A quote I hear all to often: "Write what you know!"
This quote speaks volumes, and I have seen the influence of this words when I hear authors talking about settings for their books being in the same state they live, or character personalities based on people they know personally. Writing what you know tends to come naturally, from the vocabulary you use to the conflicts you create for your characters. In some ways even the most far out fantasy book has elements of author life experiences.
You're looking for the point right? Well, I'm getting to it. Patience, dear readers!
That being said, I have been analyzing my hobbies. Do my hobbies increase my knowledge to a point that I can write about them? Do these hobbies expand my vocabulary and mind? Are my hobbies merely just the chance to escape the mundane, humdrum of the daily life?
Let's list said hobbies:
Reading
Book Review
Blogging
Tweeting
Internet article surfing
Paranormal research/ Host of online Paranormal Show
Website Design
Cooking
Playing Violin
Marketing Director for Dog Rescue
Most of these hobbies are definitely geared toward enlightening my mind with stimulating content. I read anything and everything. From news updates to the latest historical romance. I blog to hone writing skills. Designing websites is just another one of those things I do because I'm nice. I tweet to expose myself to authors and the writing community because they are much more exciting then most of my extended family, and network of day job co-workers. I cook because my fondness of food equates to bringing it up in almost every conversation. I help doggies because I can. Hosting a paranormal show was just a suggestion by the DH. He thought I would be good at it and I guess I am.
Random Fact about me: I am my own worst critic about everything I do. A little self conscience I know.
In the end my hobbies enrich, relax, and give me a purpose beyond just going to work and coming home every day. I'm not changing the world, but I am not living ignorant in it. I would say there is an attempt to accomplish my dreams. At the same time, I don't believe to be an expert in my hobbies and I am certainly not an authority to write about them.
So, what about you? Do your hobbies enrich your life and your writing? Are you an expert on said hobbies, and feel you could successfully integrate them into your fiction? Got any hobbies to recommend?
Hmmm. I'm not sure if I would consider research a hobby, but research probably informs my writing more than anything else. Other current hobbies, not so much. And unless I'm writing nonfiction, I'm not sure I need to be an authority on much of anything so long as I can speak authoritatively about a subject. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteI do see that a person's hobbies could very successfully be integrated into something like a cozy mystery.