Episode 1: How hobbies enhance your writing (and your life)

How having a hobby inspires unique writing ideas

In our first official episode, we talk about the importance of non-writing hobbies and interests for inspiring ideas for your stories, poems, screenplays, and more!

Having non-writing hobbies and interests enriches your writing in so many ways, including:

  1. Giving you more experiences to write about
  2. Inspiring story ideas
  3. Getting you out of your bubble and meeting interesting people

We also talk about what it means to “write what you know,” and how having hobbies helps you draw from your own experiences.

Also, we hope you like birds, because Emily Brooks waxes eloquent about her obsession with bird watching. It’s sure to continue to come up. Read her recent blog post, “The Sacred Art of Birdwatching.”

Watch on Youtube or listen on any of the following platforms!

Our Call To Action Responses

In Episode 0, we asked you all to share what you would do if money and training were no object. In this episode, we hear from: Vered Neta, Alison Ripley Cubitt, Bethany Hale, Jeanice Burch, and Anna B. As promised, we have provided links to their work below!

Bethany Hale: Poetry in The Hyacinth Review

Vered Neta: Full Circle: From the Depths of Uncertainty, Purpose Arises*

Alison Ripley Cubitt: Misadventures in the Screen Trade: How Not to Make It In The Media*

Our appearance!

southern oasis film festival

Come see us at the Southern Oasis Film Festival and get a chance to win a subscription to the WriterCon Magazine (featuring Jon Meyers)!

See the schedule and more info here:

Want to be a sponsor?

If you’re interested in making a tax deductible donation to this non-profit festival, thanks to their association with the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, you may do so here: https://abcnashville.org/donations/southern-oasis/

Other works we talked about

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession*
by Mark Obmascik

Muffler Men*
by Timothy Corrigan Correll, Patrick Arthur Polk

A Third Of American Adults Are Birdwatchers, According To Nationwide Survey by Marc Devokaitis

*Jon Meyers is an Amazon Associate and purchases through Amazon links may earn an affiliate commission.

This week’s Call to Action

Write about a hobby!

It can be a poem, a descriptive paragraph, a short memoir, a short fiction piece—anything! Share it on our Facebook page or in the comments below! If you want, share your socials or a publication that you want us to share in our show notes.