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| Image from “A Tramp Abroad” by Mark Twain. |
First up, congrats to Christina Kit, who won the ARC of TRY NOT TO BREATHE! And everyone else, please do look out for TRY NOT TO BREATHE when it comes out next month (and Jenn’s debut THE SECRET YEAR, while you’re at it).
Now then! If you are a writer, chances are you’ve had to set something else aside that you like doing in order to free up the time necessary to complete a book.
For me, I really enjoy video games and used to play them a bit before writing. Now? Not so much. I also watch less sports and TV in general, go to the movies less, and if I weren’t indoors writing on the weekend I’d probably be out hiking.
What about you?
The gym, unfortunately. Also most shopping, since all I wear now is sweatpants and old sweaters. And some days, showering. New Year's resolution: become a socially functioning adult again.
Given up? No, no, I never give up. I just… reduce. That's it. Reduce.
Like video games. Takes me about 2 years to finish a single video game, these days.
Or reading. I used to be in the 50+ books a year club (okay, probably 100+ books a year), but I'm down to more like 20 these days.
Also had to cut down on the dating life, but I was busy looking for a full-time job anyway, so I'll probably start that again now that I have one again.
Oh, and I haven't done as much baking lately. The world is a much sadder place without my awesome homemade peanut butter brownies. However, since exercise has also been reduced, that's probably for the better. Calories need to be inversely proportionate to time spent writing, and all.
I gave up more hobbies because I had children than for the writing itself.
I think I turned to writing in part because it was something that I could do that didn't involve noxious chemicals (painting) or scissors and needles (sewing, crochet). I can write from the living room couch with minimal setup/cleanup.
Online chess. Which is surprisingly addictive.
Rock climbing, yoga, hiking, playing board games with friends. I especially miss rock climbing. Once I had kids, I had to choose between writing and exercise, and writing won.
I feel alittle…guilty saying this….but I haven't given up anything that I can think of…..
I'm just not in a rush, and writing isn't a livelihood issue, so it's just one thing on my 'to do' list. An important thing, sure, but not overshadowing the rest of my life…at least not now. That may change when I gear up to write my big stuff. But for now, I'm relaxed about it.
But just so I don't seem like a slacker, I will say that I've sacrificed for my art, but not in these terms. It's more in the lines of going into some difficult internal places and working with them. Saying that's a sacrifice isn't quite accurate, because there is a wonderful pay-off to doing that internal work….but it hasn't been fun, that's for sure!
All of them…
Half-way have given up impromptu flash photography of events happening around Monterey/Carmel, and have also half-way stopped video shooting local concert performances in nightclubs and houses. Some of the concerts were boring but the photography is always fresh and exciting. Writing is always exciting, too.
My garden.
I used to be a BIG TIME film buff. I've still got most of my films, transferred to DVD under my bed- hundreds and hundreds, along with about a thousand shorts. Now, if I try to sit and watch a film, I feel guilty about not writing while I'm sat down.
Video games are a former love I rarely see much of anymore. The drums and I were tragically separated before we ever even met. And I just didn't bother getting a TV when I got my own place.
Just discovered Nathan's blog and I can't believe how many great, really useful posts there are. I can't stop reading them! As for me, I'll echo a number of other folks here -I've given up or reduced the amount of time I spend gaming,going to the gym, reading new comics, and doing housework.
I gave up exercise. After finishing my book, I've put on what I now refer to as "the novel 15."
Does sleep count as a hobby? I've definitely given it up in favor of writing/editing/rewriting.
Beyond that, the whole bit about actually going outdoors and doing things in nature has fallen by the wayside as well. I try to force myself to get up from the computer and take a walk, but when it's a choice between getting this scene done or going outside…
I'd like to add that although hard work is definitely important for a writer (of course), I also think it's really important for writers to be sure to have down time.
Not addressing this to anyone in particular, but say hiking, for example – hiking is really good for writing. It gives the brain time to process and work on things.
A great quote from Brenda Ueland, who wrote the best book on writing ever is:
"The imagination needs moodling,–long, inefficient happy idling, dawdling and puttering."
Creative writing is just one of those things where the aggressive "get this done" approach doesn't always work best.
