You’ve got your hobbies, I’ve got mine… And today A Drift of Quills are inviting our characters to step up and talk about what browns their birds, floats their boats, and helping them relax when they’re not out saving our virtual worlds.
As a quick aside, have you ever wondered about the origin of the word “hobby”? I wonder things like that. Sometimes in the middle of the night… And I will forever hold my mother responsible for instilling such curiosity when she insisted that I go look words up in the dictionary rather than asking her.
She also inadvertently introduced me to rabbit holes. All too often I’d get so involved in all those other lovely words that I’d forget what I went to the dictionary for. Clearly, I was trained to be distracted. So don’t blame me if you bring up hooks and I launch into what I discovered about grappling hooks—and rocks—on the internet today!
No, it’s nothing at all to do with hobbies, but might have something to do with Crow. Anyway… I won’t leave you high and dry and forced to seek out your own dictionary.
Hobby is from the late Middle English hobyn, hoby, from pet forms of the given name Robin.
How delightful is that?
(P.S. When I wrote the first line of this post, I immediately instigated “stuck song syndrome.” I now have the old song “You’ve Got Your Troubles” by The Fortunes stuck in my head. Go ahead and listen to it. You’re welcome.)
Character Hobbies!
Hello, Crow here at the author’s behest and not because I have time to dally with—what was it she called it? Ah, yes, an appendix for your wonderful autobiography.
“Did you see where you left me?” I reminded her, though the autobiography is quite good.
I detected a note of sarcasm in her reply. “At the end of the book, if I recall. Your second book. Which I thought you were excited about. All that talent, wit, and good looks going to waste with only one book, you said.”
Fine, she’s right. I am thrilled at the adventure in Book #2 (mostly relieved that it’s over; I never used to get into situations like that). And do I have to wait for her to do any further plotting (she rarely listens to me), so I made a list of pastimes that I particularly enjoy:
- Collecting things (jewels, coin, books, maps, astonishment and so on)
- Pocket-swapping. (You’re familiar with pickpocketing, I assume? I love taking things from the pockets of crowded rooms and transferring them to other pockets.)
- Teaching Girl some of my hobbies.
- Annoying Tanris.
- Confusing Tanris.
- Shocking Tanris.
Tanris says none of these things qualify as hobbies, and most of them will get me imprisoned. I must point out that the only thing that’s ever got me imprisoned was a woman. And yes, I’m having a difficult time letting that go. I am thinking about it, though, and isn’t that progress?
Very well, for his sake, I came up with a list of more mundane things:
Reading books.Sneaking into the palace.- Visiting new places and trying new foods.
- T
aking advantage of the least likely scapegoat. - Discovering the histories behind some of the items I’ve acquired—either for myself or others.
Fleecing the unwitting atcard games.- Running, jumping, and climbing (necessary to practice for my, er, health.)
- Wine-tasting.
- Collecting. (HA!)
- Target practice (I tend to use rocks, cups, candlesticks, decorative items; Tanris has me working with knives now.)
Sleight of hand.Manual dexterity.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a list with Tanris looking over my shoulder??
PATRICIA REDING
Author of the Oathtaker Series
Patricia’s website
Patricia is unfortunately unable to join us this time…
P.S. BROADDUS
Author of The Unseen Chronicles
Parker’s website
Apparently Parker is also unable to join us!
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What was your favorite post last year from A Drift of Quills?
What would you like to see us talk about? Let us know in the comments below!