’t Know. What Do You Want To Do?”
Titled after a common teenager phrase, the 113-page book highlights hundreds of “fun-focused” topics, including creative ways to ask people out on dates, non-electronic activities to do around the house, celebrating wacky holidays and hosting themed parties. Vienneau notes there are endless activities to do out there; kids just need to be creative.
“I think for students, entertainment comes to them now and they kind of have forgotten to use the muscles of creativity — the more you use them, the stronger they get,” she said.
Portrayed in a light-hearted fashion, the book also includes a humorous list of mistakes to avoid, like certain pickup lines (“If I were a booger, I’d pick you first”) and things not to do during final exams (“Take your math or science exam using Roman numerals”). Many of the book’s short stories are things that happened to Vienneau and her friends growing up in Redmond.
While the book contains plenty of humor, the most important thing Vienneau hopes teen and young adult readers gain is that there are endless options for fun in high school and college. She hopes students can use it as a guide to avoid falling in the common traps of using drugs and alcohol — a problem survey results have indicated is prevalent on the Plateau.
“I think this is a great book to try and get students to say, there’s more to life than having your head in a toilet after a party,” Vienneau said.
She said the book also can be useful to those who struggle with depression and bullying.
“This is another book that can kind of take the pressure off of students a little bit and say, ‘It’s OK, you can have some fun,’ and just really build community,” Vienneau said.
The first-time Sammamish author, who has kids aged 3, 7 and 9, said her latest focus has involved working on children’s books. That doesn’t mean she won’t return to more teen and young adult focused work somewhere down the road — especially with the positive feedback she’s received.
“People are telling me I should do a second version of this, so I’ve been collecting ideas,” she said.
Give it a read
To learn more about “I Don’t Know. What Do You Want To Do?”email Kirsten Vienneau directly at kjvienneau@yahoo.com. The book is also available on Amazon.com.