It's good for writers to rest, take breaks, and play.
Btw, Brenda Ueland's book is available for 4 bucks as an e-book. It's so good, I hope every writer reads it.
I watch less TV than I used to anyway, but it's more that I've given up video games and, to a lesser extent, sewing on a regular basis. Now I do them in spurts, like when I finish a draft of a novel, etc. At most, I allow myself time for them after the writing is done, but they're not everyday or frequent hobbies anymore. It's been more of a reduction than outright quitting or giving up.
I don't know if it qualifies as a hobby, but sleeping in is a self-sacrifice, since I tend to write more in the mornings before the kids get up.
WORD VERIFICATION: carlica. One who applies ones tongue to automobiles. Why one would choose to do this is the subject of a different word verification all together.
I never watched much TV, so I didn't have that to cut. I read less, exercise less, and my personal blog has gone from two posts a week to two posts a month (and lucky at that). Life is pretty much work, write, eat and sleep (and in that priority).
Getting some good writing done though.
Hobbies?
Knitting. Poor Grandbaby #2! She came after blogging and writing in earnest started. But what really got my husband and I writing, was when our TV broke and we didn't replace it.
TV, though I still occasionally tune into the YES Network for background noise.
I worry we give up too much.
I cringe when I hear multi-multi published authors brag about writing a book in ten weeks or less. Pounding out four to five books a year.
I will never be able to do that, nor do I aspire to be that prolific.
I just want to find a middling ground. Someplace where I get a bit more of my life back and write everyday for 5-6 hours. Is that crazy? Is that asking too much?
I am a debut author (my first novel comes out in February) and I am hoping I will be able to enjoy my new career as an author!
I have nearly quit riding horses. Sold a mare just this morning who'd gone a year without a saddle on her back. My treadmill time has increased however. I have more horses so in case I get the hankering back, there's a Plan B. The up side of writing for me is more time is spent with my family now that I'm not always at the barn.
I gave up overtime at work, which I now realize was a bad idea.
Friends and social life…something I'm trying to rectify this coming year.
The problem is that when you're contracted to write something it can be stressful. And to relieve that stress, you need down time and quiet. Ultimately, your social life suffers tremendously. To the point where the only things you are going to are publishing related events. This is not good. We need balance.
A lot less movies and TV in general…
Video games. Designing board games. Programming (mostly games).
gave up tv and don't miss it
Great question, Nathan.
I was a drummer, rock bands, in high school. My senior year, I came upstairs from practicing with my friends and bandmates at their house, to discover their mother had shown her friend–a literary agent–a short story I'd had published in our high school collection of creative writing.
The agent, Ray Puechner, allegedly said "this kid can write!" when reading my story.
He took me under his wing, and I stopped playing drums.
I've also stopped watching as much television, especially when I'm writing, and I even stop reading for pleasure–I'm afraid of being unduly influenced by others' style or even ideas.
I've had to give up mowing the lawn, caring for the house, playing with my son, even going out for entertainment or working on my motorcycle–all things I enjoy when I'm either not writing, or want to occupy myself with something else while my brain is working on something writing related.
It's always a trade-off. But it's always worth it, in the end. Even if I never get what I've written published, or I never publish what I write. Except these days I'll suspend the writing to play with my son…(video games, or catch, or sledding in the winter).
Dance lessons, dollmaking, drawing and painting, Tae Kwan Do classes, community theatre, puppetry, and playing guitar. I used to go to a movie every Saturday; now I go a few times a year. I also watch less TV than I used to.
I don't think I've given up any hobbies entirely, but I've definitely decreased how much time I spend on them. I don't play as many computer games or watch as much TV as I used to. Funnily enough, I spend more time on social networking sites since I started writing.
Everquest. Lol. My husband and I used to play together, but once I started writing, I just didn't have the time.
Becca @ THe Bookshelf Muse
I love hiking, but don't do that nearly as much as I would if I weren't writing. I also start computer games, but never finish them due to writing. I also don't watch as many movies or TV shows as I used to. 🙁
Procastinating, watching TV, cloud reading and talking to walls. It was win-win for me. Loss is not always a bad thing ;D
Definitely TV. I write mostly in the morning before work since I have a weird nearly second shift schedule at work from 11am-8pm. I used to Browse the internet, watch tv, or sleep in the morning before work, but now I try to write or edit.
