Writing: It started as a hobby and became my whole life.

Daily writing prompt

Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

I’ve thought about this all day before replying and the problem is that I never lost interest in any of my hobbies. I just ran out of the spare time needed to keep up with them. The hall closet full of jewelry making supplies can attest to this. Same goes for the Happy Planner supplies happily collecting dust in my cube storage unit. And a million other things I’ve picked up and put back down over the years.

Of the hobbies that have fallen away, the one I regret dropping the most is journaling. I burned my journals when I got married and have regretted it ever since. I’ve spoken about it in interviews in the past. The sheer volume of story ideas I had squirreled away in those pages could have been the start of an entire library of books I never dreamed I would actually write. However, journaling is a hobby I don’t think I could pick back up now because any time dedicated to it would undoubtedly bring out my guilt monster (this nagging inner voice that insists I should either be tackling BookMojo projects or working of my next book).

And one hobby I’ve clung to like a life raft is writing. Be it on a blog (I’ve had many over the years) or in my fiction books, I’ve never given up writing. It started with journaling when I was a kid, and I hit publish on my first book in October 2012. Since then, I’ve published two short stories, two novellas, five novels, and countless blog posts (some end up as long as novelettes). It’s my favorite hobby to spend my time on and I’m lucky enough that I get to do it professionally.

Sometimes my hobbies don’t get abandoned entirely either. Some are simply packed away until I need them again, others are repurposed to better fit my time or needs. My jewelry making supplies have been used to create beautiful beaded bookmarks and Alex & Ani-style charm bracelets themed to my books. Although the Happy Planner brand didn’t work out for me, it did introduce me to washi tape, which has turned into a serious problem for me. It also inspired me to create a custom notebook that helps wrangle the rat’s nest of thoughts rattling around in my brain.

What hobbies have you dropped over time?