What is a hobby?  As defined by the dictionary, it is an interest or activity to which a person devotes time for pleasure.  Things or activities that a person does for relaxation or enjoyment.

 Hobbies help to invoke passion in your life which in turn helps revitalize your writing, often by pushing your boundaries.  When you give your characters interests or hobbies it fleshes out their personalities and helps the reader to be more invested and care about them. If they care about your characters, they’ll be more likely to enjoy the story and be able to make a connection. You as a writer need that passion as well. Without that enthusiasm there is little motivation to get up in the morning, head to your computer keyboard or pick up your pen and write.  

Quite a few fiction writers paint.  Painting helps you to look at things, create things, and show things.  Anything that helps you to see is advantageous to your writing in creating characters, storytelling, locations, etc. for your books.   

Giving quality time to activities you enjoy helps your performance in creative problem-solving which affects your brain’s abilities and supports your performance in life in general, as well as writing. Hobbies tend to build confidence and self-esteem.  They are excellent for your mental health, they increase productivity, and can spark new ideas. When we get excited about something, it activates the reward system in the brain and motivates us to stick with it.

 If you’ve ever had writer’s block, you know that sometimes you need that motivation to continue to the next chapter of your book or article.  A hobby forces your mind to focus which is the enemy of writer’s block and a friend to the writer.  Recharging your mind with something new or different can make all the difference in your outlook and productivity.

Hobbies give us a kind of resilience and keep us engaged so that we can write that next great novel that might be an inspiration for someone else who needs it. If you haven’t found what helps inspire you to greatness, do some exploration.  There are countless ways to spark your mind!

Solitaire

 www.solitaireparke.com