I wouldn't really say I've 'given up' anything, but I've lost interest in video games, TV and movies since I started writing. I'm now more focused on writing and less distracted and frustrated than I would be if I wasted all my time on the things I listed. 🙂
Basically the same. I was a big 'WoW in the middle of the night' and 'football all day Sunday' type. Had my baby three and a half years ago, and when he was a few months old, decided to get back to my writing goals. Haven't watched an NFL game in 3 years, and haven't played video games or MMOs at all really. We have started some table top, mainly because it is a better way to hang out as a family (play with my husband and brother-in-law) or with friends.
I've given up sewing, and I read and watch TV far less than I used to. I also have given up some time with my family. The big one is SLEEP!
I don't feel like I've had to give anything up. Writing has been a part of my life since I was six, and I have always prioritized it. I still manage to read and exercise almost everyday, too. It helps that I don't have cable and don't really enjoy watching TV. Internet, however, is a huge time waster for me, and I have to unplug in order to get any quality writing done. Honestly, I don't think I'll experience having to give something up for my writing until I have children.
Painting, scrapbooking, quilting,and knitting/crocheting. Eventhough it's not really a hobby, I've given up sleep (replaced sleep with coffee addiction) and I don't obsess about housework as much (still get it done, but not as regularly as I did before).
Golf and Archery have gone from my repertoir, but I took up cycling a couple of years ago.
The best thing about riding a bike is that you can incorporate it into your daily life – shopping, errands, commuting, etc.
I haven't watched live TV for years, instead preferring to pick up DVD boxed sets. (I save time by watching DVDs with VLC, which auto-skips anything marked non-skip. Clever.)
As for computer gaming … I'll never give that up. I love my PC gaming too much, from F1 and flight simulations to RTS, FPS and business and historical strategy games. No Facebook style time wasters though, just solid titles with a lot of depth. (And no multiplayer, because too many people quit when they're losing!)
Knitting. Don't groan – knitting rocks! I miss it but I have to write …
I used to play at least a couple of hours of video games and computer games a day, as well as watch too much TV. I now have a game from my birthday LAST year that I still haven't played, and have been gifted its sequel for this year's birthday. I have at least a handful of games I haven't even started because I never got around to playing them. I also only watch 2-3 hours of TV a week now.
Additionally, I used to write fanfiction, posting new chapters regularly. I had a small but loyal following. Sadly, my commercial writing is taking precedence, and as much as I want to, just don't have the time to return to fanfiction.
crossword puzzles and crafty things
Well, I'm currently balancing school (definitely not a hobby) with: writing, playing three instruments in five orchestras/bands, blogging, vlogging, tweeting, ballet three times a week and practice, procrastinating on YouTube and Tumblr…. so I tend to just keep them all going 😉
I admit that writing has cut into the time I used to spend cycling, swimming, that sort of thing. And because I write best at about 10pm I don't have time to read just before bed so I lose about half an hour of reading time every day – very bad considering that's supposed to be a massive part of writing!
Sleep.
Television, definitely. It was more than a hobby; more like obsession. And since I gave up TV 6 years ago, I've written two novels, mapped out three more, and read about 45 books per year.
Mark Beyer
author of "The Village Wit"
https://www.bibliogrind.com
Um. All of them?
Does a boyfriend count as a hobby? What about a job? No, I didn't give up my partner–he's an amazing man that puts up with all sorts of writer-sh*it from me. The job… Yeah, I gave that up. Unconscionable, I know, and to be fair, it wasn't *just* about writing.
Gardening, though… I used to spend the whole weekend up to my knees in soil and seeds and transplants. The people at the garden center greeted me like a long-lost friend. Now I rush through the morning watering, soaking cacti and barely sprinkling hostas–no wonder they die–while I plot the MC's next move, or run through dialogue in my head.
*Sigh*
I have up on music. I used to write and record my won stuff. I was HUGE into it, but when I started writing, I didn't really have time for it, and was less interested anyway.